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Tales from Tama Town

Fifth District Arc

Chapter 1

"Mary! Time for school, darling." Her mother leaned against the doorframe, sporting heavy eyebags as she stifled a yawn. "Come on, sweetie. Dad made pancakes." Her voice was raspy and hoarse this morning; Mary couldn't help but notice how often her mother coughed these past few weeks.

"Mhm." Mary groaned a non-answer as she slid from her covers and shambled towards her bedroom window, eager to let some light in. "Coming." She had always been a heavy sleeper, but ever since she started seeing those things, she found herself unable to get out of bed at all without proper encouragement. She parted the curtains, then let out a gasp as she saw them again, staring, just at the edge of her peripheral vision. Monsters. The Othersiders. She blinked, and they vanished.

As Mary went through her morning routine, her mother's coughing echoed up the staircase. It sounded dry and deep, and Mary felt her chest tighten as she imagined how painful it must have been. Her mom insisted that the insomnia had nothing to do with work, but she was tight-lipped about the cough. And about her research; though that went without saying.

"Mornin' papa." Mary kissed her dad on the forehead, then let herself fall into her chair. Her dad busied himself at the stove while her mother worked on her laptop. "Did you sleep well?" She watched him flip pancakes and licked her lips. It annoyed her more than she wanted to admit; he was the only one who could get any sleep in this house. Those amorphous winged things favoured her mom's bedside window, Mary noticed, which kept her dad from suffering the same way. Though they didn't crowd Mary much, the fact that she saw things MOVING in her peripheral disturbed her to no end. She'd look up to see nothing. Then, when she'd look back down, the winged... whatever-they-were would be THERE again.

"I did, I did," he replied without turning from the stove. "But your mom had another late night..." He glanced at her with a slight frown on his face, and Mary felt her insides churn. "So, she's staying home today. Do you have your lunchbox? If not, I can make you a sandwich." He slid three pancakes onto a plate and set it down in front of her.

Mary knew exactly why, too. She wasn't stupid; but when she brought up the tenebrous winged things, her parents looked at her like she was crazy! Not once had her dad even considered believing her. Not only that, but they also scolded her for staying up so late, making up wild stories just to 'worry them.' Mary pushed her annoyance down; it was pointless arguing with them about it.

Her dad put down a plate stacked high with pancakes in front of her, and she wasted no time digging in. His pancakes were simply the best, and she loved how he always topped them with plenty of fresh berries. They were soft, fluffy, and pillowy; they practically melted on her tongue! He said something as he sat down across from her, but she missed it as she stuffed her face. Mary glanced at her mom; the woman had barely touched her breakfast, instead still typing away at her laptop. "Love, did you want some more coffee?" Her dad asked her mom as he began another stack of flapjacks.

"I'd love some," her mother replied as she hit the enter key and let out a relieved sigh. "Almost done with this." Her mom never talked about her work, but Mary had seen bits and pieces of it as she passed by. None of it made sense; there were charts and graphs about population density, numbers and names she didn't recognize, and 'estimated co-ordinate projection' that Mary guessed was some sort of fancy science term. Mary didn't know anything about programming or biostatistics or whatever the hell it was that her mom did, but she knew it had to be important.

Mary was done eating before her mom finished working. She slipped on her sneakers, picked up her backpack, then paused for a moment at the door. "Bye mom and dad, I'll be back for supper!"

"Don't forget your whistle and bear spray." Her mom called out. "Been a few reports of missing people in the District Three. Our local PMC's say we should be fine, but we only pay for the basic subscription..." She added in a grumble. "Try not to stay out too late, sweetie. And if you see anyone... uncanny? Run. You hear me?" Her mother turned to look at Mary with an uncharacteristic look of worry. "You see someone or something... unusual, just RUN. Please."

"Don't worry! I'll be back before it's dark." Mary opened the door and stepped out. "Gah! H-hi." She hissed in surprise as she saw her neighbour Keichi leaning against the big tree between their houses. He was a couple of years older than her; when they were kids, he was her reluctant, but kind, playmate. After puberty though, he became withdrawn and cagey. Always creeping around, skipping class, carrying a bat. He stopped talking to her, too. Their parents were still good friends, though, so he was still over for dinner whenever his folks went away. Which was often.

"How long were you there?" Mary turned and stomped her foot. She didn't know why, but lately, Keichi's presence made her skin crawl. He had this look in his eyes; something desperate and terrified that stared at nothing. And yet, whenever they bumped into each other, he looked at her with the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Like he was staring at a cute puppy.

"Not long," he replied without moving. He wore the same slouchy jacket he had every day, paired with the same washed-out jeans and worn-down sneakers. "Is she sleeping better?" How the hell did Keichi know about her mom's insomnia, anyway? It'd only been a few weeks. Mary did NOT like that Keichi knew personal things about her family without her knowing that he did.

"No, she isn't." Mary's shoulders slumped as she pictured the heavy bags under her mom's eyes. "Has she been making small-talk with you or something?" Mary was very suspicious of the amount of interest he was showing all of a sudden.

Keichi's only reply was a slight shrug before he pushed himself off of the tree and walked towards her. "I have eyes, Mary. I see things, okay? Hard to miss those bags under her eyes. And other things." Mary noted that he was coming closer than usual and took a step back. She was baffled by how much bigger he had gotten. At 15, he was already 5'8 and had all the muscle she lacked. Mary was an average-sized girl for her age; Keichi was anything but. "Hey, I'll walk you to school today, okay? And maybe I'll even stick around for a few classes."

"What?" Mary took a step back and stared up at him. She hadn't been this close to Keichi in years; and he always avoided eye contact with everyone. "Wait, why are you looking at me?" She noticed a year ago that he would glance at her from time to time, but he didn't LOOK at her until recently. "Stop that! You're being creepy."

Keichi shrugged again and started walking. "It's not that far, Mary. Maybe you'll actually be on time for class this way." Mary noticed he carried that bat with him again and wondered what he even needed it for. She sighed, then hurried after him. Mary had always wanted to catch up with him; to make him open up again.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're acting so weird? Why now, all of a sudden?" Mary fell into step beside Keichi and eyed the bat on his shoulder. "And what's with the baseball bat? Just gonna walk around swinging it like a lunatic?"

"Mary, cut the shit. You've always been a bad liar, and your pathetic attempts to deflect are really pissing me off." Keichi stopped and turned to give her a level stare. Mary froze as he looked her straight in the eye; the only times he ever did that were when he was real, real angry. "I heard you screaming a couple weeks ago, in the middle of the night. I remember what it was like for me too. You see them now, don't you." Keichi took a deep breath and shook his head. "I thought I could stop them, but I was wrong. They're stronger than I could ever be, and I can't do it alone. But you can help me, Mary. We can help each other."

Mary didn't know how to respond. For the past few weeks, she'd felt alone. Her parents thought she was making up stories, and she couldn't trust anyone with what she saw. And yet here was Keichi, claiming to see the same things she did. "Keichi... You can see them too?" She approached him and reached out for his arm. "Is that why you've been acting so weird?"

Keichi flinched at Mary's touch, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he simply nodded. "Not just me, Mary. There's about a dozen of us in Fifth District. Darryl from our school baseball team. That petite volunteer miko... I forget her name, but she's your classmate. A few kids from the sports clubs. Hell, there's probably a few hundred others that can sense them, but can't quite see them like us."

Mary thought for a moment as she let go of Keichi. She'd met all those people before, and hadn't noticed anything strange. "That many people?" She thought about it and frowned; it made sense that there would be others. "Well, if that many people are seeing things, then why haven't we heard about any of it on the news?"

"Because grown-ups can't, Mary. Surely you figured that out right? Remember when they took me away for a week or two shortly after my 13th's birthday? They thought I was having a mental breakdown or something, because I insisted that I saw and felt those things. When I stropped talking about it, they chalked it up to hormones and an over-eager imagination and sent me back to school. BULLSHIT!" Keichi kicked at a rock and continued down the street. "As if not talking about it made it less real."

"Oh, yeah..." Mary nodded and jogged up beside him. "You did act really strange back then! Like you were scared of everything."

"I was." Keichi gave Mary a grin, though it seemed more like a grimace to her. "I didn't trust myself to speak anymore, 'cause every time I did, I would say something about how their fucking teeth were twisting into a spiral. Or how their mouths were as dark as the abyss. I'd just say really strange things and freak everyone out." He swapped the baseball bat to his other shoulder; Mary noticed a paper talisman pasted on its shaft. "Stuff that adults really don't want to hear kids say."

"Oh, I get it now." Mary skipped alongside Keichi; she had a spring in her step that she hadn't had in a long while. It felt good to talk about those things to someone else who could actually SEE them! "But Keichi, did you mean it? About what you said? Do you really need my help?" Mary always found it difficult to say no to Keichi; despite how edgy and irritable he had become, there was a kindness to him that shone through sometimes. "What are we going to do?"

"We're always looking for new recruits, Mary. Kids stop seeing them around college. Soon after, they stop BELIEVING that they ever saw them. It's fucked, Mary. Between them getting older, and all the other shit Tama throws at us, there's always a need for more boots on the ground. Know what I mean?"

Mary did not know what Keichi meant, but she did understand one thing: adults couldn't see them, and there wasn't much she could do by herself. "Keichi? Have you been creeping around outside my house to... protect us? Like, beat up those winged things?" She'd seen him hanging around before, and he was always skulking around in the shadows. "You've been watching over us, haven't you? Thanks! But I thought you said you couldn't win."

Keichi muttered something that Mary didn't quite catch. She had a knack for interpreting his mumbling, though. "Yeah, I can't beat them," he admitted as they arrived at the school gate. Mary watched as Keichi's grip tightened on his bat; she could see the sweat on his knuckles. "Doesn't mean I won't try. We call them Othersiders." He looked around at the passing cars and waved Mary away from the curb. "I'll see you after class, okay? Don't take your eyes off them, Mary." Keichi sauntered off across the street, leaving Mary standing there wondering what she had gotten herself into.

Chapter 2

"Hi, hi!" Petunia's pen went flying from her hand as she waved at her friend from across the classroom. "Oh nooooo..." Petunia rushed over and retrieved her writing utensil; her two closest friends watched on. Nana bit her lip to suppress the laugh that threatened to come out, while Mary simply put her head down on her desk.

"You look deflated this morning, Mary." Nana feigned disinterest as she took her seat beside her. "What's got you down?" Nana had a well-practiced poker face; it helped her deflect when people started hounding her about the nicks and bruises she always seemed to sport. When asked about them, she didn't know how she got them, or where they were from, but she always seemed to get a new one the next day.

"It's... well, Keichi talked to me this morning." Mary watched Petunia bounce in her seat at the mention of her schoolmate's name; her big, blue eyes glittered with curiosity as she scooted her chair up between Mary and Nana.

"Ooh! I remember him! He used to play with us when we were younger, right? That grumpy dude with the baseball bat, right? Right?" Petunia pulled out her notebook and began doodling on it; Mary leaned over and saw that she was drawing Keichi, although he had wings and a halo. "He's pretty cool, and kind of handsome. I miss when we used to hang out." She let out a dreamy sigh.

"Hush now, Petunia." Nana glanced over, this time dropping her affected indifference. "Far be it from me to tell you who to be friends with, but I'd stay away from him." Nana winced and rubbed at her brow as she tried to figure out how to explain herself. "I can't get into the details, but let's just say his friend group and mine cross paths from time to time, right? And it's not a good circle to be in."

Mary blinked in surprise; Nana was one of the most athletic girls in the grade, and she'd never seen her lose a fight. If Keichi could knock Nana down a peg, then he was a much more dangerous person than he let on. "Did you guys ever get into a fight or something?"

"Oh, gods no!" Nana cackled. "No no no, he's not strong, or mean. Well, not meaner than any of us, anyways. Gah, forget it." She seemed more fiery than her norm; was this really just because Keichi's name got brought up? "Let's just say that it's in your best interest to keep your distance from him, okay? You know how Tama gets. Dangerous place, all that..."

Mary knew well enough; her mom wouldn't have raised her in Tama Town if it wasn't a fantastic job market for researchers and programmers alike. Plus, the cost of living was dirt cheap compared to most other cities. But the missing persons reports were background noise by now. The bomb threats, the heavy-handed security patrols, the drug trade. The unexplained explosions at the university lab district, the bloody footprints left outside the apartment doors on Sunday mornings... Mary remembered being in elementary school and walking past construction crews who were building the new chemical factory just outside of town. None of the other kids cared that their parents were whispering about the toxic runoff, but she couldn't get the image of bloated animals floating in the water out of her mind.

Mary zoned out for most of the class. Nana's words rang in her ears; how could someone like Keichi be involved with such awful people? He was always nice to her, albeit standoffish these past few years. Maybe his parents had gotten mixed up with some bad people? Nana knew more than she let on, she was sure of it. Petunia kept doodling in her notebook, and Nana listened intently to their teacher; Mary envied their ability to just go on with their day as usual.

For the rest of the day, she felt something... crawling on her back. Every time she looked around, though, there was nothing there. It didn't help that their classrooms had windows on every side; whenever she would look back at the front of the class, the winged shapes would appear at the edge of her peripheral vision on the right side. She hadn't noticed before, but Nana's eyes flitted to the windows too. So she sees them too, Mary thought to herself. Was the whole class seeing them?

"Psst. Petunia." Mary whispered during history class. "You can see them too, can't you? Them things in the windows?"

"Oh?" Petunia brightened up and nodded. "You mean the Noroi? Yeppers... barely! Can't see the other ones though. But we're not supposed to talk about it, right? It'll make everyone panic." Petunia scribbled down notes and did a little drawing of a skull at the bottom of the page.

"Oh god, not you too." Nana droned. Her mask was back up, that imperious veneer that hid her every thought behind a sneer. "So, Keichi talked to you, right? And you're finally going to join his little gang, aren't you?" Nana rolled her eyes at Mary's offended glare. "Mary, please listen to me when I say this: if you get into any kind of trouble with his people, I'll be there to help you get out of it. But if you can help it? Stay away from Keichi." Mary clenched her fists in her lap; she had NEVER heard Nana talk like that before. "Listen, Mary—"

"Now, now, ladies!" Their teacher's voice snapped them back to attention. "I'm very excited about today's lesson plan! Can anyone tell me why the McMillan Accord is important to Tama's modern history? Yes, Nana?"

"The McMillan Accord was the final legal settlement that guaranteed foreign corporations autonomy in the development of their research and manufacturing facilities in Tama. The Tama Town government had no jurisdiction over the safety of experiments or procedures conducted on humans or animals in non-Tama controlled facilities, and could not interfere in the operations of private military contractors for fear of reprisal from other global powers." Nana rattled off without missing a beat; their teacher nodded and turned back to the blackboard.

"Very good! Though remember: in Tama Town, we strive for a learning environment that does not reward memorization and rote regurgitation. Please try to engage in conversation, rather than simply reciting information in a rehearsed tone. That will be all."

Mary could feel Nana's eyes on her from behind as she stepped out into the hallway for lunch. She wasn't wrong; Mary was eager to meet up with Keichi and ask him about the 'Othersiders' she saw. In fact, she was excited to finally have a topic that she could talk to him about! Mary slunk off towards the cafeteria and didn't turn around; Nana watched her leave and shook her head. "Reckless idiot..." She grumbled as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and went in the opposite direction.

Mary wasn't the least bit surprised to see Keichi waiting for her at the gate; he was chewing on a toothpick with a fresh black eye and his jacket was stained with what looked like dried blood.

"Keichi! What happened?" Mary ran up to him and reached up to touch his face.

"Don't." Keichi batted her hand away. "I'm fine, Mary." He pulled out a fresh toothpick from his pocket and leaned back against the gate. "It wasn't Othersiders this time, just a lab breach. PMCs got involved and I slipped away before they started asking too many questions. 'Thanks for the aid, citizen!' or some shit like that." Keichi laughed, then winced in pain; Mary could see a nasty gash on his side where his shirt was torn. "Ah, fuck..." He grimaced as he took a few deep breaths. "Oh well. Guess I should see the nurse. Maybe get sent to the hospital for stitches. Damnit! I wanted to catch up with the lads, too..."

Mary followed him through the hallways as he limped towards the nurse's office; she was glad that he was paying attention to where he was going because she wasn't sure where it was. "Keichi? What was that about a hospital?" Mary didn't like the sound of that; why did he need stitches? He seemed more concerned about seeing his friends than his injuries; Mary wondered who they were.

"You know how it is, Mary. Tama's... Tama." Keichi's face twitched and he let out a grunt as he bumped into a locker. "Holy SHIT, this hurts! Anyways, it was some genetically-modified corgi or something. The mercs don't want to get involved before they're given the green light, so they don't get sued by whatever crazy fucker let the thing loose. But I see threats here, in this neighbourhood? You better believe I'm getting stuck in." Keichi gestured towards the nurse's office as he stopped and took another deep breath. "It's not as bad as it looks, honest. The gash is long, but shallow. I'll see you after class, Mary." Keichi wandered into the nurse's office without looking back; Mary went back to class with more questions than ever.

When the final bell rang, Mary stepped out of the classroom to see Keichi on a bench under an overhang beside the gate. She was surprised to see that he had quite a little crowd around him; most of the school's delinquents were in attendance, it seemed. The small crowd parted as she walked up to him; Mary recognized a few of the faces in the group: some kids from the baseball club, a couple of kendo team members, some beefy dudes from the sports teams, a handful of students that didn't belong to any clubs she could think of... even Nana and Petunia were there, though Petunia looked out of place with her little notebook clutched tight in her hands.

"Okay, okay everyone... Shut up, for a second." Keichi sat up straighter and winced as his jacket shifted. "First order of business: congratulations to the guys on the track and field team; it's great having some folks here with good endurance. You just keep spotting Tsukaima and reporting back to the Sweepers, and we'll clean our district up in no time. As for you, Mary..." Keichi trailed off as he turned his attention towards her; everyone's gaze followed his and Mary felt her skin prickle as they stared at her.

"I... uhh... Hello?" Mary put her arms behind her back and shuffled her feet. She'd never felt this shy before, not with these people; most of them had gone to the same school since kindergarten! Why were they acting so differently towards her now?

"Is it true, kid? You started seein' em, did you?" Darryl piped up. The baseball star cocked his head and nodded past her at Petunia. "That one there barely sees 'em, but she's been aware for a few months already. That's why she's volunteering at the shrine, yeah?" He rolled his shoulders and stood up. "Basically, we gotta know how to use you best, right? If you can barely see 'em, we'll have you help out at Central. If you've got blurry vision, maybe you can help clean Noroi. If you've got the sight, though? That's Tsukaima duty." Darryl smiled at her; he had the easy confidence that all star athletes had. He'd always been polite, if distant; Mary figured that he was probably busy with baseball practice, what with it being the off-season right now.

"Oh, umm..." Mary's eyes darted from face to face as she tried to read the expressions around her. It felt like they were sizing her up for something; and not something like the grade exams, either. "What about you, Nana?" She turned towards her classmate, and was startled to see Nana glaring daggers at her.

"Don't worry about me, Mary." Nana crossed her arms and leaned against a locker. "I'm out of their league. And you should've stayed out of this." She glared at Keichi next; Mary expected him to yell at her or something, but instead he simply shrugged. "Just tell them you can barely see the little fuckers and go make talismans with Petunia. It's not too dangerous at Central. But if you do have the Sight, then that's a different story."

"I uh..." Mary shuffled her feet and looked around again; they were all waiting for her to say something.

"That's not your call to make, Nana." Keichi shook his head at her and smiled. "Look, Mary. The thing is, if you've got the Sight? You're going to see a lot of shit you wish you could unsee. If you've got the Sight, your vision will just keep getting sharper with time. And when it's sharp enough? You'll start seeing them. The big ones." He took a deep breath and shrugged. "Those are the Tsukaima, Mary. If you're lucky, you'll never see one in person. In any case, you're one of us now. One way or another." He spoke the words at Mary, yet they seemed directed at Nana; the latter's scowl only deepened, though she didn't say anything else.

Mary thought about what Nana had said; did she want to get into that kind of mess? The thrill of adventure coursed through her as she thought about Keichi and Nana running through the streets and battling creatures she'd only ever seen from afar. "Well, well?" Petunia hopped over and slumped against Mary. "Tell us, Mary! How good are those peepers? Can you see good? Bad? Super good? Are they all smudged, like mine? Come on, Mary! Tell us!"

They all waited, and Mary felt her throat tighten as she tried to put in words what she was seeing. "Well," she began...

Chapter 3

Petunia knelt on the comfy floor mat and wrote; beside her, a hundred talismans were piled up in neat stacks. "Last stack finished!" She declared as she set down her calligraphy brush and stood up to stretch. "Yuki! I finished!" Petunia seemed to drown in her borrowed robes; she was no typical shrine maiden, but Tama was no typical town.

"Keep your voice down," came the grumble from across the room. "This isn't a social gathering." Yuki scowled as usual; a tiny bundle of teenaged fury and regret, her temper matched her sharp eyes and messy mane of hair. She was a high school senior who could just barely sense the Othersiders, yet was obsessed with their 'purification.' She was also the de facto leader of Fifth District, the liaison for a loose network of miko known as Central. "So? How many are there?"

"One hundred! Should be plenty for the Noroi infestation in our neighbourhood." Petunia paused and rolled her wrist a few times to work out the kink in it. "You know? We got a new member today! Another classmate of mine! Her name's Mary..."

"Oh yeah?" Yuki picked up a talisman and inspected it with a smirk. "Good for her. Not sure how I feel about a 13-year-old handling sweeper duty though." Yuki slid open the door of the shrine's office and stepped out into the crisp spring air. "Tell me about your friend." Yuki's mind went to the obvious things: was she any good in a fight? Did she know any martial arts? How good was her vision? Petunia's mind, however, went elsewhere.

"Her hair is really cute! It's like... like..." Petunia wracked her brain to remember how it looked. "It's like, blonde? She does that up-do thing... folded ponytail? Is that it? That looks really cute on her. I don't think I could do that with my hair though..." Petunia did NOT know how to tie a chignon; and frankly, she was happy with her straight hair down to her shoulders.

"Right, right." Yuki bit her tongue as she tried to remember how to deal with Petunia. "I mean, is she strong? Fast? Does she know how to throw a punch?"

"Ohh..." Petunia understood Yuki's line of questioning now and pondered it. "Well, she's a runner! So she's got lots of stamina? And she has that gym bag, so she might know how to throw a punch... Oh! And I think she's taken an art class or two, so she might be artistic? Like drawing and stuff. You know, people say I'm mildly artistic." Petunia took pride in her doodles, and most people thought they were quite good.

"Okay... that's it. No more sweeper business for you." Yuki could NOT deal with Petunia right now; too much going on with the Othersiders behaving strangely these past few days. "I'm guessing she went home, then?" After all, Mary wasn't with them.

"Oh!" Petunia clapped her hands together and giggled. "Oh, no... she joined a Noroi hunt. Turns out, her vision is crazy good for someone so new."

Yuki blinked a few times as she processed this information. "A Noroi hunt? Like, a live one?" That seemed far too dangerous for someone so freshly-inducted into their community... "Oh dear. We must be doing far worse than I was told." She would speak to the others in Central. Maybe a neighbouring district could lend them some patrols? Maybe they could send another miko, too...

"Hey, Yuki?" Petunia twirled a pen around as she thought about her other friend, too. "You ever notice that... people tend to avoid Nana? Not like, run-from-the-room avoid. But... like, stand-further-away avoid? Maybe cross-the-street avoid? Yeah... people like Nana just fine, but they kinda try to keep their distance from her. Know what I mean?" Petunia didn't care for it; she figured that it was just Nana being Nana.

Yuki froze up. After a pregnant, oppressive pause, she only offered this: "She's different than us. She was born with the Sight. And she sees things the others can't. Does things the others can't either. She's watched enough Tamaites go 'missing,' and tried her best to not let it keep happening." It felt so STUPID to say aloud: Nana was a legitimate magical girl. A fucking love-and-justice power-of-friendship pastel-coloured ball of hope made manifest. And in a town like Tama, that painted a target on her back. Yuki sighed; she couldn't bear to say this aloud.

"I guess." Petunia thought about this. She really didn't have the context for why Nana acted the way she did. All she knew was that Nana liked fighting and had a seemingly-endless supply of bruises. She never gave up, never complained, and never showed fear. "People always like heroes, though. So she should be pretty popular, right?"

"It can be difficult," Petunia began, "wading into a fight, and knowing that no matter what happens, you'll be the one walking away. Especially when you're pretty sure the friends by your side are far less durable than you." Yuki took a deep breath and sat down on the step in front of the shrine's office. "People can't face that reality every day; they would go mad. Maybe that's why she tries to keep a bit of space between her and the others, hm? And maybe that's why she lets that mask slip around friends like you." Friends who stayed out of danger. Friends who had a chance at growing up normal.

Petunia frowned as she thought about it. "Mmmm..." She rubbed her chin as she put pieces together. "Maybe that's why she and Keichi got into that huge fight last year..."

"Tch!" Yuki scoffed at that and let out a single bark of laughter. "THAT asshole? Getting into fights with Nana? You're telling me THAT sack of shit and his little band of yankee wannabes actually stepped up to Nana? Holy SHIT." Yuki couldn't even picture it in her head. She had sparred with Nana a few times; it was embarrassing for a senior to have her ass handed to her by a thirteen-year-old, but Yuki didn't begrudge her for it. And after hearing Nana's stories? Seeing what she'd seen? She could understand why Nana was such a force to be reckoned with. "Geez..." Yuki couldn't wrap her head around the mental image.

"Yeah, she beat him up pretty good." Petunia shuddered as she remembered that night. "Said they were in over their heads. That she was way out of their league. She told them to leave the warehouse district to her, and they agreed." She remembered hearing the shouting match between them and Nana; it carried halfway across the district, and their argument was very heated. "So! What's a Youma, anyway?" That's what they were yelling about that night.

Yuki kept her mouth shut and shook her head. "Ask her about that." She hoped Petunia would never need to know.

Chapter 4

"Batter up!" Mary squealed as she swung her bat into the oncoming Noroi. The slimy, oozing spirit shrieked as it burst into ectoplasmic mist; it splattered on the street, pavement, and windows around Mary as she bashed its sibling right after it. Her form was HORRIBLE; Keichi and Darryl were having the time of their lives making that fact clear to her.

"Holy shit, Mary! Do you even know what a baseball bat is for?" Keichi laughed as he brandished his own weapon. It was wrapped in talismans like hers was, but it looked well-used and well-worn. "SHIT!" Keichi dropped his bat and staggered back as Mary struck the last Noroi right into him. Ectoplasm was everywhere; in his hair, on his jacket, all over his shoes... "Guh, blech..." He spat out the ectoplasm that had landed in his mouth. "Mary, what the fuck!?"

"Hehe! Sorry!" Mary wasn't sorry in the slightest; not that she aimed at him, but sometimes one had to step back and admire the little things. "But Keichi! This is so exciting! I mean, you guys do this every weekend? This is awesome!" Mary skipped up to Darryl, who grinned at his buddy and fished a clean rag out of his back pocket. "We're saving Tama from those slimy little... things! How cool is that?" Mary found the Othersiders creepy, but knew she had to put on a brave face in front of the others.

"That's the spirit." Darryl handed Keichi the rag and picked up his buddy's discarded bat. "You're pretty good at this, kid! Maybe you should sign up for the softball team next term." Darryl would be lying if he said he wasn't having fun; he was usually so busy with practice that he didn't get out much on weekdays. And it was nice watching the new blood learn the ropes. His first hunt had been far more dangerous.

"Hey! I'm not a kid!" Mary glared at Darryl as Keichi cleaned himself off. "I'm going to be 14 soon! And anyways, I could say the same to you! Maybe YOU should join softball!"

"HAH! I'd cream them, kid. Literally." Darryl gestured towards Keichi as he limped towards a nearby bench. "You know, I'm on a freaking scholarship for baseball, right?" College was coming up soon. His tenure as a Sweeper would fade with time. It was a bittersweet thought: knowing how much good he did, but having no way to remember it later. He wondered how many of the adults in his life used to roam the streets at night, bat in hand and talisman in pocket once upon a time.

"Show off." Mary pouted as she followed him. "Are we done for tonight? I want to go home." Mary was curious about Nana's story; what did she mean when she said Keichi 'wasn't strong?' She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"No, we still have two more blocks." Darryl nodded past his shoulder in the vague direction of the residential district. "We've got a few stragglers from a swarm over there. Nothing too intense, but that's where Tsukaima are usually sighted, so we're trying to thin out the Noroi numbers a bit before we call it quits." Mary gulped as she thought about Tsukaima. Keichi said they were an order of magnitude stronger than Noroi, and he wasn't sure his bat could do anything to them. Darryl insisted that a fresh talisman would do wonders.

"Ohh, okay..." Mary squared her shoulders as she prepared for the last stretch of their hunt. She was surprised at how well Darryl and Keichi got along; whenever Keichi didn't have his grumpy mask on, he seemed like a real chill guy. Then again, before he started seeing the Othersiders, he was a sweet kid. Mary's parents liked him more than they liked her friends now.

"Mary! Stop lagging behind, would you?" Darryl paused to check in with Keichi, who waved him off with a grimace. "Even this walking scab's keeping pace!" He flashed his canines at the bandaged Sweeper with a mischievous grin as Keichi flipped him the bird. Mary jogged up beside him; she was winded, but still excited about this new hobby of hers. "Hey, I'll give you a piece of advice, okay? Don't think about what comes next. Forget Tsukaima. Forget Youma."

Mary let those words hang in the air; she wasn't sure what Darryl was getting at. "And... if I can't forget? If I bump into one? What then?" She was glad Darryl was on their side. He was tall, strong, and always had an air of confidence about him. He seemed like he'd been doing this for a while; and he was only 17!

Darryl's smile faltered and he cleared his throat. "Then... Well, hopefully you'll remember my advice and you'll run like hell." Darryl broke out into a jog and glanced over his shoulder at Mary. "C'mon! Last block of the night, so we've got to get serious here!"

"O-okay!" Mary hustled up to his pace and fell into stride beside him. The further they jogged, the thicker the air seemed to get; there was something crawling on the edge of Mary's mind. It was like a ball of fear that coiled around her guts and squeezed. She was hyper-aware of every little shadow, every flick of movement in her peripheral vision... "Do you feel that?" Eyes. From the spaces beneath parked cars and garbage dumpsters, the dark corners of empty alleys, from beneath low-hanging branches. They were always just out of sight, just beyond the limits of her vision. She didn't feel any malice from them; just a palpable sense of hunger and curiosity.

"No." Keichi looked Mary in the eyes and furrowed his brow. "But I believe you feel something. Hey, Darryl! Hold up." He raised a hand and called out; Darryl slowed his jog and turned to face them. "You feel anything? Any tension or like... crawly skin? Eyes on the back of your head?"

"Oh yeah, totally." Darryl tilted his head and frowned. "You mean you can't feel it? Huh." He scratched his cheek and looked around at the dimly-lit streets and overgrown bushes. "They're just out of sight, aren't they? Either we've stumbled upon something rare, or there's an old rumour about these streets that we haven't heard yet. In any case, I don't see any Noroi."

"I feel it too." Mary knew it was illogical, but she was sure that there was someone staring at her. "It's like... They're just beyond where I can see." Mary and Keichi looked over to Darryl, who simply shrugged; he took out a fresh talisman and slapped it over the old one. "Is it just me, or are they closer now?" Mary was sure she could hear whispers now, coming from all around them; it sounded like they were right there, on the other side of the bushes.

"Oh, freaky." Darryl gestured for them to close in. "It feels a bit like a Tsukaima, yeah, but spread out. Maybe that's why you don't recognize it, Keichi-boy." Darryl grimaced as he heard the faintest hint of footsteps coming from somewhere nearby; they were quick and light, yet seemed to come from everywhere at once. "This is a new one."

"Run like hell, right?" Mary wasn't going to take chances with whatever was out there. Keichi was already a half-block ahead of them before Darryl and Mary could pick up their feet; in the time it took them to catch up with him, he had already crossed the intersection and was taking deep breaths with his back against the lamp post.

"Fuck this! Fuck this, fuck this, FUCK THIS!" Keichi's eyes darted back and forth as he gripped his bat so tight that his knuckles went white. "I am NOT dying out here!" He coughed and winced in pain as he moved towards the residential district. "What if this is one big trap? We can't see them! What if it's something else?"

Mary hung back by the corner and reached into her bag; her fingers ran across the smooth plastic cases of her art supplies before finding her prized possession: her phone. It was top-of-the-line and the envy of all her classmates. And right now? It would help them figure out what was going on. Mary fumbled with unlocking it for a moment and started recording a video; in the distance, she could see Keichi's back as he paced back and forth... but there was nothing else in frame. The night was silent save for their panting breath and shuffling feet; she could swear that there was someone whispering in her ear.

"Can't record 'em, Mary." Keichi growled. "At best, your little recording will show us get torn apart by thin fucking air." He stepped forward and gripped her shoulders in his hands; Mary wasn't used to him touching her, let alone shaking her like that. "So just try and stay calm, keep your guard up, and for fuck's sake: tell me if you sense them closing in!"

Mary trembled as she shut off her phone; she hadn't noticed just how fast her heart was beating until she stopped the video. The fog of fear and confusion lifted from her mind, and she realized that Keichi was far more frightened than she was right now. Yet he tried to console her all the same. "Keichi... don't worry. You won't die out here, dude. I'll smack them before you're in any danger, okay?" She gave him a strained smile; she could taste his fear, and it was almost cloying in its intensity.

Keichi clenched his jaw and locked eyes with hers; she could see a spark in his eyes as his grimace softened. "Thanks, Mary..." He patted her shoulder and nodded back towards the intersection. Darryl scanned the roofs of the buildings as the pair approached; he was alert and cautious, yet remained calm. "Darryl? Anything?" Keichi cocked his head; Mary could see that the wound on his side had opened again.

"Nothing... But it's like... I can smell them?" Darryl sniffed the air a few times and nodded. "Mhm, yeah... Their scent is on the breeze." Darryl held his bat up and frowned. "We're gonna call this one in. Do either of you have a candy bar or something?"

"Uhh..." Mary reached into her bag and felt around for the chocolate bar her mother had packed for her. "Yes. Why?"

"Need a bribe. Because Nana gets feisty when you call her on a school night." Darryl smiled as Mary handed him the bar. "Then again, aren't you two best friends? Maybe she'll go easy on you. One way to find out." He pulled out his phone and pressed a button on it; Mary thought that seemed a little absurd for a big tough guy like him to fear her friend. "Nana? It's Darryl. Yeah, I'm fine. Got a sweeper night patrol down near 4th street, and we're not sure what's going on, exactly. Just lots of strange whispers and maybe Tsukaima? They're definitely not Noroi." Darryl held the phone out towards them, and Mary saw Nana's irate face on the screen.

"It's Wednesday night." Nana yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Oh my gosh. Mary?! They dragged you on a hunt today? Your first night? Stay put." Nana's tone of voice left no room for argument; Mary wondered just how strong she really was. "I'll be over there soon. If it is a Tsukaima swarm, don't engage. Stay behind Darryl. Stay together. I'm on my way." Nana hung up without waiting for a response.

"Well, that went better than expected." Darryl slipped his phone back into his pocket and smirked. "Remind me to team up with Mary more often, hey?" he patted Keichi's shoulder. "C'mon buddy, cheer up! Nana's on her way, so we'll be fine." Darryl noticed that the street lamps had begun to flicker; at first, he thought that it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but by the fourth flicker? The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Mary? What do you feel?"

"Mmm..." Mary could see shadows darting from bush to bush; some seemed to blink in and out of existence, while others flickered and dimmed out as though they were made of fire. "I... think there's something behind us." She took a deep breath and readied her bat; Keichi tensed up and let out a slow exhale as he got into a batting stance. Darryl turned around and peered down the darkened street; at first, there was nothing. Then Mary saw it: a single shape standing in the middle of the road. She could not see its features, but it felt as though it was watching her intently. "Oh wow..." she whispered.

"I see it." Darryl gripped his bat tight and slipped a fresh talisman from his pocket. "It's close... Like, ten yards or so? That's one of the weirdest-looking Tsukaima I've ever seen." Mary thought it was pretty small; it didn't look much bigger than her, really.

"That's not a Tsukaima..." Keichi's voice wavered as he stared at the silhouette in the road; its features shifted from moment to moment, never staying the same for longer than a second. It could be mistaken for a human being from a distance, but up close? The faint contours and textures of the shadow's limbs made it clear that it was most certainly not a person. It seemed to melt and morph itself into a different shape; a feline form, then something with several sets of eyes, then a goat-like creature. As it finally settled on a bipedal form, it began to approach them. "That's... Holy shit." Keichi let his bat fall to the ground as the thing sauntered towards them. Mary could feel her blood run cold as it got closer; there was a sense of sheer wrongness emanating from it. "New plan: we book it. Now!"

Chapter 5

Nana flew down the street with a snarl on her face and her phone in hand. Her jacket and skirt fluttered in the breeze as she leapt atop a streetlamp; she perched herself on it for a moment as she called her friends' numbers again and again. Each time, it went straight to voicemail; it was the third time that Nana had tried to call each of them. She was maybe fifteen minutes away from where Darryl connected with her, but his GPS blipped out a moment after they hung up. "Dammit," she hissed. She should have told him to get to high ground; he could've stuck a few talismans in the doorways around him and watched for Othersiders while keeping himself out of reach. She didn't trust Keichi or Mary to have the presence of mind to do that, but Darryl was an old hand at this. So what happened?

The breeze felt rejuvenating as she lept across the rooftops. It was probably a wild sight for anyone looking out their window: a schoolgirl in an oversized jacket flitting across the moonlit sky like some kind of superhero. In a sense, Nana supposed she was one. But moments like these made her feel powerless when it mattered. Nana ground her teeth as she approached the intersection near 8th Street. Her senses were on fire; a miasma of fear and confusion hung thick in the air. She could feel dozens of little presences all around her, the pulse of Tama. As she inhaled, she absorbed the familiar sounds and scents of this damned town: gunfire rattled off in the distance, the tread of some heavy machinery rolled down the next street over, the noxious stench of flames, of chemicals, and the faint trace of blood. The Othersiders were quiet tonight, but Sweeping was a Sisyphean task: every time Central cleared a district, more Othersiders would find their way into Tama.

Nana hated herself as she continued her mad dash towards 4th Street. She loved Tama Town; she loved its energy, its opportunities, its acceptance of the unorthodox. It pained her to know that she could only protect her home from a fraction of its terrors. Her friends were out there, so she had to trust the mundane security forces to do their jobs for once. Yet, she always felt this crushing sense of duty. If she ignored the plight of her neighbours tonight, would they still be alive tomorrow? She had made a promise, after all: to protect her people with everything she had.

As she neared the next intersection, a chilling thought struck her: the people that vanished from Tama became statistics, data points on a chart to prove that this was an acceptable risk, that the average Tamaites would benefit from their sacrifice in the long term. It was a convenient lie that Nana refused to accept. Her legs burned as she ran faster and faster; she took a deep breath as she flew past 5th Street, and gasped as the miasma grew thicker. "There it is." She growled, her face a mask of tranquility. This was 'Other,' something outside the realm of the mundane. Leave the criminals to the PMCs tonight, she resolved. They couldn't step into her world.

Nana stumbled as she crossed onto 4th Street; she fell to her knees and doubled over as she retched and coughed. Her body was different than most, it would recover in a few short breaths. That didn't make it any less painful or unpleasant though. "Dammit..." She wiped her mouth on her sleeve as she staggered back to her feet and had a look about. Where did her friend go? Why did Mary pick TONIGHT to join 'their' stupid little club?! "Mary?!" She called out, hoping that her friend was smart enough to stay put. "Keichi?!"

She caught herself doing that whenever she spoke of the Sweepers. She referred to 'them' as something apart from her: it was 'their' club. As if Nana wasn't in the thick of it with them. As if she didn't stay up at night, haunted by the screams of her classmates torn apart by... something. "I'll have to work on that." She mused, resolving to at least try to warm up a little to her allies. Now that Mary was caught up in all this, it felt mean-spirited to treat them as 'someone else.'

Nana let out a deep sigh as she paused to take stock of her surroundings. Something was definitely different here. It was too weak to be a Youma, but it didn't feel like a Tsukaima either. Was it something new? Their designations for the Othersiders were an educated guess at best; after all, how was one to go about measuring something from beyond the Veil? They were just a bunch of dumb kids playing at monster hunters... and yet, they were the only ones around who gave a shit about what happened in Tama Town's dark places. Nana bit her tongue as she picked up a discarded bat and inspected it. Sweepers didn't leave their gear lying around; they knew better than that. So whose bat was this? Nana hoped it didn't belong to a poor victim...

"HEY! You're out awfully late, kid!" A gruff voice rang out from behind Nana; she turned around and was startled to see two figures in black coveralls and ballistic helmets standing behind her. One held a compact submachine gun, and the other carried a riot shield and sidearm. She didn't recognize the pattern of their body armour, but recognized the firearms as top-of-the-line death dealers. "Wanna drop the bat and tell me what you're up to?" Their guns were pointed at her, though she noticed that they kept their fingers off the triggers. For now.

"I'm out for a walk." Nana dropped her bat and smiled at the two men as they approached. "Gotta keep fit somehow, right?" She couldn't sense Othersiders on them; were they regular folks just doing their job? Nana couldn't tell if she should be relieved or worried; were they from one of Tama's many private security firms? Or were they some independent contractors who muscled their way into the area? At any rate, their posture relaxed and they lowered their guns as Nana complied with their orders. "So... what brings you out on a school night, officers?"

"School night... cute." The man rolled his eyes at her candid response, though a faint smile crossed his lips. "Our employer." He responded as he approached her. "Keeping the streets safe, you know how it is." The guard tapped his shoulder-mounted radio and frowned. "Hey, you feeling that shit? I'm getting feedback through the coms." He gave his compatriot a questioning look before he snapped his attention back to Nana. "You wanna keep fit? Here's my advice: join a club. Go running in the daytime. Don't wander around deserted streets at night." His tone was flat and steady; this was just another job to him. He had no stake in whether Nana lived or died, so she knew he'd shoot her if he thought she was a threat just as soon as he'd lay down his life to protect hers. Well, the latter assumed he took his role as a security guard to heart.

"I'll keep that in mind." Nana inclined her head towards the guard with the SMG; he scanned the area around them. "Say, did you see my friends? There's a tall redheaded guy with smug eyes, a squirrely punk with a real punchable face, and a blonde-haired girl my age?" Nana was starting to get worried. There was a hunger in the air, something imperceptible yet real.

"Haven't seen any civilians tonight Not even a mouse. It's just been us and..." The guard trailed off as his radio squealed with static; his eyes went wide as he tapped at it to no avail. Then, his voice dropped lower and he leaned forward. "Truth be told, we were called in because the locals kept whining about, and I quote: 'the heebie-jeebies.' Was supposed to just pop in and make our presence known to comfort these sad sacks of... ahem. Well, we figured it'd just be some local thugs or some homeless people. But something's wrong here, girl."

"Understatement of the century." The other guard growled as he approached his partner. "Machinery's acting up. And it's weird: no cats, no rodents, no stray dogs or birds." He glanced over at Nana. "Not even a goddamn moth or a firefly. No bugs. Nothing." He tapped his gun against his shoulder. "So yeah, can't really keep you here or send you off, it's not our business what you do. But as a father, lemme just say: get home, kid. Fast." He and his partner looked over their shoulders at the shadows all around them; Nana could feel their tension as they waited for something to happen. And beyond them, she sensed an open curiosity observe the three of them.

Nana could feel something watching her, specifically. Whatever it was, it was aware of her now. The first man spoke up again. "By the way, when we get our radio back online I'll call in about your friends. Maybe they got picked up and taken someplace safe. We've got a few other patrols out here, and an office a block up. Anyways, see ya." He gave Nana a nod and handed her a business card before the pair of security contractors began moving down the street again. "Stay safe, kid!" The man with the SMG gave her a cheery wave as they disappeared around the corner.

Nana stood still for a moment as she ran that whole encounter through her head; security contractors were not uncommon in Tama, nor were they well-liked. She found herself wondering why such a heavy presence would be mobilized over something as trivial as 'the heebie-jeebies,' as one of the guards put it. The name on the card read 'Keats Security Services Inc.,' and listed a phone number and address. Turns out, she had the pleasure of addressing a Sergeant Nowak. Nana slid the card into her jacket pocket and looked around the intersection again; was there something hiding in plain sight here?

She made for the alley across the road, feeling exposed in the broad streets and full moonlight. As she stepped into the shadows, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she felt a shift in the miasma. Curiosity gave way to cruelty; hunger was replaced by purpose. Something was waiting for her up ahead. It was very aware of her, now. And it was biding its time until the perfect opportunity to strike.

Nana's instincts told her to run; this was a predator of the worst sort, and it was either on the hunt or on the defensive right now. She squared her shoulders and braced herself; but realized a moment too late that she wasn't its target. Pandaemonium broke out as gunfire, broken glass, screams and shouts echoed from the street behind her. As Nana turned back towards the intersection, she heard the most terrifying thing of all: nothing. The bullets stopped spraying, the shouts were cut short. The silence fulminated as quickly as the madness had begun just a moment earlier.

Nana felt her pulse quicken as she doubled back towards the intersection. As she got closer, she saw an unfamiliar figure standing in the middle of the road. It was vaguely human-shaped; it stood on two legs, its hands hung loosely at its sides, and a bulbous head sat atop its shoulders. It turned towards her, and Nana froze as she felt its gaze lock onto her. "Shit." She cursed under her breath as it approached her slowly; there was something about it that terrified Nana to her very core. Every instinct screamed at her to retreat.

Instead, she cracked her knuckles and planted her feet. "Alright, let's dance."

Chapter 6

Mary's chest was burning as she rounded another corner; she could hear the two others in her group wheezing as they continued their mad dash through Tama. Darryl was fast on his feet, but Keichi was lagging behind due to his injury. Mary didn't dare slow down; something was after them. Something awful. A shriek pierced the night air and Mary clasped her hands over her ears; it was like nails on a chalkboard, or an insect's chirping amplified hundreds of times over. Her skin crawled as she struggled to maintain her pace.

"Darryl!" Keichi called out as he rounded a corner and narrowly avoided plowing into the wall. "Can't... keep up." He doubled over and rested his hands on his knees as Mary and Darryl slowed to a jog.

"Uh..." Darryl cocked his head and paused. "I think... it's getting quieter. Oh, hell yeah!" He managed to pump a fist, winded as he was. "That's what I'm talking about! Fucking things are finally giving up, huh?" Keichi's eyes fluttered as he glanced at Mary as Darryl took a moment to lean against a building and catch his breath.

"Just... a sec." Keichi let himself slide down the wall and sat down hard on the pavement; he pulled out his phone and flashed a weary smirk to his companions. "Reception's... back. Nana must've... taken care of it."

"YES!" Mary pumped her fist and grinned. "We made it out! We're awesome! Right?" Darryl scoffed and shook his head. After all, he'd signed up for this. Mary had just dipped her toes in the Sweeper lifestyle; she wasn't ready for something like this. Neither was Keichi, for that matter.

"Well..." Keichi hissed as he held his side and winced. "Yeah. We made it out. Not bad, rookie! How'd you like your first hunt?" He didn't want to admit it, but that was the scariest experience of his life. Mary watched Keichi as he held his wound and let out a deep breath. "Did you two notice all the bullets? Or was that just me? Yeah... I hear machine guns and I haul ass." He pulled out his phone and grinned at his companions; despite how much pain he was in, he still had a silly smile on his face. Mary wasn't sure what to make of Keichi at times like this. One moment, he was an edgelord who bitched about everything, and the next he was the kind of guy who'd have your back when things got crazy.

"Calling emergency?" Darryl raised an eyebrow as he recovered from their run.

"Nah, calling Nana. We were supposed to wait for her, remember?" Keichi wrinkled his nose as he held up his phone and gestured to it. "Of course. No reception. 4th street's still a dead zone." He sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall and shut his eyes for a moment. "We... we don't have to go back for her, do we?" Keichi tried to sound nonchalant; Mary noticed his voice crack a bit. He was still scared, and she couldn't blame him for that.

"She's my best friend." Mary whispered as she leaned against her bat. "Of course I have to go back." She wasn't going to abandon Nana.

"Nah." Darryl shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. "She's tougher than all of us put together. Do you know what I think she would ask from you? Stay out of trouble, so she can stay focused on whatever she needs to do." Darryl picked up his bat and nodded at Mary. "I think we should phone Yuki. Let Central know about our new friends, you know? Maybe they can start investigating their pattern of behaviour or something."

"You call them; I'm gonna turn in for tonight." Keichi groaned as he got to his feet. "C'mon Mary, I'll walk you home." He fished his keys out of his pocket and gave Darryl a nod. "See ya around, dude." Keichi waved at his friend as they headed off towards their houses; Mary paused as they rounded the corner and felt a rush of relief as she recognized the street they were on.

"Hey Keichi?" Mary watched his limp as they walked towards her house. "I... thanks for protecting me back there." She had no idea how he had gotten between her and the thing chasing them, but he did it without hesitation. "You didn't have to do that."

Keichi scoffed and shook his head. "Tch! I was slower than the two of you. Injured, too. If anyone was gonna get caught, why shouldn't it be me?" He rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. "Don't get me wrong, I'm fucking terrified of those things, but... Well, I'm glad I could keep you safe, okay?" He sniffed and patted Mary's shoulder. "Can't believe I left my bat behind! How embarrassing."

"Pfft." Mary chuckled as they turned another corner and reached her street. "Well, I appreciate it! Do you wanna come in for tea or something?" She could hear the television blaring inside; it was probably her mother watching one of her soap operas again. At least the Noroi were thinned out. Maybe her mom would get a good night's rest for once.

"No... gotta go check on my dad." Keichi smiled at Mary as they stepped onto her lawn; the street lamp illuminated his face, and she saw just how tired he was. "Hey, what was it like? Your first hunt? Must've been pretty badass, huh?"

Mary rolled her shoulders and hummed in thought; Keichi was right: it was pretty badass of them to survive something that got Darryl spooked. "Well, we killed some slimy ghosts, got chased by... something... and saved each other's butts! Pretty fun night, overall." Keichi couldn't help but laugh; Mary's infectious sense of optimism was something he could get used to.

"Yeah, that's the spirit! Well... see ya at school, Mary." Keichi paused and smiled at Mary as she dug her house keys out of her bag. "Thanks for having my back. If I've got anyone watching my flank out there, I'd rather it be you." With that, he limped next door, his keys jingling in his hand. Mary watched him leave for a moment before she entered her house and shut the door behind her; she locked it twice before slipping off her shoes and taking off her jacket. Her parents were busy in the living room, so she padded off to the kitchen to make some tea for herself and her mother.

As she approached the kitchen, she felt something grab her arm and yank her off her feet; she let out a scream as she fell face-first into the carpet, her ears ringing from the impact. There was an oppressive silence in the air as someone stepped on her back and grabbed the back of her neck, pinning her in place with a vice-like grip; she could feel something cold press against her temple as the lights flickered off and on overhead. The floor creaked as she looked up and saw a boot. Then another. Then she saw the barrel of a gun pointing down at her. Mary heard a voice then, low and terrifying: "Everyone needs to calm down. Deep breaths. Hands where I can see them." The footsteps passed over Mary as the television shut off in the living room.

Mary quivered on the ground as the intruder held her at gunpoint; she heard the heavy tread of combat boots heading towards the kitchen, and then another set of footsteps headed for the stairwell to the second floor. She heard a voice over the radio: "I've secured the doctor and her husband. Status?" Mary's mind raced; why her? What did they want? Who were these people?!

"Clear here." the man who held her replied. "I've got the daughter." Mary couldn't see the other intruders in the house; there was one upstairs, one in the kitchen, and this one who was standing over her with a pistol in his hand. Mary couldn't control her shaking as she tried to piece together what was happening around her. The man made eye contact and spoke in a still, small voice. "Don't worry kid. You're Mary, right? The three of you will be just fine, so long as your mommy does the right thing. It's not your fault. Not even her fault, truth be told. Just stay calm. Tama's... well, Tama's Tama, Mary."

Of course. Just this morning, she was a scared girl who saw eyes in the shadows. By the afternoon, she learned that monsters were real and that people fought them with bats and talismans. That same evening, she was face-down on her living room carpet as armed intruders held her family hostage in their own home. No matter what, Tama Town was a cesspit of filth and corruption; a modern day Atlantis at the bottom of a barrel full of rotting garbage and secrets that stank to high heaven. "Dad... DAD!" Mary screamed as loud as she could; if this guy thought she'd stay quiet and compliant, he had another thing coming.

"Holy shit, shut her up!" came an angry, lilting voice from upstairs. The guard's expression hardened in the blink of an eye as Mary felt the butt of his gun smash into her forehead.

Chapter 7

For a brief interval, the street was bathed in neon-bright kaleidoscopic lights. Nana's consciousness hung over her body like a veil of silk gauze. Her mind was set ablaze as she distilled her love and rage into a burst of kinetic energy; she could feel her world fall away as she solidified once again. The ridiculous outfit and cutesy pose she performed were almost as cringe-inducing as the words she knew would follow.

"In the name of Love and Justice," she flushed crimson as the syllables forced themselves past her lips, "Nighty Knight shall punish you!" Her opponent staggered back a step and shielded its eyes from the burst of radiance that shone from her transformation; the smile that split Nana's face was venomous and unrestrained, her eyes glittering with pure malice. She relished these moments; just a moment ago she was alone, unprepared, and defenceless. Now? While the preceding song-and-dance was like a bad joke to her, the powers she now commanded were anything but.

Nana flexed her fingers and rolled her shoulders as the world slowed around her; she had always been gifted with an intuitive sense of timing and a knack for kinetic maths and geometry that allowed her to master martial arts as naturally as breathing. A flourish of the wrist conjured up her halberd. She appraised its balance with a candid twirl before charging in, point-first. A tilt of her hips sent the weapon in a wide arc towards the Othersider; it jumped backwards in a blur of movement and Nana pursued.

Nana's heart was steady as she lunged forward and sliced at the Othersider in a savage uppercut; it reeled back and fell to the ground, only to find that its arm now hung at its side. As Nana twisted around to gain momentum for another swing, the monster's severed limb congealed into a thick ichor before falling apart in a plume of ash. Nana leapt backwards as the Othersider surged forward and slammed its uninjured fist into the asphalt. The road cracked and splintered underfoot as Nana danced away from it.

"Slow and steady, are you?" She called out as she spun on her heels and pointed her halberd at the monster. It tilted its head at her and began to advance again, its every footstep a tremor that reverberated throughout the street. Nana slid her index finger over the sharp edge of her blade. "That's fine with me!" It was habitual by now: to drown her fear behind a mask of arrogance and fury. She slammed the butt of her halberd against the ground and evoked an elegant-yet-pragmatic set of armour. "Here I come!"

Nana's nerves sang with excitement as she charged into the fray once again; every muscle fiber moved in sync with each other as she swung her halberd in a flurry of precise motions. Nana's natural grace was enhanced by the potent magic that flowed through her veins; in this form, she was the prima ballerina of a flawless symphony of death. If she missed with her halberd, she would allow the momentum to carry her body into a spin; if the creature closed in, another flick of her wrist would transform the polearm into a double-edged blade. Its movements became more erratic as Nana slashed and jabbed at it with surgical precision, gradually whittling away at its form.

To its credit, the monstrosity held its own. It was strong, resilient, and agile, even wounded. Nana could taste its blood in the air, she could hear it wheeze with every breath. It knew fear and pain in a way that no other Othersider could, and that frightened Nana to no end. This was a cold intelligence, unlike the more primal Tsukaima she had faced in the past. It was too physically weak to be a Youma, but its cunning made it deadly. It couldn't hope to win in a straight fight, but it seemed to be aware of that.

A grating screech shattered Nana's train of thought as the creature broke free from her attack and threw itself at her with reckless abandon; Nana tried to sidestep its charge but slipped on a patch of viscera. In that instant, a horrific crunch echoed through the empty streets as a regenerated appendage came down on her pauldron. The force of the blow threw her to the ground, and she rolled onto her stomach to avoid a follow-up strike from its second arm.

Was it hiding the extent of its power? "I'm not sure what you are, but I'll figure it out, sooner or later." Nana didn't know if this thing understood her, but she was rattled now. "Should I peel you like an onion? Or would you rather hash things out with words, hmmm?" Nana rose to her feet as she angled her halberd between herself and the Othersider; it cocked its head at her and dropped down into a low stance. Its limbs contorted into an impossible configuration as it leapt forward; Nana could see that it was a clumsy fighter, though not inexperienced. It lacked finesse and practice, but it had a brutish creativity that seemed to improve with every traded blow.

"Found you." Its voice was a horrific, discordant thing that made Nana's blood run cold. It sounded like a dozen voices crying out in unison, a cacophony of demented fury and unhinged glee. "Found you found you found you found you." It repeated those words over and over as it charged towards Nana again. She wasn't going to test its reach again; her halberd melted into mist as she reshaped it into a longbow. In an instant, Nana began a balletic routine to conjure up a volley of spectral arrows and loosed them with a gusto born from sheer desperation.

Her heart sank as the Othersider tucked its arms into its sides and pivoted on its heels to avoid the first volley. She was not a great shot. Favouring the halberd and blade to the bow. Nana's nerves were on fire as she poured all of her magical energy into another volley, aiming lower this time. The Othersider anticipated her move and leapt forward in a flat arc towards Nana; there was nothing she could do to stop it. Its severed arm was regrowing in a heartbeat as it took another step towards her, its splayed toes gripping the asphalt with impossible force as it launched itself forward once more.

Nana cursed herself as it crashed into her and bore her to the ground. Her bow dissipated into nothingness as her world was reduced to a primal contest of strength. Its fingers were digging into her shoulders as she lay prone beneath it; her armour warped and darkened as its claws dug in, its rictus-like maw writhing and stretching to reveal a morass of congealed ichor and razor-sharp teeth.

Nana looked up at the creature and saw an unfathomable hatred burning in its gaze. As its face closed in on hers, she could see its mouth moving slowly as it spoke again. "Found you found you found you-" Its speech was cut short as Nana flooded her conjured armour with power. It was a burst of twisted metal and glowing shrapnel that threw the creature off her in a storm of viscera and fragmented bone. Nana wheezed as she rose to her feet, the dust from her decimated armour coating her clothes in a layer of grime. "Are you having fun?!" Nana croaked as she conjured up her halberd once more, her face an emotionless facade. The Othersider clambered back to its feet and flexed its arm; it didn't seem fazed by her spell. "I'm not." She chuckled. "Not even close."

Nana held her halberd aloft as her lips curled into a savage grin; it was a demure act of defiance against an abomination beyond reason or understanding. With that, Nana allowed her emotions to bleed into her movements as her weapon shifted one more time. The lance was longer than she was tall, yet it felt perfectly balanced in her hands. "Shall we dance?" Nana needed reach and speed if she was going to pull through this alive.

The Othersider ran forward and barreled towards Nana; its mouth twisted and stretched into a thin line as its limbs rippled and contorted. In perhaps its stupidest move of the night, it threw itself forward on a predictable path. She swiveled on reflex. "Found you." It sputtered as it stood skewered upon Nana's weapon; it reached out and drove the lance deeper into its core. "Found you found you found you found-"

"Shut up." Nana seethed as she dropped her weapon and backflipped away from the creature. There was a shuddering trail of smog from its form as its legs fell apart; the lance stuck out of its abdomen and its hands were writhing at its sides. Its body spasmed and convulsed as it dissolved into a thick brume. The air seemed to shimmer for a moment as a brilliant fractal design began to illuminate from within the smoke. Nana could feel its gaze lock onto hers as the smog dissipated.

"...found you." It whispered. She had a sickening feeling that it hadn't died, merely retreated. The last of the smog dissipated and Nana felt her strength leave her body. She walked across the intersection towards the bat Keichi left behind.

Nana gasped as her eyes drifted to her shoulder. That first blow was worse than she thought: even with her armour, it left a nasty violet welt that would force her to wear long sleeves for the foreseeable future. "Glad I suited up." She mused aloud.

"Me too." Nana's heart froze at the familiar voice behind her.

Chapter 8

"I can expl—" Nana took in a sharp breath as she saw the extent of the grunt's injuries; blood dripped from his knuckles and a set of claw marks ran from his collarbone down to his sternum, still fresh from the look of it. "Holy crackers!" she hissed.

"Fucking... monster... stuff..." The security contractor groaned as he let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the curb. He dug around in his jacket pockets until he found a metal flask, unscrewed the top, and took a long drink from it. The strap from his SMG was wrapped around his leg like a tourniquet, and the gun was nowhere to be seen. "I have no clue what that thing was. All smoke and fear, and then my buddy just..." His voice wavered as he tilted his head back and stared up at the moon. "Fucker ripped my buddy's throat out and started heading for me, so I booked it. Whatever it planned to do to me was put on hold when you showed up." He passed his flask to Nana and gave her a nod. "Thanks for that, kid."

Nana gave him a confused look as she sniffed at the flask; it smelled like something her dad would drink on cold winter nights. "Uh, I'm only thirteen, dude." She shook her head and handed the flask back to him. "You're Nowak, right? I have your card, mister." She reached for her pocket, only to realize that she was still transformed! "Oh. Well, this is awkward."

"Well, shit." Nowak snorted and laughed. "Yeah, that's my name. You'll have to forgive me kid, it's been a rough night." He stuffed his flask back into his jacket pocket and studied the girl before him intently: she looked familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on why. She wore a black ensemble with silver filigree, embedded with amethyst. She looked as though she stepped in from some fantasy game that his son loved so much. "Listen kid, I don't know how you know me, or how you pushed back the darkness, but I'm grateful. I owe you one." He paused for a moment as he realized he had never seen such a getup outside of costume parties or cosplay conventions. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know how to drive. Right? My leg's no good, I lost a lot of blood, and I'm drunker than usual."

Nana bit her lip and tried to figure out what to do next: she wasn't going to let the poor guy bleed out in the streets, but she also knew that Keichi and Mary were still out there. "Okay. I'm gonna do something dumb." She grumbled. "I'm going to trust you. So... if you could point me to your car? And keep in mind, I've never done this in real life before. But I play a lot of kart racers, so there's that."

"You're a real-life hero." Nowak couldn't believe what he was saying, but his tongue was loosened by the whiskey in his veins. "Can you tell me what... well, whatever you are, exactly?" He grumbled as he staggered back to his feet and pulled out a key fob; Nana was quick to sling his arm around her shoulder and take it from him. The button unlocked a sedan across the street from them; Nana's breath caught in her throat as she spotted a third body slumped beside the door. "Yeah... did not go well." Nowak remarked as he steadied himself against the hood of the car.

"What am I?" Nana wanted to laugh. It was juvenile to say it out loud: a magical girl. Someone who hunted scary monsters from the Otherside. Someone who kept others safe despite being young, immature, and reckless. "Just a dumb kid who got roped into this shit. And someone who loves Tama Town with all her heart." Nana's eyes met his as she opened the passenger side door and helped him inside; she swore she heard a scream in the distance, but she couldn't tell if it was real or if she was just imagining things. "Sorry about your friend. That's... That's rough."

"Tama's Tama." Nowak remarked dryly as he stared out at the street and sighed. "Hey kid, do you have a name?"

"Uh... Call me Nighty Knight." It sounded so much cooler when she first came up with the moniker! This was the first time she ever spoke the words before an adult though; it hit different. She winced from the residual shame before she slipped back into her aloof persona. "Now then, my phone still isn't working out here. Would you like to give me directions? Or shall I just drive around 'til I find the nearest morgue and drop you off?"

"Ooh... Feisty, aren't you?" Nowak smiled as Nana got behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors. "I like your style! Okay, just drive to the corner there, make a right. Follow the street 'til you find a hospital. Left on 6th, then... then... We'll worry about that once you're driving. Start slow, kid."

"On it." Nana grinned as she pulled her seatbelt on and inserted the key into the ignition; it wasn't like the kart racers at all! "Holy crackers." She breathed as she started the car and took a deep breath. She didn't want to let her nerves show, so she squared her shoulders and fixed her eyes on the road ahead. "Your hands steer where your eyes do or something, right?"

"Uh-huh." Nowak snickered as he buckled up and leaned back into his seat. "Keep your foot on the brake till you're ready to move, okay? Grip the wheel lightly, one hand on ten and two, eyes on the road ahead." The contractor's voice was calming despite the tears in his eyes; Nana found herself taking solace in his instruction and direction. "Shift gears when you're ready, kiddo."

"Of course." Nana let out a deep breath as she let up on the brake pedal; the car lurched forward and her heart was in her throat as she jerked the wheel to keep it straight on the road. "Just testing the waters." She assured herself as she followed Nowak's instructions; within minutes, they were cruising down the street. "There we go! Not bad, huh?" She had no idea what the speed limit was on this road, but it was late at night on a Wednesday. Traffic wasn't exactly an issue.

"Not bad at all." Nowak ran his fingers through his hair and shivered. "Hey kid, turn up the heat, will ya?" He wasn't doing so good. The scent of blood and liquor permeated the car as they drove further down the road. "Doing great! You're doing great!" Nowak's quiet encouragement carried on as she rounded a corner and began driving towards their destination. "Hey kid, where'd you learn to do all this stuff? I'm curious."

"Oh, you pick things up here and there." Her dad was a gamer with a love for simulators. Nana took a deep breath as she thought about him: he'd always been so supportive of her. She remembered the hours she wasted behind the plastic steering wheel of his kart racers and trucker sims, hours and hours of practice in an effort to beat her father's score. She looked over at Nowak as his breathing slowed; she wondered what her dad would think of her. Would he be proud? Would he be disgusted? "Hey... hey dude?" She could see the hospital sign up ahead; she could practically taste her relief as Nowak groaned and clutched his arm. "Hold on, dude! Just a couple blocks left!"

Nana was relieved as she pulled into the hospital parking lot; the car jolted forward as she accidentally hit the gas again. She felt her pulse racing as she pulled into an empty spot and parked the car. She decided to put up an imperious mask for one final time tonight. "It's safe now. We made it. Now then, I shall go ahead and run as fast as I can now. Given that I'm underage and driving without a license while dressed like a total weeb... But don't worry, I have your business card." Nowak's pained laughter eased some of Nana's anxiety as she got out of the car and unlocked the passenger side door. "Get yourself checked in, okay?"

"See ya around, kid." Nowak wheezed as he slumped out of the car and leaned against the hood; Nana made sure he was stable before she bolted off into the night, her heart thumping in her chest. She felt like an absolute maniac, but at least her mission was a success. Nowak was safe, and she could focus on her missing friends now.

"Oh!" She ducked behind a dumpster and transformed back into her street clothes, then straightened her jacket out and took a deep breath. She fished her phone out of her pocket and saw that reception was back up. Nana let out a sigh of relief as she dialed Mary's number; it went straight to voicemail. "Ugh!" She tried Keichi instead. "Hey Keichi. Tell me you guys made it out of 4th street. Darryl and Mary okay?"

"Oh thank fuck! Yeah, hi Nana! We're fine." Keichi sounded tired, but giddy. "We got chased off by something..."

"Something different, yeah. I dealt with it." Nana began walking away from the hospital. "I guess we can exchange notes tomorrow. I'm sure Yuki would be happy to hear the details too. "The thought of that little miko ever being described as 'happy' was hilarious to Nana, but she had to admit that Yuki's grimness was offset by her sincerity. "Anyways, where are you two?"

"Darryl split with us when the noises receded. Texted him a few minutes ago, he's fine. As for Mary? We're neighbours, so I walked her home before I slumped onto my bed." Keichi chuckled into the receiver. "You okay, Nana?"

"Yeah." She didn't feel fine though. Her body ached all over, and she felt like her mind was weighed down with the world's secrets. "Just fine. It's creepy, hearing you worry about me." The tough guy was softening with every fucking word he spewed ever since this morning. Was Mary really such a good influence on him? "Say... have you heard any news on the streets lately? Anything big on the radar?"

"Well... they say that Tamaites are disappearing at a faster rate than usual." Keichi mused. "I mean, it's so bad that the government actually wants to step in." He let out a whistle and sucked in a sharp breath. "Not labourers and ne'er-do-wells off the streets, either. I'm talking executives and department heads. Researchers and politicians. Even celebrities and star athletes are vanishing from Tama in droves. It's so bad that some people are considering getting the fuck outta Dodge." Keichi let out a heavy sigh. "Makes you wonder what they're all connected to."

"Yeah..." Nana blinked and suppressed a yawn. She was so hyper-fixated on the Otherside, she forgot just how dangerous people could be. "Yeah. Good call on taking Mary home, Keichi. Did you notice anything weird on the streets?"

"No, everything was fine. There were a couple of PMC trucks in the neighbourhood, but that was all." Keichi yawned into the receiver and let out a chuckle. "Fuck, I'm wiped. Wanna meet up at our spot after school tomorrow? Go over things properly?" Nana swore she could hear him setting his alarm and plugging in his phone. "You bring the snacks."

"I most certainly do NOT bring the snacks." Nana snapped. "Darryl got me to dash halfway across our neighbourhood for some stupid hunt you three stooges managed to run from without me. If anything, he brings the snacks." She knew what Keichi was doing, though: trying to keep their spirits high after what happened tonight. It was working, too. "He owes us one anyways, doesn't he?"

"Nah." Keichi laughed as he settled into his bed. "After you're done telling us what went down tonight, he's gonna owe us two!"

Chapter 9

Petunia looked broken as she doodled half-hearted little sketches in her notebook. Not even Nana's best efforts could hide the scowl that tugged at her lip. That morning, Keichi walked to school alone. Mary wasn't answering any of her texts, and Petunia refused to even talk about it, preferring to ignore the problem and keep her fears buried under a pile of childish doodles. The tension was palpable between them as they took their seats in homeroom.

Nana took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes; she didn't get much sleep last night, and she was having trouble keeping focused on the world around her. The bruise throbbed whenever she moved her arm, too. All in all, Nana felt like she had been run over by a truck. "Petunia. Petunia!" She poked her friend with her pen and chuckled when she got her attention. "Are you meeting with Yuki after school today? Helping her with the talismans and all that?"

"Huh? Oh." Petunia's response was flat as she stared at the door. "Yeah. But..." Her voice trailed off as she turned back to Nana and whispered under her breath. "I don't really want to do this anymore. Do you? I mean, we could just go home, you know? Act normal and stuff. Maybe just focus on homework or video games or... I don't know."

Nana found herself at a loss for words as she heard Petunia's confession. The ditsy little bundle of optimism and good vibes looked deflated! "Don't look at me like that!" Petunia hissed. "It's not like I'm giving up or anything! I just... Well, last night, something bad happened! Something bad happened, Nana!"

"Yeah... Yeah I know." Nana wanted to reach out and wrap Petunia in a hug, but the teacher was calling the class to attention now. "Petunia, it's okay! We'll talk to Keichi at lunch. The little creep might know more than he told me last night." Nana didn't blame Petunia for being so out of sorts; it had been months since Petunia started to 'see' the Othersiders, but it felt to Nana as though Petunia hadn't quite accepted them as real until now. People went missing, but they were always just 'people,' never friends Petunia knew. Never their classmates and never their neighbours. Last night had changed that, and Nana couldn't fault Petunia for wanting to bury her head in the sand.

Nana listened to their homeroom teacher's spiel as she scanned the room. Something about the future looking bright, some drivel on the malleability of statistics. Tama was good at masking its rot, and it seemed like today was no different; it was like nothing had happened at all. The tension in the air was thinning, and Nana found herself more focused on what Petunia was scribbling than the teacher's propaganda. Petunia seemed more engaged as well; Nana realized she was doodling a key on the page, the kind one would see in old cartoons. A few familiar faces were at the bottom of the page too: she saw herself, Keichi, Darryl, Mary, and even grumpy little Yuki with a handful of talismans and a bokken. There was another sketch of a blank silhouette with a question mark for a head; Petunia added a few extra eyes to it.

The teacher paused to let that last point sink in. "Anyone want to explain what that means?" Their silence was loud and telling. "Alright, no one? How about Ms. Fletcher?" Petunia squeaked as she rose from her seat.

"Um, we're bright kids who can make our own futures." Petunia mumbled. "And no matter how Tama changes, we're... always gonna be good people." She sat down with a blush in her cheeks and looked at Nana for approval; Nana nodded with a small smile. It was a perfect non-answer; if the teacher bought it, then he was every bit as insecure as their classmates were.

"Wonderful answer, Ms. Fletcher. Though perhaps a bit too optimistic." Their teacher grumbled as he went back to his notes. "Anyone else care to expand on her notion? Ms. Suzuhara?"

Nana rose from her seat and considered the question carefully: "Well, Good and Evil are outdated concepts. In the name of the Greater Good, acts of Evil are committed every day." She narrowed her eyes at their teacher and raised an eyebrow. "To follow orders blindly is no different than becoming a slave, no matter how nice your suit is or how many years of education you have. It's up to us to hold our peers accountable, and offer a solution to the issues that haunt us instead of waiting for someone else. There's no future without a plan of action."

Their teacher blinked and then smiled; it was clear to Nana that he never expected any of his students to speak back at him! "Wonderful!" He nodded and jotted a few notes down on the board; Nana bit back a laugh as she saw him scrawl "INITIATIVE" onto the board. "Well then, take a moment to reflect on these questions: How much can you expect to control your fate? What does the future hold for you? Are there events in the past that have already shaped the path you walk today?" He gave the class a moment to think about it before he pointed at Nana and Petunia with his dry-erase marker. "Ms. Suzuhara! Keep up the good work. Your peers are lacking in initiative, but they look up to you."

"Thank you, sir." Nana sighed as she sat back down and fixed her eyes on the door; Petunia nudged her and nodded towards the window.

"Do you think it's 'cause of them?" Petunia's whisper was barely audible. Noroi were circling the block like vultures. They seemed agitated. Moreso than usual; Nana couldn't remember a time where she saw them acting so... animalistic. Like crows or ravens, they hopped across rooftops and crawled across windows on all fours. Their eyes never stayed still for very long; Nana counted seven of them before she averted her gaze back to the board.

"What are you on about now, Petunia?" There were far worse things out there than Noroi. Among the Othersiders, those little shits were glorified caffeine pills: they stopped you from sleeping, but that was the worst of it. They couldn't hurt anyone beyond feeding off their nervous energy, after all. They were a nuisance, not a threat. Still, Nana found herself concerned with their agitated state. Between that and whatever she fought last night, things were happening in the shadows, and Nana had no idea how to prepare for it. "Quit doodling and pay attention. I'm not sharing my notes with you." She whispered back in a perfect deadpan as she allowed the corner of her lip to curl upwards.

"Spoilsport." Petunia huffed as she tore out her little cartoon and folded it up. "Hey Nana? Is Mary sick?" Nana felt as though the copper-haired girl had just punched her in the gut with that question.

"I dunno, Petunia. She hasn't answered any of my texts or calls since last night." Nana felt her own sense of unease grow into a knot in the pit of her stomach, but she maintained a clear, even tone. "Hopefully she's just ill. Her mom's been coughing an awful lot these past couple of weeks, maybe it finally caught up to her." It was a honest possibility. Why did it feel like a bald-faced lie on her tongue? There was so much about last night that didn't add up. How come Keichi struggled to sense that Othersider, despite being a veteran Sweeper? Did that PMC 'see' something? He mentioned 'monsters' and 'smoke,' but Nana was too busy to dwell on it in the moment. Why was it so skilled at battle? she could fight a dozen Tsukaima in a night with less effort than that single anomaly.

Maybe Yuki would know more. For now, she reached for her pen and carried on her studies. The day had only begun, after all.

Chapter 10

Darryl looked pale. "What do you mean, Mary's missing?" He dropped his baseball mitt and just stared at Keichi from across the batting cage; he could feel his pulse rise as he tried to process the news.

"I mean Mary hasn't been responding to our texts, she missed classes today, and not even her parents are picking up the landline. She's fucking gone." Keichi sounded like he was trying to be calm, but the frustration in his voice was impossible to hide. "We have to meet up today. Emergency meeting, dude. Call in the Sweepers, have Yuki prep the shrine for guests. Maybe call in a rep from higher up the Central hierarchy. We gotta get down to brass tacks and figure out what's going on."

"Yeah. Yeah. Sure." Darryl took a deep breath as he leaned against the fence that separated his ballfield from the rest of the park. "You're growing up, Keichi." The baseball ace always liked the cagey delinquent, but Keichi seemed content to let others spell things out in the past. Maybe when Darryl headed off to college, Keichi would slip into his role as the de facto leader of their little band of Sweepers.

"Come on dude. Quit reading into it. I just want to help Mary." Keichi huffed and shot a glare at Darryl through the fence. "Anyways, Nana's already texted me. Apparently, that little spaz Petunia's hyperventilating as we speak. I think Yuki's losing her patience, too. Meeting at the shrine, around 4. Got it?"

"Got it." Darryl let out a sigh as he plucked his mitt from the ground and tugged it back on; it wasn't perfect, but he'd have time to compose himself before heading up to the shrine. "Catch ya later." Keichi waved at him as he headed for his bike and took off. People went missing all the time, Tama was that kind of place. Hell, Nana's dad went missing a couple years back, and no one ever heard from him again! "Hell with it." Darryl grunted as he tossed a ball at the pitching machine and picked up his bat. It was best to lose himself in his swings while he had the chance; if there was any upside to Tama Town, it was that chaos always took second place to petty squabbles and a lack of consequences.

The walk over was uneventful. His duffel bag felt lighter on his shoulder as he carried it through the streets; it wasn't even a twenty-minute trek from the park to the temple grounds, so Darryl walked in a steady, deliberate pace and kept his eyes peeled for signs of Othersiders. Despite the lack of activity, he could feel something bubbling under the surface. It was a common trend of late, too. Othersiders were lingering around the city limits, skirting along the borders between worlds like sharks circling a lifeboat. Darryl wondered if this had something to do with Mary's disappearance.

"Maybe they're taking folks into the Otherside. That would be something." He muttered under his breath as he approached the front gate of the shrine. He wasn't a religious man, so the whole place gave him the creeps. Sure, there were dozens of shrines like this throughout Tama, but the Kannushi family always drew the most outlandish crowd. "Evenin', Yuki!" He called out as he saw the little shrine maiden coming towards him.

"Oh? I hadn't noticed." She rolled her sharp eyes as the sun faded behind the buildings and threw shadows over them both. "Petunia is preparing some drinks in the main hall. Keichi and the other Sweepers arrived earlier. Nana's doing her usual bit, brooding around the fucking shrine grounds." Yuki sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whatever. Let's go, Darryl. I need a drink."

Darryl had never met a miko as vulgar as Yuki. It was always so jarring when the tiny slip of a girl demeaned and belittled him with apathetic spite. They were about the same age, but he never would've guessed. "Duly noted!" He made a show of stretching and cracking his knuckles before he slung his bag over his shoulder and followed her into the compound. "I brought some snacks, by the way."

"Oh. Open with that, next time." She reached for his arm and looped hers around it. Darryl sighed and accepted his fate. The young priestess was almost comically short beside him, but she had no qualms about yanking him around. "By the way, I heard the cliff-notes from last night. Compiling a report to shoot over the net later, but I wanna hear more from you."

"Oh yeah?" Darryl watched as she kicked open the shrine doors and ushered him in; Keichi was sitting with Petunia at a table near the far corner of the room. Nana leaned against the wall and made small talk with a pair of kids from the kendo club. It was a hoot to see how personable she became whenever she started talking about combat techniques. "Guess I got here just in time!"

"Oh yeah." Yuki repeated as she guided Darryl towards his friends. "Anyways, spill."

"Okay, well." Darryl shook his head as he took in the room; Yuki always had a way of disarming him, of making him feel like he was walking into a trap. "We took Mary on her first Hunt. She was good—really good. So we cleared out the Noroi around her block, then started spiraling the district 'til we reached 4th street. Then we got the hell out of dodge. Nana ran into some real shit in the area, though. Only reason we got away was 'cause she was on the scene."

"Ugh. Don't be so dramatic." Nana interjected. "You kids cleared out before I arrived." Her tone was playful but firm; Darryl could see a haunted look in her eyes as she said those words, but it was gone before he could be sure of it. "Anyways, I dispatched whatever it was and then booked it with a survivor. Do you guys know anything about his outfit? They're called 'Keats Security Services Inc.,' and the guy said some stuff that caught me by surprise."

"Fuck!" Keichi slapped his hand on the table as he leaned forward; Petunia tensed up and frowned as she poured them both another glass of water. "Shit, guys! I didn't even consider that angle!" The gangly thug hissed under his breath as he sat back down and shook his head. "Listen: a buddy of mine from the karate club got hauled off by some guys in suits earlier this week. And last night, there were PMC trucks across the street from mine and Mary's houses. And some rumours are circulating around the kendo club about a big merger or buyout or something. Yuki... have you seen this stuff on the local channels?"

"Dude, I'm a high school senior. Do you really think I watch the news?" Yuki sipped tea and stared daggers at Keichi, somehow offended by the innocuous question. "What kind of nutjob watches the news? Wait, don't answer that." She paused and looked at everyone around the room. "Petunia, do you watch the news?"

"Oh, yes! My dad loves the news! I don't know what half the stuff they say means, though." Petunia beamed as she placed her cup of tea down on the table. How the hell was this little airhead more informed than Yuki? "Yes. Um, it seems that a lot of different companies are consolidating into one really big company. It's an international thing, from what my dad told me. They call themselves 'Antaeus Conglomerate,' and they're totally evil!"

"Uh-huh." Darryl blinked and took a seat at the table. "Evil because...?"

"Well, um..." Petunia wrung her hands together and puffed out her cheeks for a moment before she answered. "Dad's losing his job. So they suck, boo. Boo! But um... well, there was something else that we talked about that reminded me of you guys!" She held up one finger and swayed back and forth as she spoke. "They're doing these medical experiments in their labs! And no one can tell what the experiments are for, 'cause the labs are secret! But some people say it's for developing new treatments for illnesses and stuff. Dad thinks it's for super secret military projects or something like that! Either way, we can't really get behind their methods, 'cause they don't talk about what they do, or how they do it."

"Huh." Keichi looked confused as he scratched his chin. "I wonder if that has anything to do with the PMCs that were on-site when we got jumped. Those Keats fellows." He snapped his fingers and tilted his head. "I guess Antaeus must be interested in the Otherside."

"Unlikely." Nana played the devil's advocate now. "Adults can't see it. As they grow older, they can't even remember it. No way a whole corporation of manic corpo fucks could be convinced to research paranormal rumours." Although, she had Sgt. Nowak's card. He owed her big time, considering she saved his ass. "I'll look into it though."

"Yeah." Yuki nodded her head and tapped her foot. "Let me just fetch my laptop and see what the other shrines have to say." She walked off without another word; the others at the table knew better than to follow her. Yuki was prickly at best, and when it came to her shrine, she was damned territorial.

"Anyways..." Darryl wanted to change the subject before everyone started fighting. "So what are we gonna do about Mary?"

"Well, we can't let some corporate monkeys kidnap our friend!" Petunia blurted out with a huff. "And we're Sweepers! So... so we should sweep!" The peppy redhead wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was infectious. The tension in the room diffused as the other kids let out a laugh at her bold declaration; her enthusiasm was unmatched, and her positivity was a boon for morale. "We'll find her! Right?"

"Yeah! Hell yeah!" Keichi grinned as he cracked his knuckles and nodded his head; Darryl raised his glass of tea and gave her a toast. Even Nana had a grin on her face, and it made Petunia's heart race to see her friends look so resolute.

Yuki returned a moment later with her laptop tucked under her arm and a grim look on her face. "Ugh. Where to begin." She sat down with a huff and rubbed her temples. "Guys... here's the latest report from Central: Third District was wiped out. I mean, two thirds of their Sweepers, their miko, even one of their two magical girls. The survivors are demoralized and are talking about disbanding. And there's more..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yuki's job was to handle reports from across Tama, and no one had ever seen the girl so shaken up before. "The Sweepers from 2nd District were on the scene to help evacuate, and they won't share what they saw. Just said they weren't going to help again."

"So what?" Darryl's tone was even and confident; the kids at the table turned to look at him, surprised by his certainty. "We're Sweepers, right? So let's do what Sweepers do! We'll expand east and help them out with their defenses, and send word to some of the neighbouring districts for help. The Noroi are thinned out here. They're restless, probably keen to find safer pasture. We can take Third for a few weeks. Help find new Sweepers, maybe train them up."

"Well, we might have to." Yuki sighed as she typed away at her laptop. "Listen, you guys. Everyone here is on-board. None of us are happy about what happened last night, and no one wants Mary to go missing for good. But it's... it's bigger than that." She looked up at them and scanned each of their faces. "We have an opportunity. A real shot to make a difference in this town! You know how shit things were before Central started sending Sweepers and magical girls across Tama?"

"Yeah, we know!" Nana groaned. "People walking around like zombies, kept awake by Noroi attacks. Tsukaima feeding from them, bodies piling on the streets. Then, those fucking Youma..." Part of her missed fighting Youma. It was a side of her she buried DEEP. But it was a side that she knew would shine through eventually; she had a thrill-seeker's spirit, and her need for danger was insatiable. "Right?"

"Well, we're in a position to make it better. Our district is safe, thanks to our diligence! It's gonna be rough at first, but we can find Mary and help clean up 3rd at the same time. Darryl, you've trained plenty of new Sweepers over the years." Yuki set her laptop down on the table and stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I did." He cracked a smile as he thought back to some of his early training sessions. "We could use the kendo club too: they're tough and resourceful. It'd be an easy sell."

"And I can talk to some kids from the usual hangouts." Keichi nodded. The truant spent more time on the streets than he did in class, so his network was valuable. "Yeah. We can do this!"

"Right!" Petunia slammed her fist on the table as she leaned in closer. "So we help the new Sweepers take care of Noroi. If something bigger shows up, we call Central for support! If not... well, we can at least save the people who would've gone missing! And once Mary's found, she'll be so proud of us!"

Nana couldn't help but admire Petunia's optimism; even Yuki cracked a small smile. "Let's keep things nice and boring here, for Mary." Yuki's harsh growl was absent from those words. It was a simplistic sentiment, but earnest. "We've got this, Fifth." Keichi gave her a nod; Petunia wrapped her arms around Nana in a tight hug, while Yuki gave Darryl a playful punch on the shoulder. For a moment, it seemed as though they could handle anything this town could throw at them.

In Tama Town, moments like this were fleeting at best.

Cast

(in order of appearance)

Mary

Assertive, chipper, in over her head. Mary's a high school kid who started seeing things recently.

Keichi

Broody, tough, territorial bloke. Keichi trusts his baseball bat more than he trusts the authorities.

Petunia

Sweet, spacey, good with a pen. Petunia loves doodling and going with the flow.

Nana

Aloof, protective, level-headed. Nana's a good friend, though she tends to put too much on herself.

Darryl

Cocky, reliable, first in and last out. He's the sweepers' unofficial leader, a high school baseball star.

Yuki

Grouchy, belligerent, a miko who can hardly see Othersiders. She's the district rep for Central.

Nowak

Irreverent, blithe, a merc working for a local security outfit. He recently made Sergeant!