My mystery story is baaaack!

"You should've been keeping a closer eye on me!" Aya protested.

"Shhh!" The man covered Aya's mouth. "Not so loud!" He whispered sharply in her ear. "Anyhow, it's not my job to protect you. I just have to show you what you are too blind to see."

Aya glared at the man. She frowned and kept following. "But why you? Couldn't they send someone nicer?"

"They? You think someone sent me? You think there's a person above me." He shook his head and Aya swore he was laughing. "Oh my. I wasn't sent by anyone. It's my destiny. It's what I have to do. I have no choice. My spirit was condemned to this."

Aya felt her eyes widen. "You... you're.... dead?" She asked, her voice barely carried above a whisper.

The man looked appalled. "Of course. You thought I was real?"

Aya just grimaced. "No... I just thought that..." She sighed. "I just thought that you were maybe like.. magic or something." She felt her face turn red.

"Oh my." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is going to be a long one." he muttered. "You have a lot to learn." He stated simply.

Aya bit her lip and glanced down at the ground.

The man sighed. "Alright. Come on. Lets go." His phantom hand reached and grabbed Aya by the arm.

"If you're dead, how can you touch me?" She asked, looking at her arm.

"It's a horribly long explanation. I'll tell you sometime later... after this is over. If you want to talk to me afterward."

Aya sighed heavily. "Fine. Though at this rate I think I can't wait to be done with this so I can be done with you." She said, stating her opinion simply.

"You are not the only one." The man said and dragged Aya forward.

Moments passed as Aya felt herself being pulled forward. She passed by the crowd, feeling like this walk was taking months. The people she passed on the sidewalk held no recognition of the man that was pulling her ahead. She bit her lip and opened her mouth. She then shut it, not wanting to sound like an idiot. She inhaled sharply and opened her mouth again. "So.. uhm... how exactly did you die?" Aya asked quietly, so she didn't look silly talking to herself in a crowded sidewalk.

"Well, you see..." He glanced back at Aya then forward again. He grasped firmly on Aya's arm and brought her close to a building. Aya recognized it as the one that belong to the tailor Kayin had brought her to. "Now, On the count of three you may feel something different. Don't freak out. This is my intention. In about... oh... two hours or so you should be fine." He closed his eyes and sighed. "One... two... and three."

And with a snap of a finger, Aya felt her weight shift upwards. She raised up her hands, an awful weight seeming to keep them down. "Is this what you feel like?" She asked.

"Most of the time. But I'm used to it I suppose." He said. "Now, come, look inside." He motioned to the window. Aya leaned in closer with the man. Inside, the tailor's store was much different from how it was the day before. The carefully placed bolts of fabric were gone, and the shelves where lined with bottles of various sizes. Aya saw the man leaning over his counter, the dress spread out. Aya squinted to see further. She thought she saw his lips moving, but couldn't be sure.

Aya backed away. "What... what is he doing?"

"The same thing he did to my wife." The man stated simply.

"You mean...?" Aya's eyes grew wide. "He.... is he the one that did it? Way back when?"

The man shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Dark magic users tend to pass down their secrets, but they can live to be very old. It takes much skill to accomplish what they want. It could be the very same that cursed my wife, or it could be he's practicing what has been passed down through generations."

Aya furrowed her brows. "Should I warn my friend?"

"Would she believe you?"

She sighed and shook her head, "No way."

"Then don't tell her." He stated simply. "Anyway, now you see what you have to work with. Lets go home and I'll tell you about how I died. Deal?"

Aya was slightly taken back at the man's kindness all of a sudden. "Yeah, sure." She said quietly, thinking about what she could do for her friend.

"Alright, so we had just married. What she never knew was that I was often using opium. Now, that's a bad secret to keep from my wife, but I was going to tell her soon. However... I never had the chance." The man sighed. "Now, I always made sure I wasn't going to die on an overdose, and I kept that promise until I died. However..." He broke off. "Because it was a bustling city, and I wasn't used to it, and I wasn't in the right frame of mind." The man closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I just have to say, at least it was over quickly."

"What happened?" Aya urged as they walked back to her apartment.

"I walked out in front of a horse and carriage and I got run over." He stated simply, the hardness in his face and voice back.

"Oh." She stated simply. "I... I'm sorry. That's a horrible way to go."

"It's my own fault anyway. I don't need anyone to be sorry for me." He snapped back.