Chapter One: Ghosting

He sat at the back of the church and quietly listened to the organ playing its mournful tune. The church wasn't exactly packed full of people, in fact only the first three pews were filled but the closer to the door he was the more comfortable he felt. He found himself closing his eyes, the burning candles leading up to the coffin wafted smoke into the air and the smell engulfing his nose reminded him of those scented sticks Elijah would stubbornly burn whenever he would visit. 'It'll help your nerves, you'll see' he would say with a bright smile. They were a combination of coconut, or lemon, or some fragrance named 'dragon's blood'. He could've laughed at the memory if pain didn't ache his chest.

His friend locked away in a wooden box, never to be seen and forever there to rot in the ground. A hand involuntarily caressed his arm. He pictured the birthmark on the left side of Elijah's neck, the mark the two had bonded over all those years ago felt rough beneath his fingers.

His eyes opened to emptiness.

The candles had long since burned out, the pews held no people and the coffin had vanished. He breathed evenly. An elderly woman dressed in varying shades of green stared at him with beady eyes. He shifted under that gaze, the only gaze he had ever known the woman to give. But then her wrinkled face softened and tears pooled beneath her blackened irises. "Thank you for coming Tsukiya. Elijah would have wanted you here, no matter what the rest of them say."

Tsukiya gripped the fabric of his trousers tightly. All of the emotions he had bottled up, the pain, the blame, the regret...it all seeped out of him like various stab wounds in his chest. He forced his mouth to move even though agony dripped from his lips. "I couldn't just stay away. I wanted to...I should've done something sooner-" He gasped and rested his head on the pew in front of him as tears reddened his eyes. A hand wrapped around his shoulders and moved in a rhythmic motion down his back. Elijah's grandmother was the only one to remotely acknowledge his existence, her disgusted expressions included but right now she could see they were all mourning for one reason. They all felt the loss. The void.

"He knows Tsukiya. He knows." She said. He sobbed there. He stayed long after she had gone and gently lifted his head up to the ceiling where a crucified Jesus hung. The crown of thorns digging into his skin, the screaming face, the nails through his hand. Suffering. The world was built upon suffering and yet no one could accept it when it came.

And neither could he.

He sharply stood up and stormed out into the sunshine. He stared helplessly at the people smiling as they walked past, at children laughing and playing. Birds chirped a cheerful tune. He pulled the black coat tightly around his body as he rushed home but it didn't matter numbness ran through him. He couldn't face the gravestone, couldn't face the reality of the coffin being buried beneath the ground alone. His sandy hair glowed in the rays that shone down. Everything was a blur of colours and sounds: all dull or loud or distant. The sunshine smacked his face and reminded him he was alive. However once he reached the cramped apartment building that was shadowed by shining company monstrosities and entered into its walls he suddenly missed the onslaught of of the sun. His head rested against the wall for a second in a pause as the reality of it all sunk in. He instinctively laughed hollowly. Some life.

His feet stomped on the stairs leading up to the second floor as he shook his mangled hair; it didn't really matter his neighbours were always stomping or shouting along the hallways after long nights out in the city or whatever they did all day. He could never really bring himself to talk to anyone. His hand rested on his door handle as he slotted the key in and opened up. "Selina, I'm back." He sighed.

"You're out of milk."

Tsukiya froze. More appropriately, paralysed, by fear as the rough voice was both unfamiliar and unwelcome. Danger flashed in his head as his eyes focused on a figure leaning against his fridge across the room. He swallowed down a scream at the laughing mask that covered the man's face. He blinked, hand gripping the door handle tightly. How was he to approach this? Was he to run? No, this was his apartment.

"What are you doing in my apartment?" He finally questioned.

The mask tilted slightly as hollow eyes analysed him. "And poptarts."

"I just bought some yesterday."

"I ate them. So...yeah you're out of poptarts."

Irritation replaced fear. He spoke recklessly, "I don't even know why you're in my apartment but get out!"

"You're a very rude host." The man huffed.

"Get out of my apartment. Now." Tsukiya commanded.

A moment of silence engulfed the room and suddenly danger bells rang in his head again as a glance of metal caught his eye. A gun. He gulped. The man stood up straight, revealing his taller height, and lazily pulled the gun out of its holster and waved it about. "I would say learn some manners but you won't have time. Now, tell me, what's your favourite type of porn?”

Tsukiya gawped. His expression shifted from fear, disgust, to questioning in the span of a second. "W-what?"

"Oh I ask everyone that. It's like a little memento or something emotional like that. Means I know you probably better than anyone else, you know?" He raised the gun directly at Tsukiya's forehead. "Now, I'll ask again. What's your favourite type of porn?"

"Only if-" Tsukiya's brain was racing too fast and began pulling at imaginary straws. The threat of his own death wasn't something he had thought about. He had been too caught up in Elijah's passing that he forgot death was just as likely for him. He stared at the gun, imagining the bullet inside ready to lodge itself inside his skull. The thought was almost pleasurable if not for Elijah's memory pulsing within him. "Only if you tell me your favourite type."

Inside the mask a muffled chuckle escaped. "No one has ever asked me that before. I like you." He gently tapped a foot as he thought about it. "I guess the obvious would be lesbian but nah not really a turn on when you can't join. Straight porn is so...boring? Although I once saw a girl being fucked by a guy in a dinosaur costume but that's a whole different story. Choices, choices, choices..." The man paced in a weaving motion so his body was still directly facing Tsukiya. Tsukiya snapped his eyes around the place for a weapon but there was nothing on hand to- "might have to be lesbian after all, nothing else is really that appealing. Now it's your turn." The man said all-too-cheerfully.

"I've never watched a-any." Tsukiya stammered. The man stopped pacing and his demeanour suddenly loosened.

"Never? Not once?"

"No."

"Well aren't you just a little choir boy. I don't believe that. Every guy has done the dirty at least once, I mean come on even girls do too."

"It never appealed to me." Tsukiya replied dryly.

A muffled laugh sounded. "Really? A scrawny lookin' guy like you, round glasses and all, doesn't find sex appealing? I must have walked into the flat of Jesus himself."

And like that Tsukiya's eyes widened. His vision blurred the intruder and the rest of the apartment out to focus on the thin glass resting on his nose. He tried to maintain a fearful expression as he subtly scrunched his hands into fists by his side. He just had to think hard enough for it to work, he guessed anyway he had never done it on purpose before. "You're British?" Tsukiya questioned slowly.

"American blood in these here veins, but yeah I did grow up in England until my teens. What gave it away?"

"You said 'flat'. That's what they call apartments in Britain."

"Great Britain, maple boy. I figured you were Canadian with that accent of yours but hey I'm not judging, there's a lot aboot Canadians I like. For example, you got Wolverine and Deadpool, maple syrup, and...oh yeah the most frightening ice-hockey fans I have ever met."

Tsukiya's fingers tingled. Not long now. Tiny cracks appeared in his vision. "Yeah we can be pretty scary when we want to be." He muttered. "What's with the mask?"

The man shrugged. "You'd be surprised how much anonymity can make people scared. I could be anyone. I could be someone you know. I could be a known serial killer. Or I could be no one at all. Everyone needs a good mystery to think over before they die."

Tsukiya lifted his head up stubbornly. "Is that what you plan to do?"

The soulless mask started laughing at him for some time, utterly still, and for a moment panic stopped the tingling in his fingers. What if it wouldn't work? The man could just shoot him right now but instead they were talking. It clicked and Tsukiya almost wore a small smile. "It's not your plan to kill me is it? You would have done it already. There's no point in humouring someone if you're killing them for money anyway. Killers don't give monologues in the real world."

The gun lowered to the man's side. "Some 'real world' huh? But you're right, money is money. After all people pay big bucks just for one tiny sample of blood from people like you. Just think what people will pay for one whole person. Don't think I don't know maple boy, this isn't my first time dealing with you lot."

Tsukiya almost choked. "Did you kill someone by the name of Elijah Patterson?"

"Not ringing any bells. What was he a boyfriend or something?"

"A friend." He seethed.

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that maple boy. Although, a Patterson was on my list." He said. The man gasped mockingly with his hands squishing the mask. "Funny, he was below your name. Where is he? Hey maybe we can make this a threesome."

"He's dead!" Tsukiya yelled. Suddenly a loud crack sounded and a thud. He opened his eyes slowly with his heart racing and then loosened in relief. The gun had dropped to the floor. The man had backed up against the far wall as tiny flickering shards were aimed at the eye holes of the mask. Tsukiya looked down to see blood dripping from a cut on his gun hand. Chirping birds filtered into the room with the window smashed to pieces. The tingling sensation in his fingers was gone.

"Okay okay you made your point. 'Course you're some freaking glass ninja." The man spoke nervously now, his hands raised a little in peace. However, even Tsukiya could sense there was a smirk beneath the mask.

"Remove the mask." He commanded.

"You can't be serious-"

"Remove it. Now."

"Alright!" He snapped and swiftly the mask was removed from a young man's face. Messy black hair parted to reveal handsome features, with one iris of blue and one of red and a smirk that could shame a super-villain. He was younger than Tsukiya expected. "Happy?"

"And your name too."

"Kit. Isaac Kit." He growled. "Can you get rid of these little needles now?"

Tsukiya nodded his head and sucked in a breath; the shards shattered to the floor. Isaac pushed himself off the wall and brushed himself off. "You got anymore things hidden up your sleeves? Maybe a healing factor? Demonic powers? Shape-shifting? How about some warning before you use the glass power okay?"

Tsukiya scrunched his face. "Warning? You aimed a gun at me! I don't even know who you are."

"Isaac Kit. Famous hitman. Famous lover. One hell of a poptart consumer." He sneered. "That's all you need to know about me."

"I'd like to know what a hitman is doing in my apartment and threatening me with a gun...how do you know people like me?"

Isaac huffed as he pulled himself onto a kitchen counter and sat there dangling his legs. He saw no point at making an attempt for the gun with Tsukiya being so lucid of his powers. "I've captured a couple these last few months. Like I said, people pay big bucks for people like you. People like me won't pass up a contract like that. So, when the moment presented itself I promised I would capture every last one of you. And yet here I am, two in and I can't even beat a scrawny one like you." Isaac's eyes lingered on the floor but snapped up to meet Tsukiya's. "As we're at a stand off. Can I see your mark?"

Tsukiya shifted on his feet. He hadn't shown anyone else but Elijah. Slowly he removed his beige coat and neatly folded it on another kitchen top. He pulled up his jumper and shirt sleeve to reveal the blackened mark inked into the inside of his arm.

Isaac nodded his head slowly. "That's the symbol of The Virgo, right?" Tsukiya nodded. "Earth sign. Explains the glass power I guess. The last guy I dealt with was The Leo and boy they don't call it the fire sign for nothin'. A*****e nearly melted my gun. Nice jumper by the way.”

A smirk pulled at his lips as his multi-coloured eyes shifted over his body. Tsukiya shifted at the unwanted ogling. He couldn’t deny his taste better suited the young teenagers these days: the over-sized jumper was patterned with blue ice lollipops which contrasted with the pale pink.

Suddenly Isaac coughed. "That friend of yours, Patterson, is he really dead?"

"Yes," Tsukiya replied bitterly. "It was his funeral today."

"And there was me thinking you were one of those emo kids. Then again that jumper does tell differently."

"That's rich coming from someone who looks like they belong in a commercial for a bow tie for hire shop."

"Hey bow ties are cool." Isaac replied stubbornly and straightened the black bow tie as he did so.

"You have to look the part as well as be the part. Or something metaphorical like that. I hear girls dig villainous guys these days anyway."

"I wouldn't know."

Isaac smirked and crossed his arms. Whatever was running through his head he didn't speak it out loud and instead changed the subject. "So, who's Selina?"

A loud hissing came from within the bedroom and then a black mass flew into the room. The sleek black cat wrapped herself around Tsukiya's legs and puffed up her tail to warn Isaac away. The smirk was slapped off of his face.

Tsukiya made no attempt to hide the humour in his voice. "My cat. I'm surprised she didn't attack you when you broke in. You seem scared of her."

"Cats are evil that's why." Isaac said, glaring at Selina as she licked a paw. Then his eyes met Tsukiya's and all nervousness left his body again. "Is that a smile I see? And there was me thinkin' you just have a stake up your a*s."

Tsukiya picked Selina up and cradled her in his arms. Her silky fur and gentle purring always calmed him down and right now he needed the comfort of that magical fur. She rubbed her nose and mouth along his chin as he spoke. "I say again. You broke into my apartment, ate my food, aimed a gun at me and you've captured people like me before. Why on earth would I smile or even be kind to you?"

Isaac nodded his head. His fingers travelled over the ungodly mask in his hands. The empty, emotionless eyeholes stared back at him. There was no judgement there. "Well, because I'm human too. Doesn't matter what I do, doesn't matter the things I've done or will do in the future. I'm human."

It went silent, par from Selina's purring and fixation on loving Tsukiya's chin, and for the briefest moment he felt an ounce of empathy for Isaac.

"Some people, lots of people, use that as an excuse to hurt others. I should know." He answered quietly. "It's not a free pass."

Isaac chuckled. He jumped off the counter and stood directly opposite Tsukiya and tilted his head. "You seem like a good guy. Not many of those around anymore. But I have to take you in, sorry, but they don't refund hits you can't complete. You can't do a hit your career is over. I'm not quitting just yet."

The next moment was a blur. He couldn't breathe. Pressure was placed against his throat. Selina wasn't in his arms anymore. There may have been a scuffle or he had kicked out but it was all so sudden there was no way he could defend himself. He tried to punch at the arm around his throat, scratch at it, but he just became weaker and more fearful. His heart was so loud. Tears left his eyes and he swore Isaac spoke something before he slipped into unconsciousness.

When Tsukiya next awoke he could feel his stomach churning. Cold metal was latched around his wrists with a similar aching pain pounding his forehead. He was in a vehicle, that much was true from the sickening motions and the angry sounds of traffic. Fear buried beneath his skin as he saw a shadowed figure in front of him. His body must have been thrown down onto the back seats. His eyes fluttered down and screamed at the bloody face that stared back at him hollowly.

"Ah you're awake. Good. You've also met the nice lady who offered her car to us. Beautiful vocabulary she had."

Tsukiya pushed himself up onto the headrest and swallowed down the vomit threatening to burst everywhere. He said nothing. His hateful glare reflected in the rear view mirror, it made Isaac chuckle.

"Wanna know why I killed her?"

"No."

"Well I'll tell you anyway. I said to her 'my boyfriend needs an ambulance may I borrow your phone?' All sweet, panicked, but sweet. Her reply? 'Find another phone, f****t!' No remorse, nothing, just hate. You know I've killed dozens of people: men, women, children. I accepted a long time ago that when the world's eyes are on me they will say 'monster'. But one thing I can't stand is discrimination. Black, white, male, female, gay or a freakin' monkey in a dress...I'll shoot you the same way. Discrimination is God's way of weeding out the evil a******s if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking." Tsukiya replied bitterly.

"No, but you listened. And by the look your face you agree."

"I don't agree with the murdering part. There's no excu-"

"Even if they've killed? Even if they have someone you love at gunpoint?" Tsukiya begrudgingly kept quiet. "Life isn't black and white, maple boy. People need to kill sometimes for the greater good."

"What, like you?" He hissed.

"No, not like me. I don't compare myself to heroes. I'm a hitman and I always will be. That's a fact." He paused. "So, what's your orientation anyway?" Tsukiya reddened but then defiantly turned his head to the window. "I guessed right then. Closet cases are no fun." He whined.

"I'm not a closet case."

"Izzat so?"

"Yes, it is. And you have no right to ask me what my orientation is anyway. Why should I tell you?"

"Alright calm down. It was an innocent question." Isaac said, "at least the last guy had a sense of humour. Now, there's been a tiny change of plans and we'll be travelling by plane."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Doesn't matter right now. All I need you to do is to be a good little Canadian and don't try to cause a scene during the airport and the journey. Okay?" Isaac's tone was far too patronising.

Tsukiya studied the dead woman below him. She must have had a family, maybe even kids, and now there was only an empty corpse. They might never know what had happened to her. Homophobic or not, no one deserved this. He thought of Elijah. "I won't cause a scene." He promised.

Isaac smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation." A pause and then he swore loudly. "Oh crud, we need to stop for gas."

He parked the car into a gas station and began filling it with fuel, all the while would wink or place a finger to his lips at Tsukiya. Tsukiya, on the other hand, focused on breathing evenly and not passing out. In theory he could smash the glass and blind Isaac then and there, but in practice people would see his abnormal ability. So, he sat obediently and tried to keep his eyes off Isaac. A millions questions were rolling around in his head, none of them could he answer and it seemed every passing second made him more vulnerable.

The skin of his wrist was becoming more irritated and he could feel himself growing weary after the adrenaline rush. He forced himself to remain sharp-eyed. He would not let this psychopath win. Eventually Isaac went to pay.

"Time to find a way out." Tsukiya muttered to himself as he leaned forward and climbed into the driver's seat. He cursed. Isaac had removed the keys. He could still smash the window and run but he doubted he would get very far. It was something at least. He began slamming his feet against the window, willing the tingling in his fingers to weaken the glass. The second slam caused a crack of shattered glass. Swiftly he tried to awkwardly climb out and he landed onto the shards. A few jabs here and there were nothing. He jumped up and saw freedom. He just needed to sprint.

"Whatcha doin' there maple boy?"

Damn it.

He became paralysed, imagining a gun fixed on the back of his skull.

“I leave for one minute and buy you a chocolate bar...and I come back to you running away? I'm hurt. A relationship goes both ways."

"Not in a million years!"

Isaac took a step forward. "Hey that's not very-"

He was interrupted as four white vans pulled into the gas station and seemed to block both exists. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Of course it's white vans." He spat. A man dressed in an unknown military uniform stepped out with a pistol immediately aimed on Isaac. His short blond hair and steel face matched his uniform perfectly. Tsukiya noticed all of the uniforms had a black rose sewn into their arm band.

"Isaac Kit!"

"Howdy, I'm a little busy on a job right now. If you hop in your van and go down a few blocks there's a lovely playground-"

"Shut it! I've waited a long time for this moment. Too long." The stranger barked. "You know I am?"

Isaac shrugged. "Some guy from something that happened sometime?"

The soldier appeared bewildered for a second and then snarled. "Five years ago you killed a man called Matthew Jameson. He was my father."

Isaac scrunched his nose and began counting silently on his fingers. "Must've been messy, right? I was experimenting with a knife back in those days. Good times." He reminisced. "This whole 'hello my name is Inigo Montoya you killed my father prepare to die' monologue ya got goin’ ain’t appealing to me though. So, I ask you kindly to move along and take your white vans somewhere else."

The soldier defiantly dropped the gun and pulled out a large military-styled knife. He positioned himself into a fighting stance. Before Isaac could make a noise of mocking the soldier lunged forward.

"Stop!" Tsukiya shouted but covered his mouth instantly. His eyes witnessed a frenzy of dodges and lunges. Twist. Pull. Squish. The soldier stumbled to the ground with blood seeping from his uniform. He gasped and gurgled but refused to die. Isaac grinned as he turned the bloody knife between his fingers. A pause of time allowed Isaac and Tsukiya to glance at each other. Isaac's grinned weakened; Tsukiya looked horrified and fearful. Then it sped up sickeningly fast as two men sized him up from the sides, guns aimed and itching to fire. Slash. Spurt. Flop. Two dead men with blood gushing out if their slashed throats. It was almost an effortless dance. Isaac discarded the knife and produced two small guns out of his pockets.

A blur of guts and blood and colour ended with Isaac standing atop the roof of a red-splattered van. He bowed to an invisible audience and then revealed the soldier's knife from behind his back and smiled down onto the soldier who was now begging. He screamed as the knife was thrown. A pop. The empty corpse thumped to the ground.

Isaac jumped down and sauntered over to Tsukiya who was doubled over and vomiting. Isaac patted his back gently which left a red handprint on his jumper. "You get used to the sight...and the smell...and don't get me started on trying to wash this stuff out."

Author's Note

As stated before, this is not the completed book and I am still in the process of writing it and drafting it.