"Good morning, Mika. Did your dad take you for pancakes?" The melodic voice rang in my ears. A sorrow pounded in my heart that I shoved away as I nodded my head with a toothy grin. She pouted, cheeks puffing out. "You didn't bring me any? Heartless bastard." She mumbled jokingly.
"Oh, no, don't cry! I was kidding!" She chocked on air, stroking my hair with a shaking hand.
"We did get you some... but I dropped it on our way out." I sobbed, tiny fists dropping to my sides. She wiped my tears as she spoke, voice slipping into the feeble state she hid from me.
"It's fine, angel. There's always tomorrow, right?" That only made me sob more.
"Daddy says you're gonna leave today, though!" She clicked her tongue. Some angered look crossed her face I never truly understood.
"I'll leave when I want to, dammit." She growled to herself. "Mika, I know I don't have long. You know that, too. We never try to hide things from you." I nodded as she spoke, sniffling loudly.
"That's why I want you to promise me something. Just in case, okay?"
My blurred vision picked out her. I wiped the tears until her blue eyes stared at me, a small spark still in the dull color. Her blonde hair was pulled into a bun to keep it out of her face.
My mother took my hand, a large hand holding a very tiny one. The room was white. Everything was white. It made me feel nauseous.
"I want you to stay strong. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself alive. I know you can do that. But you need to know, too." She murmured.
"But that's not the promise. I want you to promise me that whoever you end up with, that they deserve you. You have to fall in love with someone who is just as strong as you are. And just as fierce." She smiled, nose scrunching as she poked mine with her index finger. I giggled at the notion.
"I promise, mom." I had laughed. She purses her lips.
"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die, end a life with just one lie."

She had laughed. Then coughed. I returned to the waiting room on command, my father taking my place with a plastic bag. He had left crying.
"Might of steel, Mika!" She had called out to me as my father tried ushering me away. She was laying down now, our eyes locked. I had nodded.

"Just like you, Momma."

"Mika."

My eyes snapped open, wet tears drenching my pillow and cheeks as I glared at the ceiling. "What is it, Cynthia." I groaned, rolling to my side.
"You were talking in your sleep again. I thought you said those dreams were over?" She inquired nervously.
"So did I. What time is it."
"You literally have a clock next to you."
"I don't want to open my eyes."
"Three A.M."

Yuu is my ghost. I should have seen it a long time ago. He should have seen it a long time ago.
My only friend is my enemy in the black market. What's next, Cecil? Emiliana?
"Now I can't sleep. Pull up everything you have on Green Ghost." I sighed, standing from my bed.
"How come you don't call him his actual name?" She asked as I stalked to my computer.
"I see Yuu and Green as two different people right now. I can't help it."
"But they're the same."
"I know they are."
"You can't accept that you hurt your friend and he hurt you, huh?"
I didn't respond to that.
I couldn't respond.
"You should team up with him." Cynthia said as I opened a file labeled 'Hyacinth' on my laptop. It was loaded with information on the various people whom I had inquiries of. My Ghost was merely an edited file.
"I'm sure they would allow it. You two would make an unstoppable force."
That piqued my interest, obviously. Plus, working with Yuu. That would be the best way to grow used to the knowledge of him being in the same position I was in.
"Send a proposition, then." I faked disinterest as I pulled together tabloids and newspaper articles on what he had done beneath my nose. Far more mundane things than myself, of course. I had restrictions, unlike him. But he seemed to have been afraid back then. Cynthia hummed, a sound that would almost be human if not for the hum of technology it came with. Most people would skip over that, but my mind always seemed hyper-aware of her presence.
"You've got a green light. They seemed happy." She chirped. I sighed. "I can alert him, if you want."
I was about to ask how she was able to access Yuu's phone, and found it useless to bother. She was a sentient parasite with no known cure or defense.
"No, I want to do it." I couldn't sleep. It was three hours since my world came crashing down.

✖️
Yuuichiro Amane

I couldn't sleep. It was three hours since my world came crashing down. In the form of truth. Mikaela Shindo, my idol who, surprisingly, didn't punch me in the face when I accidentally injured him with a sports ball, was the Blue Beast. A ruthless hit man who existed since I was barely a teenager. How has he been doing this for so long? Why has he been doing this for so long? I didn't know. I should have asked him.
But he had told me to lie to him. So I did. I denied being 'his ghost'. He had said thank you after the conversation. I don't think he was ready to accept that yet.

Maybe he was regretting being part of the fault of my injured eye? I couldn't tell. There had to have been some sort of reason for him speaking those words to me. I had assumed it to be the reason when he called me as I groaned in frustration, pillow over my face. His profile picture shined up at me, an older photo of him in sunglasses, grinning to the ears.
"Hello?" I answered faster than I wanted. His voice caught on the other end for some reason. I heard him click on a computer quickly.
"Hi, hi. Sorry. I was doing uhm... research." He said, laughing breathlessly.
"No. it's alright. Couldn't sleep, too?" I asked. He paused.
"You could say that. I was asleep until five minutes ago." He explained. "But I've got something to talk to you about." His voice was groggy from sleep, and, in all honesty, a great thing to listen to. Minus the unease in the pit of my stomach from the way he spoke.
"News traveled to them fast. No clue how, considering my cameras are protected, but they did it. And they think we would make a good pair." I snorted.
"They think that we, the same people who have almost killed each other what... two times now? Would be a good pair?"
"Yeah... sorry about that." He hissed in sympathy on the other end. I laughed.
"It's fine, Mika. Not nearly as bad as what I did to you. But I'll do it. They told me you have some restrictions, though."
He sighed. "Of course they decided to tell you that. Yeah, I've got restrictions. I don't kill any innocents. Only those who have committed crimes worth my while." He spoke strongly, without fear of anyone overhearing him. I was speaking in a whisper.
"That seems fair." I nodded. "I do whatever, but it's hard. So they mostly give me transactions and stalking jobs." I heard his breath falter as I spoke.
"Alyssum."
"What about him?"
"We have restrictions. He's been slaughtering everyone."
It took me a minute. But I understood it quickly. Alyssum had no rules for them to take into account. Unlike us, he was the perfect candidate for a member of the black market.

He could take whoever they wanted him to take.

"Yuu, I'm afraid."
"Why, Mika?" I asked, brows furrowing together. I scratched at my bandage.

"Alyssum knows where I live."

"You think he's targeting you?" I didn't try to hide my dismay as I choked on the words.

"....Yes."