I Fell In Love With A Girl Who Died Before I Was Even Born

It was a weekend in late spring, and the streets of Shin'yume were dyed pink with fallen sakura blossoms. The delicate petals clung stubbornly to the curbs, spun softly in the gutters, and danced across the asphalt in lazy spirals every time a warm breeze stirred.

The five of us made our way from Crescent Moon Academy into the neon-streaked city of Shin'yume. Shion and I led the way. Yuki floated next to me. Inego and Azuki trailed behind us. The two of them argued back and forth, trying to pretend it wasn't flirting. I could feel our rhythm together, four walking, one drifting like smoke beside us.

The air carried hints of faded soda from ancient vending machines, dusty streets, and the faint, melancholy sweetness of flowers turning to memory. Thankfully, the evening air had killed the day's humidity, leaving the evening feeling crisp, clean, and cool as a sharp blade.

I could feel Shion leveling her gaze at me, daring me not to stare at her smooth shoulders in her tight black dress that screamed "I'm having fun because it's Saturday night!"

"Of course I'm going with you," Yuki said. "There's not a whole lot else to do at Shin'yume-sou when everyone else goes to Dick's."

Shion gave her a teasing grin.

"You could go haunt someone's bedroom. I would."

Azuki's mouth dropped open.

"Shion! You'd stoop to haunting a bedroom! What if whoever's bedroom it was were doing something… intimate?"

Inego coughed, clearly not wanting to entertain the image.

"I doubt Shion would have to stoop," he said. "She's a little tall, but she doesn't need to hunch."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.

"You sure can pick a swell group of friends, Ryu," Yuki said.

I turned towards her as she floated by my side.

"You're the one who wants to come with us," I reminded her.

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you think I'm wasting my time?" she asked coyly.

Inego snorted a laugh. Shion rolled her eyes.

Azuki covered her mouth with her hands and giggled.

I just grinned and glanced to my side.

"Glad you're here," I said.

Then I heard the tanuki.

"Oooohhhh," Azuki teased. "Someone's got a girlfriend."

Shion took a breath.

"Don't you mean a ghostfriend?"

Inego playfully nudged my shoulder.

"Way to go, Ryu," he said. "You've got your own little harem, and here, the English bachelor sits like chopped liver."

Then Azuki chirped in again.

"Hey, Inego-kun, I'm looking for a place to rest this tanuki booty."

Shion stuck her fingers in her mouth and wolf-whistled. Inego rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Please, Shion," he begged. "Don't encourage her!"

We stood outside Dick's Discotheque—me, Shion, Inego, Azuki, and Yuki. It was early enough that the usual crowd hadn't shown yet, giving the place an odd, almost polite energy, like the club itself was taking one last deep breath before descending into its nightly chaos.

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A new guy was working the door.

We could tell because he looked completely out of place: tall, gangly, with a dorky vibe that screamed "math club president" rather than "gatekeeper to nighttime sin." His polo shirt strained at his shoulders, one size too small in an attempt at coolness that didn't quite land.

His nametag read simply: "Gene."

As soon as we saw him, Shion spoke up.

"Where'd they get this guy? Some discount henchmen store?"

I snickered at the joke, but Yuki briefly touched my shoulder, her hand making contact for only a second before floating through my arm and leaving a lingering chill.

"I don't like this guy, Ryu," she said. "Something about him is off."

The sounds of Shin'yume surrounded us. The roar of car engines, the hum of radios, and nearby the clatter of heels on the grungy pavement.

We stood in line by the front door and waited for Gene to let us in.

"Don't worry, Yuki," I said, trying to reassure her. "He probably won't even notice you."

Shion and I walked towards Gene, and I paid our entrance admission as she leaned against my arm.

"Such a gentleman," she teased.

Inego tossed cash for Azuki, who immediately grinned mischievously, like she'd gotten away with stealing a candy bar.

Yuki began floating forward, her body ethereal and shimmering softly in the neon lights. She'd always drifted effortlessly through crowds, ropes, walls—realities—until tonight.

Gene abruptly stuck out an arm, halting her.

"If she wants in, then she's gotta pay," he announced flatly.

My mouth dropped open, and I stopped walking an inch before making it to the front door.

Yuki blinked mid-hover, her glow dimming slightly in confusion.

"Excuse me? I've never had to pay before. I'm literally a ghost. It's not like I can properly dance with anyone."

She crossed her arms.

"This is nonsense anyway! I could just float through you, and there's nothing you could do to stop me."

Gene tapped an aggressively laminated sign taped haphazardly to the wall, held there by peeling blue painter's tape.

"IF you want in, THEN you pay. No exceptions," he said flatly. "Plus, you're here with a group, ain't cha?"

The four of us quickly exchanged a look as we stood by the door.

"I swear, I've never seen this ghost before in my life," Shion said.

Gene narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, nodding up and down. "I can smell a group of misfit friends, and you—"

He pointed a grubby finger at us.

"You have 'found family' vibes coming off you like you're in some kinda Ghibli film."

Then, he nodded towards the laminated sign.

"So, pay up."

I stepped forward, frustration rising. "Come on. She's never had to pay with the old guy. He knew the deal."

Gene shrugged dramatically. "The old guy couldn't see ghosts. I can. Lucky me. Now, where's the cash?"

Yuki looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't want to cause trouble," she murmured softly, drifting backward a few inches.

"No," I said firmly, placing myself squarely in front of Gene. "You're not trouble. Mean Gene here is the trouble."

Gene put a hand dramatically to his chest, eyes wide with mock pain.

"Ouch. Never heard that one before. Your wit is razor-sharp—cuts deep, man."

Yuki's eyes widened, flaring into a bright, electric blue. She pointed directly at Gene, her usually gentle voice cracking with indignation.

"Deny me if you must, but don't you dare talk smart to my Ryu," she spat. "Gracious, but I don't even have any cash to offer you… but don't think you've won yet you… you… rogue!"

Gene raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze toward me with exaggerated disbelief.

"Dating a ghost now, huh? Thought you were with the vampire."

He glanced dismissively at Shion.

"Either way, my watch has more life than either one of your girlfriends."

My fingers curled into a fist, and I felt my anger rising as Gene smugly crossed his arms in front of me.

An angry glow erupted around Yuki, the air itself crackling with static energy.

Gene momentarily forgotten, I turned to Yuki. I'd never seen her this angry before.

"Yuki?" I asked.

Her eyes flashed dangerously as she turned toward Shion, a look of regret mingling with fierce determination.

"I'm so sorry, Shion," Yuki whispered, her voice barely audible.

Before anyone could react, she surged forward, melding into Shion in a burst of pale blue and silver light.

Shion doubled over, gripping her chest as her body trembled violently. Her sleek, raven-black hair cascaded over her face, obscuring her expression completely.

Panic filled my chest. I rushed to her side, my heart pounding painfully.

"Shion? Yuki? What happened?"

Slowly, she straightened, lifting her head in an eerily graceful motion. Her hair changed before my eyes. No longer dark and sleek, it now shimmered with ghost-pale silver, streaked elegantly with deep, midnight black.

Then, slowly, she lifted her eyes towards me, and when our eyes met, I let out a shocked gasp.

Like her hair, they'd changed: one soft, luminous blue, the other an intense, piercing emerald green. Both were beautiful, like gems that had been forgotten, then unearthed from a buried treasure chest.

Her face was a breathtaking balance of Shion's sharp, predatory beauty and Yuki's ethereal gentleness. Her presence surged outward, filling the night with an intensity that made it impossible to breathe.

She stepped forward confidently, pressing herself intimately against me. Her gaze stayed locked onto mine, inescapable and compelling.

"What's happening?" I asked breathlessly, my voice barely a whisper.

She smiled softly, dangerously, her voice harmonizing both Shion's icy authority and Yuki's warm compassion.

"We're Shiki," she declared. "We're a unique being."

Her voice had Shion's edge, but Yuki's deep sincerity. It was a melodic blend of mystery and certainty.

Her hand reached for mine, intertwining our fingers in a way that sent sparks racing through my veins.

"We're your girlfriend," she purred, leaning closer still, her breath cool yet electrifying on my cheek. "Your AUTHENTIC girlfriend."

She smiled at me in a way that made my heart melt and my blood scream at the same time.

"Shiki is Shin Girlfriend, isn't she, Ryu?" she asked.