Darker Skies

It looks like it's going to rain early. The boys can tell that something isn't right. Their angel friends seemed to be preoccupied with something else. Their NEET friends were rather useless at the moment. Still, something didn't sit right with them. The boys couldn't describe it either. It was like the spirits in the Hidden realm could sense that something bigger was coming.

"Have you been hearing whispering lately?" Taro asked.

"Whispering?" Michio asked.

"I'm not sure," Masayuki said. "What are they saying?"

"I can't make out what they are saying," Taro said. "There's too many of them talking at the same time. Plus, they're talking too fast." Masayuki took a moment to think about this.

"I haven't heard anything like that lately?" he asked.

"Can you still soul travel?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"I can," Masayuki said. "But I got forced back into my body shortly afterwards."

"How about you, Makoto?" Taro asked. The gruff boy thought about this.

"I haven't heard much of anything," he said. "But, I can't soul travel for long either." The other three boys looked at Taro. He lowered his eyes.

"I can't do it myself," he said. "I can't explain it. I try, but nothing happens."

"Now that I think about," Masayuki added. "Baby Doll did mention reapers following her. Plus, the other angels have talked about seeing things following them."

"Do you think it has something to do with the typhoon coming?" Michio asked. Part of him hoped that they would dismiss him as thinking of something stupid.

"How?" Makoto asked.

"Well… I can't exactly explain it myself," Michio said. The boys sat quiet on the school roof. Taro looked up at the sky. He remembered something the spirits had been saying a while back. He didn't catch all of it, but one word reoccurred.

Fire.

"Have there been any fires lately?" Taro asked.

"No," the other boys said.

"Hm," he said. "I asked Max about it a while back and looked like he wanted to run away."

"Which on is Max again?" Makoto asked.

"Tall guy with short dark hair and blonde streaks," Taro said. "He has sliver earrings too."

"Okay," his gruff friend said.

"What's got him so spooked?" Masayuki asked. Taro shook his head.

"Every time I try to ask, he always changes the subject," he said. "Robin doesn't know either. Neither do the rest of their friends."

"Do you think it might have something to do with his past?" Michio asked.

"I'm starting to wonder," the brown-haired boy said. His friends joined him in looking up at the sky. Those fat clouds in the sky looked darker than normal to them. But, nothing compared to what was awaiting them for the next three days.

"Guys, I just remembered something," he said. All eyes fell on him as he opened his mouth to speak.