prologue
Hanabi looked out her window and into the pale face of the moon, full and glorious in its pearly wholesomeness to think properly. One of her friends; boastful and arrogant Konohamaru spoke to her today, along with his two groupies (as she called them), about a very pressing issue – a very interesting one at that.
"Kids go missing there!"
"I hear that a bunch of serial killers banded together and terrorized the place till everyone left."
"You know what my daddy said about it? It's haunted by all these creepy dead soldiers."
"…It's none of that. Demons live in that city." Two heads snapped to the voice while Hanabi lifted her face from her thick hardcover book in interest. Her brows rose as an unspoken statement of her intrigue before she deftly marked her place with a bookmark and closed the heavy text.
"K-Konohamaru?" Moegi started nervously, inching towards the boy whom she admired. Udon sniffed and stared at his best friend.
He didn't smirk but there was a veil of dark mirth and anticipation in his eyes; like some sort of dolled up glaze, "But you were right, Moegi. Kids do disappear and they're never found again. But," he said, holding a pause for effect and Hanabi found herself unconsciously leaning closer from her curled up place on one of the large red cushioned chair. "It isn't inhabited by ghosts or serial killers," he said the theories as though they were not only improbable but impossible.
Hanabi scowled, "An old wives' tale Konohamaru? Really."
Konohamaru met her gaze challengingly, "Don't believe me?"
Hanabi scoffed proudly and upturned her nose snobbishly at the boy, "Of course I don't. Only an idiot believes that demons actually exist."
"You're just scared aren't you Hyuuga?" Konohamaru knew where to pick at people and Hanabi's sore spot was her pride.
As expected the genius of nine frowned delicately, "There's no logical reason to be frightened of something that clearly is nonexistent."
Konohamaru's lips tugged, curling hesitantly, "Then there's no reason why you won't go with us tonight, right?"
"What?!" Moegi squawked, affronted by the mere mention of going into the abandoned city. "There's no way a beautiful girl such as myself could even go near there!"
Udon shook his head and stammered nonsensically before actually talking, "Konohamaru, y-you just said that it was inhabited by d-demons!" he hissed, frightened already.
Hanabi's frown deepened at the two's insecurities and idiocy, "The both of you," she snapped haughtily, the leader's streak within her rearing its cruelly protective head, "Shut your traps. There are no such things as demons or ghosts and it's stupid to even believe that serial killers would band together. They'd kill each other off."
Konohamaru, undeterred and ruthlessly went on despite Hanabi's vehement jabs, "Then come with us and prove me wrong. Come to the city with us tonight at midnight."
Hanabi stared at him, "Are you mad? That's way past curfew"-
"Does that really matter or do you wanna call it quits against me, Hyuuga?" Hanabi slid easily from her gaping to her usual glaring. Konohamaru's eyes, narrowed in triumph, his wiseass smirk and the pose he struck.
Her lips tightened and Hanabi knew that this wasn't just her pride on the line; it was the pride of a respectable Hyuuga. "Midnight then. Is there any special tradition we must uphold during our stay in the city?" she hissed, angry as a rattlesnake disturbed.
Konohamaru grinned, "Just a mask."
Hanabi nodded and looked over at Moegi and Udon, "You two heard us didn't you? We're all going into the city by midnight." Udon whimpered pathetically and Moegi bit her lip, uncertain.
"H-Hanabi?" a simpering voice questioned, she turned to Udon and saw that his fingers were poking together. Unconsciously, her intense glare softened quite a bit as did her tense stature.
"What is it Udon?"
"D-Do we really h-have to go?"
Hanabi nodded once. "Yes, we do."
Hanabi turned towards her digital alarm clock, the green numbers glowing despite the dim light of her single book lamp in her room. Turning her head she looked straight at the form of her white and black cat mask, as though egging her on hauntingly seeing as its empty eye holes were staring at her.
Staring back at it, she snapped and whisked it up, wearing it on her own face and tying the thick cords before her head securely. She turned to the open window and began shimmying down the side of her house, careful not to make much noise and to make it to the shoe rack where her tennis shoes would be kept.
When she got her shoes and busied herself with tying them, she took in a liberating breath and ran across her green lawn, no one in her house noticing the girl in the moonlight taking off at a startling pace beneath the moon.
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XP Yes, I am alive. For those who are familiar with Kakurenbo or Hide and Seek, this is fic is based on that movie and for those who haven't watched it. Do so. It's a horror thriller mixed with superstition and it's truly spectacular and oh so short. Watch it on youtube, dailymotion or maybe veoh has it now. :D Hope you liked the introduction, and chapter one is next chapter. Tell me what you liked, didn't like, and feel free to ask any questions. Have a nice day folks.
Chapter One: It's just a game
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