Brief Notes: A story for Halloween and all that comes with it. I hope you enjoy reading this, as I quite enjoyed writing it. Most definitely a three-shot, as there's not much to tell after it's all said and done. The last piece will be uploaded on Halloween, and the second sometime in between. Point out any mistakes I made, I know I didn't catch all of them. ;)
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At the single command of, "Take your sister trick-or-treating," Natsuki Kuga found herself booted from the warm confines of her room and into the darkness of outside, a blue hoody tossed soon after.
While the teenager grumbled and put the hoody on, a small blonde girl stepped besides her, brushing off her white dress and fixing her wired-held halo. Natsuki bent down and fixed the fluffy wings on the girl's back, the feathers soft against her fingers.
She stood up and sighed. "Ready to go Alyssa?"
The girl nodded, her eyes never leaving the brightly lit neighborhood in front of them, and grasped Natsuki's hand.
While it was cool outside, the sky remained a vast canvas of stars, void of the dominate moon and its light. The wind would stir occasionally, pushing flame colored leaves around the cracked sidewalks and street beds, and caused the small lights in many of the grinning jack-o-lanterns to flicker, but not go out. Excited laughter and even an occasional friendly scream would pierce the night air while figures of all shapes, heights, and colors strolled around in plastic, make-up, cloaks and costumes. Only a small number decided to hike it like Natsuki and wear their everyday clothes.
They stopped by any house that had a light on, Alyssa eagerly holding out her pillowcase and watching as the candy tumbled in. Natsuki did not join her on the walk to the front doors, but stayed behind, her arms crossed and her face unreadable. They went about this for several blocks, until they came upon a rather old looking house at the end of a dead end street. The yard of said house had been torn up and riddled with grave stones and skeletons. Webs covered the wooden porch, appearing and disappearing in the flickering strobe lights. There was also a bout of scary-movie sound effects scratching through a poorly hidden speaker.
Natsuki looked at the house with a bored expression on her face. Kids passed them, walking down the path to the house, only to scream when a 'monster' or 'zombie' would pop out. Realizing that Alyssa hadn't started up the path herself, Natsuki looked down and then behind her to find her sister clutching at the back of her hoody, her blue eyes wide and watery.
"You don't have to go if you're scared." Natsuki said with a raised eyebrow.
Alyssa tensed at her words and whipped her head away from taller girl. "I'm not scared."
"I'll walk up with you," Natsuki continued, an amused smirk forcing its way up the corners of her mouth. "I'll even hold your hand."
A wave of angry red spread across the blonde's face, and she stomped passed Natsuki, her shoulders square and her red face held high. Natsuki watched her go…and then watched as a spook leapt out from behind a tree in front of Alyssa, scaring the girl so bad that she screamed and dropped her candy. She bolted back behind Natsuki, a trail of feathers falling behind her. Natsuki barked out a loud laugh and started up the path herself, picking up Alyssa's fallen candy along the way. She grinned down at her little sister when they reached the front porch, and a green witch cackled at them from behind her smoldering cauldron. After a stuttered Halloween greeting, and a nudge from Natsuki, they left, a full sized candy bar in Alyssa's bag.
The pair passed people they knew, and a couple they didn't. After awhile Alyssa's bag was quite full and she charged Natsuki the task of carrying it as punishment for being such a bad sister. Natsuki took the burden in stride. They made it farther into town, near the high school and town hall, and found themselves quite alone while passing by the cemetery.
"Is that a light?" Natsuki mumbled.
"Where? What?" Alyssa replied, looking from Natsuki side (the one farthest from the cemetery) and into the darkness.
Natsuki started to edge towards the rusting fences, her eyes squinting. A faint light flickered from deep within, cutting through the trees and thick fog that incased the graveyard.
They came to the gates of the cemetery, iron and towering over them, the town name, Fuuka, stretched out like a banner overhead. One of the sides was open slightly and creaking in the dying wind. Natsuki set Alyssa's candy down, against one of the brick pillars that held the gate, and made her way passed and into the cemetery, her eyes never leaving the light.
"Natsuki." Alyssa hissed, not daring to go within three feet of the gate.
"I'll be a second."
"Natsuki!"
Natsuki crept further into the darkness, her footfalls crunching of the gravel path.
"There is no light…!"
Natsuki's form was swallowed by the fog.
And she shivered when the wind picked up. It swirled the fog around her and swept the leaves below her. The girl still pressed on though, guided by the flickering light that didn't seem so far off anymore. She passed by faded gravestones and mossy trees, the graveled ground already taken by weeds and grass. Her footfalls fell silent soon after, like the distant cheers of the Halloween-goers did moments before.
'I hope Alyssa stayed put." The girl thought, wrapping her hoody more tightly about herself. 'She's probably stuffing her face with candy by now…I hope.'
She came to a particularly nasty patch of trees and bushes, by which she should see no means to get by on the right or left. Still, something told her that the light rested on the other side, so she decided to fight her way through. The trees fought back and managed to nick her on the cheek, leaving a small red line.
When she stumbled out into a clearing, the most peculiar sight greeted her. She had found the source of that strange light, a small collection of candles, three in all, but with it she found a girl talking to a small purple snake. Well, at least she thought they were talking to each other. She could see the girl's lips moving in turn with the snake's tongue flicking, as odd as that might sound, but odder still was that she couldn't hear any sound—words, with the movements.
The girl, a young looking thing with brown hair that tumbled in curls and skin so pale it could rival Natsuki's own, sat in a lacy black dress on a pale blanket with an expensive looking tea set and assorted cakes around her. There was not much to say about the snake, other than its purple color and length, which was about three feet.
They were also sitting right in front of a sharp-cut gravestone, presumably on where the gravestone's owner lay buried.
How rude, was all that went through Natsuki's mind.
As if on cue the girl, and the snake, turned to look at Natsuki and she found herself under the scrutiny of two sets of scarlet eyes. A moment later, they turned back to each other. Their conversation continued with a flick of the snake's tail, and Natsuki felt irritated for some reason.
"You know that's kind of rude." She voiced out, and made her way over to the pair, stopping a few feet from them. The cakes smelled good.
The girl paused, a white tea cup inches from her pink lips, and scarlet eyes returned to her. The sight of them calmed Natsuki.
"We did not know you were aware of us."
Natsuki ignored the use of 'we/us' and instead focused on the girl's voice. It was as soft as the girl looked, and each word carried an accent—one that Natsuki hadn't ever heard before…. She rubbed the bridge of her nose absentmindedly. "What? No I mean the grave. It's rude to just…sit there and…have a picnic on somebody's grave."
The girl blinked, and then gave Natsuki a warm smile, one that the dark haired girl felt spread across her cheeks. "We know the person."
Natsuki's mouth opened and closed while one eyebrow rose and the other fell harshly.
"Besides," the girl continued with a long sigh, "we are having a lovely tea party, not a picnic."
"That still doesn't make—"
"Tell me, what is your name?"
"Natsuki. What's your—"
"Why are you all the way out here? And on such a dreadful night?"
"I saw a light and it led me here." Natsuki felt irritated again and she let it show on her face.
"I love this spot myself, so quiet and calm." The strange girl giggled and patted the blanket. "And we can't forget about you can we?"
It took Natsuki several seconds to realize that the girl was talking to whoever lay under the ground, and not to her. Still the thought sounded nice. "What's your name?"
The girl hummed and scooted over a bit (she had her back resting on the gravestone) and patted the blanket again, only this time, Natsuki was sure that it was for her and not a dead…person.
She edged over and plopped down beside girl, taking note of the cold stone pressing into her clothed back. The smell of the cakes and teas and wet grass and of the other girl herself, all mixed together suddenly, and when the purple snake flicked its thin tongue in her direction and hissed—not in warning but as a greeting—a strange buzzing started in her ears and it took sense in her head, and then came out as a single word.
"Shizuru." Natsuki whispered and the buzzing stopped, leaving a still quiet in the air. "You name is Shizuru, it is not?"
The girl, Shizuru, looked shocked, her eyes wide. The purple snake hissed, its scarlet eyes flashing in the candle light. Natsuki grinned though, happy to have one-upped the girl, no matter how confused it had made her.
It was short lived, because Shizuru turned her head towards the snake. Natsuki waited knowing that they were talking and entertained herself by sitting up and studying the stone behind her. Might as well know the name of the person she was sitting on. The stone was new and cleanly cut, Natsuki could plainly see that, but the face of it, dull and rough, had not a name, date…not even a last message or 'RIP' on it. She leaned in more and traced the small holes and gapes, the once words and numbers. A 'K'…that was all.
"Natsuki."
Natsuki jerked and turned back to the girl. "Yeah?"
"Would you like to stay and chat?"
In a graveyard, on a grave? With a complete stranger and her pet snake? With no one else around on Halloween night? Natsuki thought about saying all these things but something more important came to her mind. "My little sister is waiting for me."
"I have some delicious tea."
"I don't like tea that much."
"I have cake, many kinds. And I know you like cake."
"How?" Natsuki realized a second after that her response was proof enough. Still she needed to get back to her sister. Dad's going to kill me, she thought.
"I noticed you…'eyeballing' them earlier." Shizuru smiled, and picked up one with chocolate frosting.
Natsuki scowled for the first time and looked away, her cheeks and ears turning pink.
"Oh Natsuki, just for a little while? Then you can go back to your…sister."
Natsuki grunted and turned back. "Fine, but not because I like cake, because I don't."
"Oh?"
Natsuki knew she had said something wrong.
"Then you are staying because you like me?"
Her face, still pink, rose to a much hotter red. "No!"
Shizuru pretended to think and then pouted towards the purple snake. "Then you like Kiyohime?"
The snake preened at the attention.
Natsuki bit her tongue to keep from screaming at the other girl (and her snake). Before she could do anything however, a small plate was set in her lap, on top of it a rather thick slice of chocolate frosting cake.
….
Another minute or two wouldn't hurt.
Natsuki took a silver fork from the basket in front of her, and set about eating the cake in silence.
"Doesn't the moon look so grand tonight?" Shizuru said softly, after a couple minutes.
Natsuki pulled the fork from between her lips and looked up. The moon was indeed a sight and the dark haired girl wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. It hung low and large in the sky, craters marring its surface, its brilliance blocking out the stars.
"Not really." Natsuki put down the plate and the fork, leaving only a couple brown crumbs. "It's a big showoff, if you really want my take on it."
"My."
Natsuki flinched and stood up, suddenly wanting to be away from the other girl. A slender hand caught her wrist, and when she turned back she noticed tears rolling down the other girl's face, glimmering in the moonlight.
"Won't…won't you stay a little longer?" Shizuru's voice cracked.
Natsuki's green eyes locked onto watery scarlet and a fine quiver worked its way up her spine. She swallowed hard, and tugged her arm. Shizuru did not release it. "I.…"
"Just for a little longer, please Natsuki. It's been so long since—"
"Natsuki!"
Natsuki jerked her hand back and spun to look towards the thicket. It was her sister, calling out for her…why did her voice sound so far away?
"Natsuki, please…." Shizuru's voice sounded desperate but still so soft. Natsuki didn't dare turn to look at her though.
"Natsuki!"
"Shizuru, I have to go, my sister's looking for me."
"But…."
"It was nice meeting you. Maybe we can do this…again sometime."
A small black blur burst out of the line of trees and fell, twigs and leaves sticking in its blonde hair. Natsuki jogged over to the girl and helped her up, kneeling while she did so. She still didn't look back.
"Natsuki," Alyssa moaned, more tired than upset, "I've been looking for you forever."
"Really?" Natsuki ginned, picking the twigs from her sister's hair.
"Yes. I couldn't find you for a while, it's so dark out here!"
"Hm," Natsuki pretended to think. "Didn't I tell you to wait by the gate?"
"You were gone for hours. The Halloween party at the high school already started."
"Maybe you think I was gone hours. Waiting can do that to a person." Natsuki said. She'd been gone for fifteen minutes tops.
"But the party—"
"They might have started it early; they've done it in the pass. Nobody likes to wait, especially on Halloween." Natsuki's grin turned into a smirk. "You'd know something about that."
Alyssa puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "I had to leave my candy back at the gate because of you."
"Oh? Well you better hope that nobody stole it."
"They couldn't of—they're all at the party."
"I'm sorry." Natsuki laughed and then stood up straight. "How did you find me way out here? Saw Shizuru's candles did you?"
Alyssa tilted her head. "Light? Shizuru? No, I heard you calling back when I would call your name. I just followed your voice."
Natsuki blinked, not remembering if she responded to her sister's call or not.
"Who's Shizuru?"
Natsuki smiled at the name and turned around. "Shizuru's…. Huh, she's gone…."
"Who's gone?"
Natsuki scanned for any signs of the dress clad girl or her purple snake, but found none. Not even the wax candles remained. Then again it was quite dark, maybe she couldn't see—
"Natsuki, what are you looking for?"
Natsuki twitched, as if she wanted to go back over and investigate the gravestone, but she didn't. Instead she started to clear a path through the thicket. "Watch yourself; I cut my cheek in here earlier."
Alyssa glanced up at her cheeks. Not a scratch in sight. "I know, I just walked through, remember?"
Natsuki rolled her eyes and pulled back a low stubborn branch, motioning for her sister to pass by unhindered. The girl did so with her small nose up held high.
Natsuki took one last look at the clearing and sighed, following her little sister to the other side. Maybe some of her friends at the party will know who Shizuru is.
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TBC
Rule #43 of Halloween: The houses with the best candy are always the scariest ones.
(Part One of Three)