By: Riyuji
Disclaimer: I do not own Gakkou no Kaidan (aka Ghosts at School). Someone else does.
Author's Notes: My first Gakkou no Kaidan fanfic because we needed more here.
A couple ran through the dark halls of the schoolhouse. They ducked behind a corner and began panting heavily, as if hiding from something… or someone.
The boy peeked out from their hiding place. "I think we lost him," he gasped between breaths.
The girl leaned on the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor. She began tearing before loud sobs began racking her small frame. "Takeru…" she called out. "I can't run anymore. I can't…" She hugged her knees tightly, fear gripping her insides. "I just can't! I'm scared… Just… so scared."
Takeru knelt down and his arms encircled the girl, holding her tight. "Ssh… Ssh… It's okay, Miharu." His hands combed through her hair in an attempt to calm her down. He didn't mind that his shirt was getting wet with her tears, as long as they were safe… even for the time being. "It's okay, you could rest for now. Listen, I promise you… we will get out of this."
Miharu grabbed the front of her companion's shirt, trying to reassure herself that she wasn't the only one there. That someone was really with her. "Oh Takeru… I just don't know how this happened!" she exclaimed between sobs. "I mean he… We should have known that he was undead! We could have helped him!"
The boy gently pushed her off his chest, holding her arms firmly. "Look at me, Miharu." He wiped her tears away as she faced him. "He must've had his own reasons for not telling us. You're just gonna have to calm own. We'll think of someway to—"
Takeru didn't finish his sentence. A shiver ran up his spine and his grip on Miharu grew tense.
"Takeru… it hurts," Miharu muttered.
The boy stood, still holding his companion's arm, and began running. "Dammit! He found us!"
An evil cackle echoed through the halls, making it seem as if it came from all sides, all angles. As if they were surrounded.
"Make it stop," the girl cried, tears streaming down her face. If her hands were free she would've slammed both of them over her ears.
"Just try no to think about it!"
Takeru ran into an empty classroom and shut the door tight. Miharu let go of him and backed away from the sliding door. He got a table and jammed it between the wall and the other end of the shoji (1). He wiped the sweat of his brow with his sleeve. "I think we're safe now."
But no one answered.
"Miharu?"
He turned to find Miharu on the floor, backed against a corner wall. She pointed at something from across the room.
Takeru averted his gaze to the limply walking bloody figure at the other end of the classroom.
There stood a zombie-like creature, an arm extended out. It slowly began walking toward the helpless girl. "Why didn't you come Miharu-san?" it wailed, anxiety hanging from its voice.
Its face looked as if corrosive acid was thrown onto it. More than half of the skin of its face was peeled off, revealing bloody, red scars or wounds. Its hand reached out, its torn sleeve falling to his wrist, showing a bony arm wherein most of the skin, muscles and even blood vessels were stripped off the limb, or rather what was once a limb.
The girl screamed at the sight.
Takeru wasn't sure how to stop him but decided to move in front of the girl, his arms spread out as is using himself as a human shield. "Don't you dare try to get near her!" he shouted.
The zombie growled in annoyance, expecting the boy to move away.
Miharu gasped. She could see that Takeru was trying to protect her yet she saw the involuntary shivering of his body. Deep inside, he was scared too.
The zombie glared at him and moved closer. The boy gulped.
"You! You are the reason that Miharu-san didn't show up! You are the reason why she didn't come," said its broken undead voice.
Before either knew what had happened a flash shone throughout the room and a body connected with the floor.
"Takeru!"
Miharu crawled to the boy's frozen form and shook him gently. "Takeru… that's not funny… Wake up, Takeru! Wake up!" Her voice grew frantic.
She turned to the zombie her eyes brimming with crystalline tears. "This is a joke, isn't it? You and Takeru just decided to scare me just because Halloween is coming up, didn't you?"
She still didn't want to believe that what stood in front of her was really something or someone from the undead realm. It was just one of her acquaintances in disguise. Yet, somehow, she couldn't stop tears that began streaking her face.
"Tell me this is a joke," her voice squeaked, low and pleading.
The undead didn't answer.
Miharu held her companion's body in an embrace. She stared into his unfazed, lifeless orbs, which once held so much light and joviality. Why?
"You can't be dead! You just can't, Ta-kun! Wake up! Stop kidding, Ta-kun! Ta-kun!" She wailed, burying her face onto his chest.
And that was it.
After the zombie heard the girl call the boy in what seemed to be his pet name, it gave up all hope.
Some sixth sense beckoned Miharu to look up. The zombie shifted its position. She stared at it, fear filling her insides yet again. "Please… Don't do this," she begged.
Her pleas were left unheard as another flash went off and her body fell to the wooden floor.
That was the last anyone heard of Mishima Takeru and Kamina Miharu, but when the crime scene was searched, they had found something odd. Two Polaroid photographs of the victims lay on the floor taken only a day before the bodies were found…
"I think she'd already be used to it by now."
"Her? She hasn't. I'm beginning to wonder if she has some sort of short-term memory loss or something."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hajime?"
The boy named Hajime smirked and hooked his arm around his friend's neck. "Yep, I'm sure, Leo. When have my plans ever failed?"
"Since always," remarked the other.
"Why, you…" Voices approached their hiding place, causing Hajime to drop it and drag Leo with him beneath the stairwell. "Target sighted."
"Really, Momoko-san? When's your recital? I'll try to see if I could come," exclaimed the redheaded girl.
The other girl beamed. "That would be great, Satsuki-chan. The date isn't final yet but it's supposed to be next Saturday." She titled her head n curiosity. "Will you be bringing… a date?"
"Oh, I don't know. It's not like I know anyone who would like to go out with someone like me." She began poking her index fingers together, hoping the other girl would change the subject.
"Really?" Momoko put her finger before her lips. "I've always thought that you've taken a liking to Hajime-kun."
"I thought you said that they were coming already," sighed Leo.
"They are, they are," said Hajime, swatting his hand at the Paranormal Genius. "They're just taking forever talking about something that I can't make out a thing of."
"Eh?" Satsuki raised her hands up defensively. "Why would I like to go out with someone like him? Why would anyone for that matter?" She made a face at the end of the last line.
Momoko just giggled. "I'm just teasing, Satsuki-chan. I have to go. See you tomorrow, okay?"
"I have to go, too, Momoko-san. I still have to take some pictures for the paper. See you!" Satsuki made her way down the stairwell heading for the door, but trip on the step before the shoe lockers.
Click. Flash. Slam.
"Itai," Satsuki moaned, rubbing the sore spot where she hit her head.
"Hah!"
Hajime and Leo walked out of their hiding place, the former pointing at the girl tauntingly.
Hajime's ear-to-ear grin couldn't get any bigger. "They're green today!"
The girl's hands began pulling down on her skirt as she turned to face the two. "Hajime!" Her face was red, her expression a mix of anger and embarrassment. Of all days to leave my cycling shorts in the wash!
"We're already in middle school! I can't believe that you still forget that there's a step there!"
"I'd bet you're just not man enough to do that to Momoko-san if she was still around!"
It was now Hajime's turn to blush. "At least Momoko-san is a real woman! You're just a little girl!"
"Well I'm sorry if I'm not woman enough for you!"
Leo tried to separate the two. "Satsuki-san, Hajime…"
"STAY OUT OF THIS!"
And with that, Leo withdrew.
Satsuki turned her back at the two. "Forget it. I have better things to do anyway," she said, pulling her digicam out of her bag.
Hajime suddenly reached out and grabbed the camera out of the girl's hands.
Hajime! Quit fooling around!" Satsuki reached out for her camera in her friend's hands. "Stop it, Hajime! I still need the film inside!"
Hajime was taking advantage of the fact that he had gotten a bit taller than the girl over the summer. "What's really inside here, Satsuki?" He switched the digital camera on and began flipping through the pictures appearing on the screen.
"It's just a bunch of pictures of flowers and other girly stuff. How the heck did you get into the school paper with this kinds of pictur—"
He doubled over in pain as Satsuki's foot connected with his shin.
Satsuki plucked the camera out of the boy's arms. "Serves you right for picking on a young lady."
Leo just sweatdropped.
Click.
Satsuki turned. "Did either of you hear that?"
"Heard what, Satsuki-san?" asked Leo as he helped the other boy off the floor.
The former shook her head. "It's nothing, probably just my imagination."
Elsewhere, another click was heard before an unknown waver disturbed the leaves of a nearby bush… "I'm watching you, Miyanoshita-san."
To be continued…
A/N 2: (1) shoji- Japanese sliding doors
Well, how was it? Hope it was enough to satisfy you guys for now. Ja!