At the Hour of the Ox
by koizumichii
Synopsis: Nagisa, the weird bluenette of Class 2-B, is an avid collector of straw dolls. He creates one during his spare time and is rumored to be a practitioner of curses. Threatened to be dumped in the garbage of a class called Class-E, Nagisa accepts a curse prank from one of his classmates, which eventually leads to summoning a terrible vengeful spirit out to devour him.
Genre: failed attempt at horror / twisted romance(?) or something, idk
Timeline: Prior to the manga, lol—am kidding, it's an AU
Disclaimer: All rights reserved.
A/N: My last entry for karmagisa week in tumblr. I am too busy with life; and to do more for a specific fandom makes my hair go white. This fic is supposed to be for Day 2: Fear but I caught a massive headache so I wasn't able to finish it in time…and I'm not actually sure if the said theme is suited for it anyway. And no, Nagisa isn't a witch or anything similar. Btw, it's mostly Nagisa's appearance. Looks like Karma is more of an extra or something in the story. The events are crack and crappy. Don't expect anything. I repeat. Do not expect anything awesome.
"Hey, Nagisa. Got a minute?" A classmate—the bully—called over a bluenette sporting small twin tails.
The person concerned blinked, lips drawing into an unsure thin line. He laid low so he wouldn't be the subject of their pranks. He disliked trouble the most and with bullies in his class, he always prayed they wouldn't notice him. But today, it looked like it was his ill-fated turn
"Hurry up," his classmate said, irritated, before disappearing behind the other side of the door.
Nagisa stood up, his chair screeching backward. If only he could run and transfer to another school…that sounded so tempting. He stopped outside, just meters away from their classroom.
"So, umm, what do you want?" He fidgeted, wary of the gazes of his three classmates were giving him. He was sure only one would be his opponent, since it was just Muramatsu who called him out. Seemed like that wasn't the case at all.
"We have a request." The blonde stated.
Nagisa resisted the impulse to gulp. What kind would it be? Kill someone? His lip trembled. No freakin way. They might be the worst lowlifes in the school but there was no way, right? "Request…?" He repeated, taking notice of the window behind his classmate. Oh, he could definitely run and jump, couldn't he? But before he could will his legs to move, Muramatsu already continued.
"It's a simple request. You only have to curse someone."
…
Huh? Curse? What?
"B-But…I don't jinx someone." The bluenette gave a quick shake of his head. "I can't do that to people." He panicked. Placing a curse on someone was like killing them, except, instead of quick pain, it was a prolonged slow suffering that could even span a lifetime. "I'm sorry but your r-request is impossible." He proceeded to turn around and escape.
"Oops. Not so fast." Muramatsu smirked, grabbing hold of his wrist. "If you don't do as we say, let me tell you one thing, Shiota."
If it was possible, his shadow loomed over Nagisa and looked more ominous.
"We—" He paused dramatically. "—can get you expelled."
The bluenette felt his blood ran cold. "W-What? But I didn't get myself into trouble. I haven't even done anything that could get me expelled." He sucked a weak attempt of breather; his hands were trembling.
If he was expelled, he'd stop school. Heck, he was only able to study because of the scholarship given. He was just average; getting another scholarship would be difficult. Plus the transfer. No, no, no. He wouldn't be expelled. He couldn't give his mom more distress; their current life was troubling as it was. And why would they even threaten him with that? His records were clean as a newly washed white tee shirt.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Yoshida waved an index finger. "When there is nothing…"
Terasaka leaned over, placing an elbow on Yoshida's shoulder. "We can create out of anything."
A wicked grin appeared on Muramatsu's expression. "Remember that guy who committed suicide at the rooftop last winter? We can make it look like you cursed him. Ah, our innocent-looking Shiota-kun, manipulating voodoo dolls to play at someone's life." He flicked his fingers.
"And then…they'd pursue for proof, finding your collection of straw dolls." Terasaka said; face making an expression that surged Nagisa's desire to whack him in the nose.
"You'll be expelled in no time, Shiota-chan."
Nagisa shot Yoshida a dirty look. The latter making a move to punch him to which he replied with a step backward.
How cowardly, Nagisa.
Shut up, self.
"So what is it? Will you accept our little request?"
"I-I will…" The bluenette answered, both reticently and timorously.
…
The instance the clock heralded two hours after midnight, Nagisa was already on his way to carry out the trio's blackmailing request. An upturned trivet, as if a crown, can be seen on his head, with three candles lively aflame. His face was painted white, without a doubt, to resemble the supernatural creatures lurking at these wee hours of the day. He was dressed in a white kimono and obi and a geta for his feet (though he'd remove them when he reached his destination). A rounded mirror was worn over his chest like a necklace, shining and reflecting whatever came in its range. Nagisa ignored any thoughts of reflection. He might flee if he actually saw a yokai at the moment. A wooden comb was patiently held between his teeth, fulfilling its purpose to keep Nagisa silent the minute he'd be entering his stop. And lastly, a short sword tucked in the kimono's sash, to keep anyone silent in case someone actually saw him. No, of course not, the sword was for humor's sake.
Just in case.
A small wooden hammer can be found in his right hand and the essential straw doll was tucked inside his pocket.
The bluenette released a sigh, feeling haggard for being so up in an ungodly hour, at the weight of the head ornament dripping with wax, and the mirror which in an hour would probably choke him. It wasn't like he hadn't cursed someone before; he did that a lot in middle school, in the same outfit as this. But he already vowed not to do curses anymore the day he graduated. The reason was this. Doing jinxes were very exhausting, from preparations to actual execution. And who would want to parade in these clothes anyway? It was clearly embarrassing. Plus, he simply wanted to stop. He, at least, wanted to save his soul from burning in hell.
Nagisa dragged his feet.
However, it seemed like that soul of his would be set ablaze once again. Well, if he was burning right now, he'd take at least one of them—those bullies. No, he wouldn't curse someone just 'cause he was ordered to. One should have the intentions first—that was the most important. Without those, the curse would slap him—and only him—back in the face; he'd be the one to suffer the curse, lest, someone hadn't caught him do it. Anyhow, being expelled in Kunugigaoka was the same in a sense, but he'd be sure to bring someone down with him to the depths of torment.
Nagisa snapped out of his thoughts the moment his feet stepped into his destination—the nearest shrine. He sneaked in, making sure not a soul would spot him. Soon, he reached one of the shinboku trees and came face to face with centuries-worth of scars crafted by iron nails. After scrunching up his face to flick the sleep away, he began to hammer a nail deep in the human-shaped doll, embedding it in the tree.
As soon as the seventh pounding of the hammer was finished, some kind of mist flared up from the roots of the sacred tree, blinding the bluenette for an instant. After a few seconds, Nagisa slowly willed his eyes to open, eventually finding himself upside down, hanging from one of the branches of the tree. The trivet fell off his head and the mirror necklace hung upturned on his neck. God, the necklace was starting to strangle him, for real.
He suddenly flushed red. Due to his position, the kimono was giving out and was beginning to show more of his thighs. Dammit!
"Impertinent soul, you dare summon me?" came a voice so deep, Nagisa thought it was the Earth itself speaking.
Then without warning, someone materialized in front of him. An attractive human boy the same age as the blunette, with the palest skin he'd ever seen, scarlet hair, and sharp eyes the color of gold mixed with a hint of mercury. The boy looked so innocent to be honest, even with a fox mask on, just omit the nefarious smile and the twin sharp canines by his lips. Well, it was in an upside down view, but still.
"I didn't summon anyone!" Nagisa squeaked, vainly attempting to hold his kimono in place. It was dangerously slipping so low at this point. "And put me down!" Abruptly, his head thumped on the ground, making him jerk in pain and rubbing it soothingly afterwards.
"Hmm…" It sounded like a low rumble. "So this kind of kid can have those intentions, huh."
Nagisa looked up because he heard the voice coming from above. He saw the redhead up in the shinboku, leisurely sitting at the lowest branch. "What intentions?" The bluenette asked in confusion, eyebrows knitting together.
"Ill-intentions. For curses. Jinxes. Whatever you humans want to call it." His gold eyes flickered to the straw doll holed by a nail, and made a sound of amusement upon seeing it. "You want him dead?" He asked, the impious smile resurfacing to his lips. "We can arrange that." He swooped down in one go.
Nagisa didn't know how it happened, but the next thing he knew, from looking up at the tree, what followed was him already against the tree trunk, the redheaded boy in front of him—too close. He could feel the mask touching his nose.
The hammer he was holding seconds ago fell on the groud.
"You came to curse someone?"
Nagisa, for a split second, hesitated but then with a conviction he said, "Yes, I did."
The redhead leaned in, whispering in the bluenette's left ear. "Then it's a curse we'll send."
All of a sudden, Nagisa heard a shatter. He closed his eyes, afraid that the pieces would hit him in the eye and blind him. However, nothing came. It was just the sound. He took a peek with one eye open, only to see the red-haired boy a distance away, without his mask on.
He pointed at his neck, which made Nagisa looked down on his own.
A circular pendant halved with white and halved with red glinted in the candlelight. It was like a twisted version the of yin and yang symbol. The pendant was connected on the bluenette's neck with a crimson string, blood-like. It was strange, Nagisa thought. He had a gut feeling that the string was made of his very own blood.
The redhead mouthed something at him, and then finished with that infamous nefarious smile of his. In less than a blink of an eye, he vanished.
Nagisa, for the first time tonight, felt an icy terror crawling in his spine, reaching as far as the hairs on his skin, making the hairs stand and give him the worst goosebumps he'd ever felt in his existence.
"Tomorrow, you'll see. That boy will be dead."
But that wasn't what chilled him to the bone. It was the words that followed,
"Tomorrow, I will claim your soul."
…
Nagisa woke for the second time that day with bags on his eyes. He clearly regretted doing the ritual on a school day. If ever he collapsed in the middle of the street right now, he didn't care; he wanted so badly to sleep. But that wasn't his only problem. Someone just declared he'd be killed. His soul would be extracted, to be exact.
He'd done years of cursing, and it was only now that an actual spirit was summoned just to destroy the recipient a.k.a the person represented by the straw doll. The bluenette wanted to rip his hair out in frustration. Who ordered that spirit to come out anyway!? He didn't need help! He could carry out curses just fine! What was the problem?! Suddenly claiming his life for him to eat. He wanted to scream.
Nagisa tugged at the necklace. The sign of contract. He tried numerous things to get it out of his neck but the thing just wouldn't budge. Nagisa swore it became part of his neck, or his hair, or whatever. The point was, everything became so frustrating!
Strangely, the terror he had felt somehow left the pores of his emotions.
…
It was in the middle of the class when the teacher announced that Muramatsu was dead. No, not playing dead. Dead. Not breathing. Body gone cold. And it was the same time Nagisa became aware of the dread creeping back on his skin.
It was true. He put a claim on my soul.
Cold sweat started beading on his forehead, making him feel damp with unease. He could feel eyes staring at him and frighteningly wondered if there were the same gold eyes, blanketed by the walls. Nagisa hugged himself as he continued sitting on his desk, trembling and eyes wide with fear. The frustration from the early dawn had already evaporated and was replaced by the horror of what was to come. He didn't even know if he'd sell his soul to some kind of yokai he wasn't aware of. He was just carrying out a curse, the same way he used to in middle school. How did it come to this? It wasn't supposed to be!
"Nagisa-san?"
He heard Kayano call, but she seemed so far away.
And suddenly, the necklace he was wearing exploded into pieces, the blood-colored string wrapping tightly around his neck.
"What's wrong with him?!"
"Nagisa-san!"
"Someone! Help him!"
"Sensei!"
"Dude, call the freakin ambulance! NOW!"
"Ohmygod don't let him die!"
"Hang on, Nagisa-kun!"
…
Back in the shinboku tree, the nailed straw doll crumbled into a heap of black ashes, leaving the trunk bare again, awaiting its next puppet.
Up in the shinboku tree, a red-haired boy stood, right palm against the biggest stem. His free hand positioned in level of his mouth, seemingly about to devour something—something shiny, something pale white and blue, something burning out.
"I told you I have a claim on your soul, didn't I?"
He gobbled the thing up.
A/N: I am too lazy/drained to edit tonight. I just want sleep. The plot's buggin' me to no end so I finally wrote it. It's so damn crack. I told you right, don't expect anything. *yawns* Good night.
Footnotes:
*Shinboku is a sacred tree found in Shinto shrines.
*The title is originally Ushi no Koku but the English trans is better sounding as a title, right? The Hour of the Ox is similar to Western's devil's hour (1-3 AM).
*The fic's based on one of my favorite Japanese bizarre stories, Ushi no Koku Mairi or the Shrine Visit at the Hour of the Ox. Just google it. wwww