Hi, again~! I'm still Rei Haruno, and here to bring you weird stories of horror and mystery along with the goodness of yaoi. Since I plan to cruise a new ship, I thought I could make a premiere of it here. So I'm bringing you Ano Uchi no Koto Winterbell (That House, Winterbell). Like a novel of mine, this will also feature an old ancestral house and will center on Izaya. I'm still thinking if I would give a surname for the family for two reasons. However, this will be different from that novel starting from the characterizations— the semi-ICs I love so.
In an attempt to rebuild his relationship with his son that had been broken long ago, Shiki forces Izaya to come with him and live with his partner's inheritance— an old house called Winterbell. It lies in the middle of the woods and hours away from the main city. But that's not just what would be waiting for Izaya. Even the partner's other family members will be with them and some other things he didn't want to deal with. But what haunts him the most was the recurring nightmares he had… and those women creeping around.
Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara or any related references that I have used in the fic. For sure, I didn't refer to any fic from other authors as well.
Warning: Yaoi, angst, gore, horror, drama, violence, swearing, and more. Multiple pairings and semi-IC for everyone. AkaShiki, Shizaya and Izanri.
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Ano Uchi no Koto Winterbell
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Summary: My old man wants to fix our broken father-son relationship and so he drags me to a house full of people I don't really care about. But things go haywire when I first saw something… terrible. Within this house lie secrets never to be told. Or they will come for you. Shizaya + Izanri.
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Ano Uchi no Koto Winterbell
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Sigh.
A sigh escapes from my lips as I watch my old man pack my things for me. I live by myself in my own run-down apartment and right now… he is forcing me to move in with him, his boyfriend and his boyfriend's family. He keeps on saying it is a big house and it would be a shame if I don't live with them. And he also wants me to be in good terms with the boyfriend himself.
"But Dad. I'm twenty-five and I don't need to live with you. I'm fine with where I am right now."
"Izaya, listen to me. I don't like the way you live. You're a twenty-five-year-old fast food clerk who can't even pay his own rent." My old man fires some shots at me. Again. I then hum and stretches to get my smartphone, "Just because you're a salaryman, you can't go saying that. I'm still alive and I can keep myself alive."
He then takes my phone away from my reach and looks at it, "Yes, you keep yourself alive by sucking a rich man's dick." I frown at him and turns away, "Spare me the lecture, Dad. Tell me about pride when you're going out with a woman again." He then tosses the phone at me, hitting my abdomen a bit, "Prostitution is different from passion, young man."
A bitter grin covers my face and I just take him out of my sight by looking down and checking the phone. Shizu-chan hasn't messaged me for three days now. Why is that?
"—ya. Izaya." I shoot my gaze back to my father and he glares at me, "We'll be leaving in an hour." I then get off the bed and walk past him, earning his gaze. Taking the coat off the rack and putting it on me along with a thick scarf, I speak without sparing a look at him, "I'll be back before that. I just need to tell my 'boss' that I will be gone." Without hearing an answer from him, I walk out my front door just throwing one glance at my father's black Chevy, "I'll never have that kind of fortune…"
It is a rather cold January, the snow piling up on the streets more and more. The sidewalks are cleared from its thin sleet but soon, everything will be again covered in white. I draw out my phone again and stare at the wallpaper. It is a photo of me and Shizu-chan… "Prostitution is different from passion, huh." Well, it is right. To be honest, one can grow out from the other…
"Izaya?" I twitch as a voice calls for my name and I fling my gaze to the side to see my 'boss'… no, my Shizu-chan. I then run to him and jump for a hug, "Shizu-chan!" He then chuckles as he catches me, "Sorry, I haven't been calling. I got busy preparing for the party in two weeks. Everyone was too excited for my own birthday."
…He's happy to see me. How can I tell him I wasn't joking when I told him about me leaving the city? "Uhm, Shizu-chan, can we… can we talk?" His lovely caramel eyes look at me and it gets tainted by disappointment, "You don't have to say anything. I heard from the people at the fast food." I twitch and my grip tightens, "I… I swear I never wanted to leave you!" He then pats my head…
"It's alright. I'm ready to let you go."
Anger. Anger suddenly fills me up. My teary eyes then close and I pull myself away from him. "Alright. Bye." I suddenly turn around and walk away. He then seems to call me back but I decide to ignore him. Of course, he'll chase me and try to catch up with me. I feel his hand landing on my arm, but I shrug it off and glare at him with all I have. Tears are running down… I don't care.
He's not my everything after all. In fact, I never had anything at all.
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Ano Uchi no Koto Winterbell
Rei Haruno —Sakura no Imooto
Chapter 1: Take Me Away
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If anything, this villa is something. I find myself in great awe as I stand before the gates of the house. We just get here from the city via Akabayashi-san's van. The boyfriend then goes to the smaller entrance and tries to open it with a key I suppose is given to him by the caretaker we met outside the woods. The big house is covered in snow but the walkway is shoveled for us to pass through.
"Regret not wanting to come here?" My father then chuckles as he pats my shoulder. I can only nod once and continue admiring the house. Soon, Akabayashi-san calls us to come in and I slowly walk to them, eyes pinned on the exterior of the house. A finger then pokes my nose and I fling a glare to the owner— it's just Akabayashi-san.
"Izaya-kun, you should look where you're walking. I know the house is beautiful but it won't look the same from the ground." He jokes and I give him a small smile before walking past him. Seconds after, I can hear his and Aozaki-san's voices as if talking about my weird behavior. Aozaki-san is the cousin of my father's boyfie and someone who is just invited to come here. But whatever… maybe I'll just be like that chick.
Anri-chan is Akabayashi-san's daughter. A complete shut-in if you ask me. She just goes out to attend her special class that is once a week and she just orders stuff online. She hardly gets any sun… I also she only depended food supplements to remain healthy. I see her from a distance, hurrying inside the house. I think Dad has opened the main door with the key Boyfie-san gave him.
With all of us inside the house, the new master of the house then gathers us at the big lounge and spreads the villa map on the coffee table. "Alright, first of all, welcome to Winterbell. I have no idea how come my great grandparents named the house Winterbell but that's its name. So you'll say you live in Winterbell, got that? Anri-chan? Izaya-kun?" We just nod… the girl releasing a dark hum with hers.
"This house has rooms for a hundred staff and two dozens of nobles. Each of us should have a map with us, this place sure can make us lose our way around it." He chuckles more and hums, "I'll let everyone choose their rooms—" He draws out some stick-on pads and probably writes our names on it. Anri-chan then points at the farthest room in the East Wing, "Father, my room will be this one." After he puts on the notes with her name on it, I point on the one nearest to the stairs at the same wing, "This one's mine."
"I'll take this one." Aozaki-san taps the one farthest on the West Wing and Dad points at the one around the middle of the West Wing. Boyfie-san nods and puts the notes on the rooms, "There we go. But we have to manage this house on our own for now before hiring maids, okay?" The grown-ups nod and I sigh… of course that would mean extensive physical labor in cleaning.
"Alright, let's start cleaning our rooms."
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Ano Uchi no Koto Winterbell
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For sure dust has collected around the things in here. I put my luggage down beside the doorway and goes to the bed with an amazing canopy. It is wrapped in vinyl sheets— which I duly take off. The bed is left clean and ready to use… so I plop down and feel its fluffiness. It's too soft… so soft I am never used to it. I roll to lie on my back, staring at the canopy.
My eyes droop slightly and imagine the smell of cigarette, filling up the air. The strong scent of someone else's sweat under my nose and soft lips that raid my skin. Strong big hands which touch me gently, huffing breaths that sing to my ears. "Haaahh, Shi… Shizu-chan…"
"It's alright. I'm ready to let you go."
My eyes shoot open and tears begin to drip again from the corners of it. I feel my own hands touching myself… remembering a pleasure I will never experience again. "That idiot." I get up and then notices something amiss… the vinyl sheet… seemed moved. I throw my gaze to the door, seeing that it has not been opened again. Rolling out of the bed, I get to the vinyl sheet and try to neatly fold it—
SCREECH! BLAM!
"What the fuck is that!?" I twitch, throwing away the vinyl sheet and rushing to the window. My hands grip at the sill, me realizing that we are in the uphill woods with no asphalt road. There's no way a car could speed through and crash somewhere near here… near me. The sound of the screeching is familiar to me… I can't bet on it being just my imagination. I then fish for my phone and unlock it… staring at a big idiot's face. Then I press on to call his number… hesitating to make a call.
Click. I click the lock button and walks to the side drawer to put down the phone. I strip down to my boxers and lie down the bed, diving beneath the sheets which are on the bed since who knows when. But I don't care. I'll just sleep through dinner. I'll just… I'll just sleep through it.
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Huff. Huff. I am running through the snowed path downhill, only wearing a coat over my sleepwear. My feet are fighting the cold only with a pair of house slippers. It's not yet clear for me why I was rushing down at the middle of the night— but it feels so painful. Tears flood my vision but my body knows where to head to… who to find. There's a name being whispered by my pounding heart. My very scared and aching pounding heart.
Soon, red lights hit my eyes and I keep on going. Sounds of an ambulance cloud my hearing and the pounding drown the whispers. I arrive at a car crash site and I bang against the car's door. A rescuer comes to pull me away and that's when I see the broken windshield. Crying out loud, I break away from the rescuer's hold and soon lunge at the car's hood. There is someone inside the car that crashed against the big rock. The seatbelt has been ripped and the head has broken through the windshield. Of course, anyone who is found like that is already dead.
He's dead. My baby's dead. I feel my mouth cry out. That's when it hit me. "Shizu-chan! Shizu-chan!" I keep on crying. And crying. My body weakens and I fall to my knees— crying more and more. The intense cold of the January snow can't hurt more than what I have seen. Then I see a woman in a black dress standing among the onlookers… probably people from downhill. I stare at her and she suddenly reappears before me…
A wild whisper.
"HAAAAH!" I almost scream as I shoot up from the bed. Sweat is covering me and even in a cold place, I feel so hot. I then shiver to get rid of the feeling— looking around for my phone. I grab it from the side drawer and quickly dial Shizu-chan's number. The phone rings and rings… until it gets picked up, ["Izaya—"]
"SHIZU-CHAN!" I scream at his ears and he then answers, probably hearing how my tone differs from normal, ["Izaya, what's wrong? Is something wrong? Is someone hurting you? Do you want me to pick you up right now? I'll go pronto."] Hearing Shizu-chan's voice longer calms me down and I keep on huffing, "N-No… I just…" I sniff a bit before starting to cry, "I dreamt about you dying. I… I can't sit still even for a second. You… you sound fine, though." I dart my eyes to the clock at the drawer, "Sorry for calling you two in the morning…"
He then chuckles and hums, purring a bit, ["Don't worry, baby. I was happy I received a call from you. You're not returning my calls."] Then I just plop back down the bed, "It's because you're an idiot." Shizu-chan then begins to explain as I roll to my side and pull the blankets to my shoulder. I leave the phone on loud speak and close my eyes, listening to him. Well, I don't comprehend any words… as long as he keeps on calling me… I feel better.
My heart starts to rest from all the loud pounding…
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Clap. Clap. Clap. I hear clapping somewhere. I get up and go to window to see little girls playing outside. But there is something amiss about it. There are twelve of them down there and they are doing a weird sequence for a hand game. Their hands clap— then they clap their hand against someone else's, then clap their hands again, and then crosses their arms to clap their hand against another's. It feels weird… watching them play with such grins on their pretty young faces.
I press my hand as I watch them continue on. My finger points at one… the girl falls down face down on the snow. The girls move to still complete the circle and keep on playing. I keep on pointing and pointing until only two of them remain. But instead of continuing the game, they stare at each other soon gripping at each other's heads. They then laugh… before twisting each other's neck broken. They fall over the other girls' bodies and the snow turned red… as the place darkens. Then the window suddenly gets blackened—
Shoot up. For the second time, I shoot up from my bed. I cover my face with a hand and try to shake off the image from my mind. Just when the window gets blackened, I see a woman before me. Her eyes are hollowed and bleeding… her mouth embraced by cuts from her bloody shark teeth. I pull my knees to my face and hug my legs. Remembering the phone, I check again to see a message from Shizu-chan, "I think you were so fazed by your dream. Can we talk when you wake up. Keh, Shizu-chan… you asked for this."
I roll off the bed and put on my clothes. It is three in the morning and I just want to drink some water before going back to bed. I pull my earphones from a pocket and connected it to my phone. Dialing Shizu-chan's number and waiting for him to pick up, I get out of my room. It is pitch black along the hallway and I have to use my smartphone for light. The phone's ringing intensifies for the hallway is deathly silent… it would deafen me more if I don't have the earphone relaying the ringing directly to my ears.
["What's wrong, baby?"] I then hear his voice and it makes me twitch loudly. I then snicker and speak as I walk down the stairs, "S-Sorry, I'm walking around the new house and your voice scared me. At any rate, I feel so uneasy… I just wanna hear your voice. Keep on talking, okay?" He then laughs out a bit and sighs in relief, ["This sounds like you're still punishing me, Izaya. But alright, I'll keep on talking for you."]
A hum escapes me as he starts talking about worthless stuff… as if writing a stupid letter to me. I make my way to the kitchen and find the glass tray. Only five of them are clean— judging by the fact that— wait, isn't it supposed to be just four? Well, anyway, I don't care. I take one and walk to the fridge for cold water… putting the glass down by the counter. Taking a pitcher and pouring myself a glass, my eyes inevitably look at the pitch black surrounding. I bring the pitcher back inside and I drink my glass of water.
["You're drinking?"] I exhale as I finish the water and I hum, "Mhmm. Yep. Sorry, I wasn't really listening much." He laughs out again, ["It's alright. I mean… I deserve it."] My eyes squint in realization and then I bitterly grins, "I'll try to go back to the city to see you again." Shifting of cushions is heard through the line. ["Why don't I just visit you? I wanna see what the new house—"]
"Sorry, Shizu-chan. You died in my dream when you visited me. I don't like that happening. I'm getting scared when I think of the car crash where I saw you. You and your gold Ferrari…"
["…Pick me up? I mean if I don't bring my car it wouldn't happen, right?"]
"…Dad doesn't like you. He thinks you're just a rich man I solicit sex from. We aren't still in a good and steady ground. I can't bring you here and they'll just treat my baby like shit." I giggle a bit… soon seeing a dressed figure against the wall at the end of the hall. My eyes are pinned there as my breathing grows louder. My body trembles and my throat starts to dry out again. The figure then gets nearer and nearer, me backing off.
["Izaya?"] "Izaya." A loud gasp from me. I suddenly fall down, sitting on my ass in fear. ["IZAYA!"] Shizu-chan yells and then another voice speaks, "Izaya." That voice. I then flash my phone at the figure in a dress— soon ripping an earphone off my ear, "Holy shit, Anri-chan! You almost made me piss myself!" I then get up and dust myself, "You're bad for my heart."
"I thought you're talking to yourself." She speaks in her voice that I rarely hear, "I didn't know you were on the phone." I then sigh and hold the microphone with my trembling hand, "It's alright, Shizu-chan. Anri-chan just gave me a scare. Ah, she's Aka— my father's— wait, how can I explain this? She's a girl I live with— one of the people I now live with."
["That was close. I was this close to rushing there…"] He laughs out helplessly. I then sigh in relief myself and reaches out to ruffle the girl's hair. Anri-chan is sixteen and she is wary of people. It's the first time she walked to me without me having to call her. She is completely distant from her father unlike me. I just end up patting her head and asking, "Why are you out this late? Well, I got water from the kitchen."
"Toilet." She whispers and then I hear Shizu-chan chuckle at the end of the line. I can only sigh and reach out, "Sure, I'll walk you to the toilet." I then smirk towards Shizu-chan, "Neh, Shizu-chan, I caused you too much bother. You should sleep now." He laughs out again before humming, ["But don't hesitate to call me whenever. I'll start taking my phone with me in the bathroom and toilet."]
"Asshole." A helpless smile run across my face and then he makes a sound of a kiss, ["Good night. I love you, baby."] I glance at Anri-chan who is looking at us but then I look away from her, "I love you, too, baby." The call ends and then I take the other earphone off, "I memorize the map already. This should be quick."
"Izaya, why do you pursue a love without a fruit?" I twitch at her question as we walk down the stairs. My grip on her hand tightens and she seems to just ignore the added pressure, "What do you mean no fruit?" She then answers without sparing me a look, "Father told me you are in a relationship with another man. Neither one can conceive a child. So that means your love will bear no fruit. In fact, nothing concrete at all."
I then stop walking and my hand pulls on hers. She then looks at me and then I look at me with her inquisitive gaze. Without any mercy spared for her, I speak in my most murderous voice, "What do you know about love. You're just a sixteen-year-old shut-in. I don't even know if you ever involve yourself with anyone. Perhaps you could live without anyone at all."
She then turns away, her hand returning the tightening hold. I then sigh and walk ahead, "I don't like you saying anything about my affairs—" Tug. She then runs off and drags me away, "Oi, Anri—!" What the hell? She's running towards the toilet. I thought she doesn't know where it is. She opens the door to the toilet and pulls me in— soon pushing me to the side against the hinges but not blocking the door. She then pushes me down tries to pin me there, a hand covering my mouth.
But there is something weird in the set-up. She looks so goddamn scared.
Her hand is even shaking. I then take it off and grab her closer, letting her cling to me in fear. She then buries her face on my shoulder as I wonder what things mean… until I hear footsteps outside. She trembles harder and I have to embrace her more. "It's… it's getting close…" My eyes glance at the girl before to the door that suddenly opens slowly. The door swings halfway and I can smell something… like something's rotten. The smell gets stronger as— shit. A hand stretches from the door and tries to grope for anything in mid-air. It then retracts and the door closes.
"Izaya…" She calls out with the softest voice, "Something else is in this house. It's going after me… I'm so scared." I then frown at her, remembering the weird dreams I just have, "Then why don't you go to your father? Isn't he more—?" She then looks up at me, "It's no use. Father will only ignore me. And… he's rather busy with Shiki-san." I then sigh and lean my head against the wall, "How long are we going to stay here? I wanna head back to my room and sleep…"
Anri-chan slowly breaks off from my hold and she stands up to get to the door. I have to get up as well and check outside instead of letting her do so. No one's there. Nothing's there. I then nod at her and I reach out to her for her hand. She refuses, "I still need to use the toilet."
Waiting outside, I end up staring at the doorknob. Nothing strange is on it… I didn't even hear it get turned around to unlock the door. But I saw that hand that reached out… and that strange odor. After hearing the flush, I watch her go out and then she holds my hand with both of hers, "Izaya. I don't wanna to go back to my room." I then sigh and we begin walking back to the room, "Wanna stay in mine? But don't complain about anything."
She nods and I have to walk her back to my room. I let her in and she timidly goes under the sheets as I close the lights and open the lamp on the drawer. I lie next to her and she whispers from beneath the blanket, "I'm sorry for earlier. I just thought it would be nice if love always equates to a new life… born to a world full of love."
"The way you talk sounds like you don't think this is a world of love, Anri-chan." I roll to lie on my side, back facing the girl. I feel movements as well, the girl probably rolling as well, "It is not. It's just full of empty ideals. You only get love if you think and act like you're loved." I then chuckle and roll again, this time, to face her. She is facing the canopy and she looks prettier without the big-ass glasses. I then poke her to make her look at me, "You're just sixteen, don't be so full of certainties. You haven't seen much of people."
She just smiles at me and nods with a happy hum, "I really hope so, Izaya." Then she looks up at the canopy again and closes her eyes, trying to sleep with a smile on her face. A bitter grin rises from my lips as well and I wish to just sleep for the night… until something disturbs me yet again. I know it can be something normal but the very picture gives me doubts. The way Anri-chan's arm is out of the blanket… and the way she cups it over her. Why does it look like she has it protectively around the navel?
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End of Chapter 1
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Thanks for reading. Please review. :) Don't worry, I just have to spice it up with some brotherly love… since the story needs it for the angst later on.
