Well, I didn't think I could do it. But I did! I rolled out this story in time for Athrun's Birthday and Halloween! This is the first chapter, and I'll be posting the next and final chapter on Halloween (Monday). Thanks to nifer-itsumo and Kara Aconoe for beta-reading, and to windrage who helped with the rp this fic is based off of. Enjoy!
Picture of Innocence
Ch 1
It was a cool autumn day, with leaves rustling about in the wind. For a colony on the moon, the weather effects were very convincing. The air was slightly chilly, though not enough to warrant a coat, and the trees responded to the change. Fall was in the air. Athrun sat up in the tree, closing his eyes and feeling the breeze on his face. He loved this time of year, mostly because his birthday was in the middle of it.
'Birthday…'
He opened his eyes, a frown coming onto his face. It was already his 13th birthday, and nothing had happened. His mother was gone on a trip, but she gave him a gift and phone call, at least. His father, who probably would remember in a day or two, wouldn't get him anything anyway. This was to be expected, but… then there was Kira.
Kira was a great friend, but… he still had his moments. It was already late afternoon, and he'd barely heard a word from the boy. Athrun finished his homework for the weekend early; in hopes they'd be doing something today. 'Guess not…' He sighed. Just then a familiar voice jolted him back to reality.
"Athrun!" Kira ran up the hill to the base of the tree, carrying a large stack of books with him. "There you are…" Kira dropped the books with a loud 'thud' and sat down.
"Why do books need to be so heavy! I wish they'd give us disks like in PLANT." Athrun chuckled and climbed down the tree.
"Still working on homework?" He asked. Kira let out a loud sigh, and leaned against the tree. "Yeah… Ms. Milstein piled it on. Ever since I supposedly put those thumbtacks on her chair, she's been giving me extra work as punishment." Athrun smiled a bit, and suppressed a laugh. They never did find out who it really was… Looking up into the artificial sky, he felt something wet on his face, soon followed by another. The rain began to come down faster, until it was at a downpour. In the distance, sounds of artificial thunder echoed through the colony.
"… Maybe we should find someplace dry." Kira grabbed some of his books, while Athrun kindly took the rest. "My mom'll kill me if I get this outfit dirty." Athrun nodded, and they set off in a sprint. There was an old building not too far away, and both were soaked by the time they reached it. After closing the door behind them, Athrun looked at their surroundings.
Inside was a scene from a horror film. It was dim and hard to see, with little light coming from the overcast sky through the window. Cracks in the woodwork allowed light to filter through as well, casting unusual shadows upon the area. There was even a smell about the place. A layer of dust covered the floors, as well as the furniture. Kira blinked and looked around. "Wow…"
Thunder sounded outside. Athrun smirked. "Spooky, huh?"
Kira shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He went off to explore one of the rooms. Athrun sighed in defeat. He followed Kira into what looked like a kitchen, complete with a separate breakfast nook. "I wonder how old this place is…" Kira said.
"I don't know… older then we are, at least…" Athrun walked across the room. Without warning, the floor disappeared from under his feet. "AH!" His cry was drowned out amidst the commotion while he fell to the ground. Dust and debris rained down on top of him. After the dust settled, he slowly opened his eyes and peered up above. Kira's head poked out over the hole.
"Are you okay?" Athrun slowly got to his feet.
"Yeah… Just a little bruised, maybe…" His answer fell on deaf ears as Kira started laughing. "…What?" He asked, annoyed. "What's so funny!"
Kira stifled his laughter and fought to keep a straight face. "You-you're covered in dust. You look like a ghost." Kira smirked a bit.
"It's not funny! Could you just help me get out of here!" Athrun said impatiently. He knew this wasn't a good idea. If his mother could see him now…
"Okay, okay." Kira let out his hand. Athrun took it, and pulled with all his might. Kira landed with a 'thump' next to him, covered in dust as well. It was Athrun's turn to laugh this time. "Hey, that wasn't nice!"
Athrun smiled. "Well, now you know what it feels like."
Kira had an unhappy look on his face, but slowly it was replaced with a grin. "You still look like a ghost!"
Athrun laughed and stood up. "We should find a way out of here…" Kira nodded and stood up as well. After nearly 10 minutes of desperate attempts, Athrun's head emerged out of the hole. "Geez, Athrun, you weight a ton."
Athrun pulled himself over the ledge, then turned around to help Kira up. "It's all muscle." He chuckled.
Later, they stood in the main hallway, still covered in dust from the ordeal in the kitchen. "Let's go see the rest of this place... There might be a ghost or a werewolf! Did you know that some people don't even know they're werewolves?"
Athrun sighed. "Sure. It's still raining outside, anyway…" The sound of raindrops continued on the roof. They went up the nearby stairs, until they reached a large attic. Dust filled the air, and the spaces in the planked walls let simmers of light through, while small drops of water came from the ceiling in a few places.
"This is neat…" Kira walked over to an old trunk, and began to shift through its contents. "There's all sorts of neat things in here…" Athrun looked around, and saw a picture sitting on a table. He walked closer, looking at it closely. There was a little girl sitting in a swing, in a white lace dress. She smiled at the camera, with a small golden puppy in her lap. It was the picture of innocence, almost. Beside her stood an old woman, who looked vaguely familiar…. There was a loud clatter downstairs, causing Athrun and Kira to look up sharply.
"…What was that?"
Kira's eyes widened. "Maybe… it's a werewolf!" Athrun shook his head.
"I think someone's here." As if on cue, loud footsteps were heard below them. The sound got louder and louder as it came up the stairs.
"Hide!" Kira whispered. Athrun dove under a bed, while Kira hid behind the trunk. The footsteps grew louder, until they reached the top of the stairs. There was silence. Athrun felt his heart beat faster and louder; to the point where he was afraid the stranger might hear. The sound of his breathing seemed thunderous as well, for it was all he heard in the silence. It seemed like an eternity until the silence was broken. It went almost unnoticed, barely audible in the large room. But it was still there.
"…Kira…" The whisper seemed breathless, yet carried the impact of a coming storm. Athrun froze, and felt the color drain from his face. Slowly, the footsteps turned. After a final pause, they slowly resumed, until the sound disappeared completely. Neither of them moved.
"…Athrun?" He worked up the courage to crawl out of his hiding place, looking over at Kira's trembling form.
"…Yeah?"
"…D-did you hear that…?"
He swallowed. "…yeah."
Kira was pale in the face, just like he was. "I think we'd better leave…" Athrun nodded; that was the best idea he'd heard in a long time. Kira stood up, glancing downwards.
"Aw, man… I got blood all over my pants…" His eyes widened to twice their size. "I GOT BLOOD ALL OVER MY PANTS!" The realization hit them, as Athrun gaped in shock. Kira then saw the source of the red pool. An outstretched hand lay there, attached to the nearby lifeless corpse. Its eyes were open, seemingly looking at him.
Athrun took a step back, still in shock. "Calm down… I'm sure there's an explanation to all of this…" His voice was unsteady, and he was still trembling slightly. Was it all a hoax? It had to be…
There was a faint call from down the stairs. "Kira…. "They froze, and instantly looked at each other, instantly deciding it was time to leave. Kira was already flying down the stairs, and Athrun was quick to follow. They ran to the front door, Kira turned the knob. It didn't move. He gasped, and tried it again. No such luck.
"…It's… It's… locked…"
"Hello, Kira." They froze at the voice behind them. Kira whirled around to face…
His dad.
Mr. Yamato smiled at them, looking at them in the strangest of ways. "What are you doing here? Your mother and I were getting worried." Kira stood there, looking at him.
"…Looking for me? Here?" Kira took a step back. Something wasn't right.
"Why did you run off, Kira? Your mother was getting worried about you. I… was worried about you." He took a step forward. "It's time to go, Kira."
Athrun looked at the man again. "Kira… are you sure this is your father?" He whispered.
"Uhh…"
"What's the matter, Kira?" He gave a smile that sent shivers down Athrun's spine. The room was cold, icy- like death. They backed away from him slowly.
"W-well…"
"Come with me, Kira."
Athrun looked closer at Kira's Dad. Usually he was a cheerful man, always welcoming. This wasn't right… "Kira, that isn't your dad."
"Don't you trust your own father…?" The man took a step closer.
They both continued to back away. "Uhh… I'm going to spend the night over at Athrun's…bye!"
They took off as fast as they could, getting as far away as possible. "COME BACK HERE!" The bellowing voice faded away in the distance. They started to run through hallways and around corners. Athrun's mind was racing. It was a dream… It had to be a dream. Not a dream… a nightmare! What if they never made it out alive…? The hairs on the back of his neck were on end. He was panting hard, but continued on. Kira seemed to be just as scared as he was.
"This is just like in the movies! There's a demon after the heroes, and the doors are locked, there's no escape…"
"Just stay calm! There's got to be a way out of here!" They came to a backdoor, only to find it wouldn't budge.
"Kira…" The singing childish voice echoed through the house; coming from every direction. "Come out to play…"
"We're trapped! This is the part where the heroes are cornered and await the demon to steal their souls!" Athrun blinked.
"…How do they escape?" He asked shakily, trying to calm himself down.
"They either crawl into the ducts, or…" Kira swallowed. "G-get their souls stolen!"
Athrun blinked. Could it be…? He looked up, and found a vent directly above him. 'Here goes nothing…'
"Kira, give me a boost!" Kira looked at him questioningly, until Athrun pointed to the duct.
The voice was getting louder. "Kiiirrrraaaa…."
Athrun climbed on top of Kira's shoulders, taking off the vent. He jumped up into the duct, then extended his hand.
"Come out to play with me…"
"Hurry!" Athrun cried. Kira grabbed his hand, and Athrun pulled as hard as he could. Kira was barely inside, when the air suddenly got cold. A wind blew in, kicking up dust from the ground. Below them, a figure in white came into view. They sat huddled there, looking down, not daring to move. A small golden puppy followed beside her. "The girl from the picture!" Athrun whispered.
"Where are you, Kira? Don't you want to come out and play with me" She turned around. Her smile turned into a malicious one, the area seemed to darken. The cheerful smile, the innocence, it was all… gone. Instead, it was replaced with this wickedness, this… evil.
Her smirk grew. "Come out and play."
Read and Review! And expect the last chapter this Monday:P