The night was almost still, but the wind whistled loudly. The night resembled a painting, becoming colors of dark, shady purple. The blanket of violet, evident sky stretched as far as the eye may see. The room was lit with a single candle burning dimly. The room had but a single window which was ajar and would open and close with the gusts of whispering wind. In this room, a young teenager sat reading. Halloween, this year, certainly seemed mysterious and strange.
The boy read quietly, but an awkward feeling brought chills down his spine. Page after page, the boy read in the dim light. He glanced at the window which suddenly began to rapidly slam shut then open up again. He exhaled and shook his head. There was nothing to be worried about… or was there? The blonde shook his head again and continued interpreting the words of his novel.
Suddenly, the turbulence came to a complete stop, the window wide open. The teenager rose from his chair and padded quietly to the window. He grasped both sides of the window. With the window almost closed shut, he stopped. Was that music filling his ears? He let go of the window, clamped his eyes shut and listened. It was a tune alright, but it sounded beckoning and mesmerizing. He opened the window, making as little noise as possible. The tune, now slightly louder, was creepy sounding yet soothing. It nearly beckoned him to follow. The blonde carefully reached out to the nearest branch of the tree that stood right beside him. Slowly and cautiously, he climbed down the tree in which towered above his room. As he lowered himself from each vigorous branch, the teen climbed down three stories.
At the base of the building, he finally heard someone speak.
The singing voices beckoned, "Fukai fukai kiri no naka youen ni hibiku koe… (Deep, deep within the fog, a captivating voice echoes…)" Within that exact moment and the one after, a layer of fog filled the air. Pacing himself, the boy strived to follow the music. Again, the voices beckoned, "Oide oide kono mori no motto okufukaku made… (Come, come, until you're deeper into the heart of the forest…)" In a hurry, he dashed, filled to the brim with curiosity. The further he went, the more trees surrounded him and the dirt path. Once more, but louder, they sang," Hayaku hayaku isogiashi de dekiru dake chikaku ni… (Hurry, hurry, you'll only get closer if you're quick…)" He bounded more quickly down the path, as fast as his legs could take him. He turned a final turn on this twisted path. He saw two trees, equally aligned with the black, dewy gate. Behind this gate, the blonde could see a dark hill. Upon it sat a five story mansion, an aged, yet mysterious one at that. The boy stood stationary between the two trees and examined. Where were the voices coming from?
Seeming almost too close for comfort, the beckoning voices sang. This time only one boy and a single girl harmonized, "Oide oide saa tanoshii? (Come, come, now isn't it fun?)" He gazed up swiftly. A young teenage boy sat in one tree, his twin in the other. With mischievous smiles, they hopped off the trees and gracefully landed next to one another. Five soothing voices came as two more figures came out from behind the trees and a fifth opened the gate. "Asobi wo hajimeyou! (Let the games begin!)" their voices rang in unison.
Standing almost in a V, they motioned him to walk through the gate and up the hill. The boy, very unsure, nodded his head and followed the three eldest. The two twins stood behind him, making sure he wouldn't cower and flee in the opposing direction of their mysterious mansion.
The grass was damp and as they climbed the steep hill, the boy began to become even more unsure and doubtful. The boy observed the darkly dressed hosts. He eavesdropped on the conversation between the blue and purple haired young men.
"Gakupo?" whispered the blue haired.
"Yes, Kaito?" the purple haired answered.
"Who shall receive charge of our guest first?" Kaito asked deviously.
"The twins should!" This time, it wasn't Gakupo who replied.
They all stopped and stared at the young woman with brown hair. The "guest" glanced at all of the hosts. What in the world were they talking about?
"We agree with Meiko!" The twins replied, grinning mischievously.
"Alrighty then," Gakupo began walking again. "We will go from there…"
The twins smiled and began to push on the blonde's back to keep him moving forward. As they did, they continued their almost hypnotizing tune.
The twins pushed him through the large mansion doors. The doors slammed shut and all of a sudden everyone except the blonde and twins appeared to have vanished. The room lit up, one candle after another. The twins led him down the large hall. Door after door, they continued straight down the dimly lit hall. Once they meandered down the uncanny hall, they arrived at a door which was of an original design. The blonde turned to look around. He spotted a staircase and his face brightened, but the male twin scowled and spoke, "Now, now pet." He tone sounded playful yet sharp. "You don't want to go there yet…"
"Len." The girl said, shaking her finger."Be nice!"
"Okay, Rin…"
Len's head dropped and he pouted for what seemed like a second. He slowly lifted his head and with a devilish smirk, he opened the door. The three entered the dark room. Candles lit themselves, one after another. It appeared to be a dining room with a table set for three. Once the three took their places, the girl handed a cinnamon stick to the blonde. Soothingly, she sang the next line of their song, "SHINAMON STIKKU wa mahou no SUTEKKI… (The cinnamon stick is a magic wand…)"
A moment passed by. Suddenly, the stick became a wand with a mystical appearance. Almost instantaneously, the wand faded away into nothingness. Len handed him a small glass of what looked like honey. He motioned the blonde to drink as he sang, "Hitofuri suru dakede SHIROPPU ga fueru… (With just one flick the syrup will swell…)" The blonde did as told and sipped the warm liquid. The boy began to blink drowsily, almost as if he were about to fall asleep. He did not feel tired at all, but he felt weird, tainted, and controlled. The twins sang the next line in unison. It was same beckoning tone as before. "Nigasa sae wasurete amai yume no naka… (Into a dream so sweet you'll forget you knew bitterness…)" He collapsed, falling off the chair and to the floor. The floor felt miles below him. Once his now drugged body hit the floor, his sleepy eyes slowly shut as he heard the next lines. "Tengai ni mamorarete… Nemuri ni ochiru… (Sheltered by the canopy… You'll fall deep asleep…)"
A couple long hours later, the boy finally awoke. He could no longer see, and it frightened him. He groped around desperately, completely horrified. Someone was carrying him, if only for a moment. The person placed him down gently. The blonde searched his face, only to find a black, silky blindfold covering it. To calm him down, Meiko continued on with the tune. "Gensou no saimin ni oboreta mama de ii… (It's okay to be lost, mesmerized by mirages…)" Feeling scared and safe within the same moment in time, he reached for the blindfold. As he began to remove it, Meiko gripped his hand with her own and removed his thin fingers from the blindfold. As a warning, she vocalized the next line, "Mekakushi wo hazushicha omoshiroku nai desho… (If you loosen the blindfold it won't be fun…)"
Pouting, the boy left it be. He felt around the dusty wood floor for something to stand up with. There seemed to be nothing, nothing other than Meiko. He held out his hand, trembling. Meiko gently took his hand and helped him up. She immediately yanked and pulled him down a different, distant hallway. "Ashimoto gochuui sono te wa boku ga hiku kara… (Watch your step! I'll take you by the hand…)" her soothing voice sang.
Down the hallway, the boy followed blindly. Nothing was visible, nothing but pure black. The blonde decided to abandon his sight for the time being. For her, she only had a little time left. Choosing to amuse herself, she changed her pace. Meiko began to prance down the candle lit hall. The brunette laughed a mischievous cackle, not helping the boy's fear at all. "What's wrong?" Meiko questioned him teasingly. "Scared of the dark?" She picked up the tune again for her last two lines of the song… the last two for now.
"Sono mi wo ima sugu ni… Yudanenasai saa… (So, right away… Entrust yourself to me…)"
Up the stairs they went. Every once in a while, the boy lost his balance and tripped. He still had no sight in his blanket of dark. There was no light that he could see, only the shadows of his blindfold which tightly fit around his head. Once they reached the next floor of this creepy place, Meiko had him sit on the floor. The guest breathed, trying to calm himself down. His breath was short and shaky. She tried to keep him from disrupting Kaito and Gakupo, for the time was not right yet. Meiko pressed her cold hand upon his shaking shoulder, but the boy rejected her. He did not appreciate being stuck here in this shadowed hell-hole. It frightened him too much. Out of everything they could have offered him, his sole wish was to return to his home. Deciding to ask about what they were going to do with him, he began to open his mouth. Before he could say anything, something struck the back of his head. The object felt hard, yet dull. Less than a moment later, the boy fell to the ground. He tried to look up; but he only could see the golden candle-stick which landed on the ground a second later. Meiko's chilling cackle was all he heard.
Once again, the teen woke up. This time, however, the blindfold had fallen from his right eye. One light illuminated in what looked like a gigantic ballroom. There was a single lantern. It shadowed the faces of two older teens. A small clatter broke the awkward silence. The tune had been picked up by the blue haired teen, the tone of his voice still mesmerizing and beckoning. "Itsukaraka ginen no ha ga miegakure suru… (For some time the blade of doubt has been fading in and out…)" The boy tried to resist the tune, but again he felt bewitched. The expression on Gakupo's face suggested that he knew what the blonde was thinking.
"Sad for you…" Gakupo started.
He sang the next line, using the same tone as ever. "Ai to iu menzaifu nado wa sonzai shinai to… (The mercy of love has no place here…)" The expression on the boy's face suddenly changed.
"What?" The guest thought.
His eyes were wide with confusion and doubt. Across their lips were devious smirks. The two male hosts continued in unison, "Mekakushi no sukima kara nozokimita RANTAN ga… Utsushi dashita kage ni omowazu… (Through a slit in the blindfold you peeped… And saw the shadows cast by the lantern…)" The boy backed up slowly. What did they want? What did they mean? A terrified grimace grew on his face. His heart raced in fear. The two snickered amongst themselves slightly, and then exchanged looks. Step after step, Kaito padded over to the boy. By now, the blonde cornered himself as far back against the wall as he could go. He sat stationary against the wall, frozen with fear. Kaito took his shaking hand and steadied him on his feet. The boy stood up, but he balked from moving forward. The blue haired teen beckoned him to come. Unsure what to do, much less say, he followed. His steps were unbalanced and shaky, but with the gentle hand of Kaito, their guest was somehow advancing towards the purple haired teen.
Gakupo's grin glowed with mischief. Gakupo watched the frightened boy come closer. Step by step, inch by inch, he steadily became closer to the purple haired host. Gakupo's expression changed. The boy was going slower than just two minutes before. Gakupo, feeling extremely impatient, exchanged looks with Kaito. Kaito's expression basically asked his partner if something was going wrong. Gakupo returned an expression that commanded Kaito to push their guest with an increased amount of haste. With that, Kaito nodded and urged the boy to proceed faster. But the boy refused to grant Kaito's wish. The hosts were not aware that the blonde was traveling as fast as he could without falling over. Either way, it wouldn't have mattered. Kaito got behind the boy and began to push on his back. This did get the boy to move faster, but something felt wrong. He couldn't move as fast as this earlier. Why was that?
Kaito gave up and stopped him completely. The blonde turned his head toward the older teen. He felt the hair on his arms stand on end. Gakupo laughed, then vocalized another line, "Mi no ke ga yodatta… (Suddenly, your hair stands on end…)" Kaito struck his head with the candlestick, and the blonde tumbled to the ground, unconscious.
The night lengthened farther as the boy awakened for a third time. He saw only from the single hole in the blindfold. All five hosts sat around him, not paying any attention to him. The male twin glanced over from their card game, noticing the blonde sitting wide awake. With more of a harsh tone, he sang, "Oya oya warui ko mou omezame desu ka? (My, my, what a wicked child! You're already awake?)" The other, startled hosts and they looked at the boy in unison. Shaking her head, Rin added, "Mekakushi ga toketa nara moumoku ni shiyou ka? (If the blindfold came off, then shall I blind you?)" With that, she held up a three-bladed kunai. Exchanging glances, it seemed as if they could communicate without sound. Meiko grinned and looked at the boy. Tilting her head, as if she attempted to be cutesy, she sang the next line in a much sweeter tone than the twins. "Hora hora warainasai kawaii okao de… (Come now, smile! Let's see that precious face…)" The boy was afraid, but not as much as the hosts had wished for. He was starting to get used to their devious acts. This really began to worry Kaito and Gakupo. The two exchanged austere looks. The drug they gave him was wearing off. For a moment, they had disappeared. In the next moment, they reappeared. Gakupo held the blonde down. His grip was too strong for the younger teen to fight back. Kaito forced a sip of the honey-like liquid down the unfortunate blonde's throat. With this, he became drowsy again. Before falling into a forth slumber, he heard the next lines of the song. "Kegawa wo mata kabutte, shibai ni modoru… (Slip back into your skin and go back to the show…)"
When the boy awoke, his feelings of fear were much stronger than before. His body quaked and shivered. He trembled to no end. He was outside in a court yard. "I get it!" he thought, somewhere in the back of his mind. "Every time I drift to sleep I teleport to a different room… crap, that means they're on their way down." He looked around. In the thin fog, he saw gardens of colorful flowers. In the center was a cracked fountain that appeared to have not been used within an extended period of time. Trees of every kind bordered the area. The blonde leaned up against the willow behind him. He hadn't figured out where the hosts could be this time. Maybe he was in luck. Maybe none of them were nearby.
Unfortunately, this wasn't to be. A moment after the blonde had calmed down a bit; Len sang a line, startling him at first. "Doushita no sonna me de karada wo furuwasete… (What happened to make your eyes so wide? Your body is trembling…)" Kaito stepped out from behind a tree, a mug in his hand. "Atatakai MIRUKU de motenashite hoshii no? (Shall I bring you some warm milk?)" The blonde knew right off the bat, though. The liquid wasn't milk. It was the liquid they gave to him every time. He backed away, only to bump into Rin, who took his hand and brought him closer to the door. Meiko and Gakupo held the doors open for him. In unison, the three continued "Saa naka ni ohairi koko wa totemo atatakai… (Now, now, come inside! It's very warm in here!)" Rin pulled on his arm. Resisting, he pulled away. Rin kicked his shin, and then dragged the poor teen through the double doors. As if almost a whisper, Kaito and Len sang in harmony. "Mikaeri wa POKETTO no nakami de ii kara… (The stuff from your pockets will be enough in return…)" As he vocalized, Kaito toyed with the pocket-knife he had swiped from the blonde's back pocket.
The five chased the blonde to the third floor and to the balcony, where the boy stole the liquid from Kaito. The boy held the liquid over the banister. All five balked at once. Gakupo held out his hand. "Choudai hayaku hayaku! (Give me it! Hurry, hurry!)" However, the boy refused, reaching further out over the banister. Meiko stepped forward, a worried expression painting her face. She replied, "Nee hora ima sugu ni! (Hey c'mon, right away!)" He shook his head. Kaito stuck his hand behind his back, opening the knife. "Nisha takuitsu no gensoku wo kanagurisute. (Abandon the notion of having a choice.)" Len sang, his voice cracking in worry. The teen glared and refused once again. "Mayakashi de motenashite amai mitsu wo suttee! (We'll lure you in with lies, so just slurp the sweet honey!)" Rin sang, motioning the blonde to drink it. At this point, the boy was no longer holding the whole bottle. Only the opening was clamped by his fingers. The twins, in unison, sang a final warning. "Choudai yokose hora ima sugu ni! (Give me some, hey now, hand it over, right now!)" Now, the boy just shook his head and dropped the bottle. Angered faces stared at him. The silence was broken by the sound of glass shattering. Kaito sneered. "CHOUDAI! (Right now!)" he yelled. The boy glanced at him, but was struck by the knife that Kaito threw at him. The guest stared at the trickling blood that ran out from under the knife. Without truly thinking, he yanked the knife from the newly pierced wound in his chest. The entire metal blade was covered in fresh blood. The red liquid began to cascade from the wound in his chest. As he bled, the blonde began to cough. He hacked, his palm covering his mouth. The teen began to realize what he was coughing up. The teen then stared at his hand, which was now painted with scarlet. His eyes began to lose color as he sunk down, drawing in his last breath. With the final loss of color in his eyes, the boy became a corpse.
A/N: I wrote this two years ago and finally decided to revise it. Please share your ideas with me on ways that I can improve this short story even more.