Deep, deep in the woods...
Huff...huff...huff...
Her breath came in short, panicked gasps.
There is a special, hidden manor where certain beasts dwell.
Behind her, there was the sound of a witch cackling.
I have to get away! Please, somebody...!
These beasts were rejected by society and some, even by Mother Nature herself...
A large manor came into her sight. Though she couldn't understand why, she found herself drawn to it.
Surely I'll be able to hide here, at least for a little while...
..and because of this...
She entered the manor and collapsed onto the carpet. As she lay there, panting, there came the muted sounds of footsteps.
These beasts- these freaks of nature-
"Hmm? What have we here?"
A kind voice.
They grew twisted...
"...I'm sure you'll make a wonderful new toy..."
...and became exactly the monsters society feared.
Chapter One:
Red-Hooded Rin and the Witch With Evil Eyes
The cozy two-story house was situated right at the edge of the village, right at the entrance to the woods.
Hira-hira...and thusly, the Autumn leaves fall...
The warm and earthy mixture of colors falling from the trees and subsequently tossed to the mercy of the light, cool breeze contrasted against the overcast sky. Even though the window was shut tightly, the chirping of those birds that had yet to migrate south was still quite audible. It was always pleasant to listen to- a good ambience for the fairy tale books Rin loved reading so much.
"Rin-chan!"
With a sigh, the blonde girl abandoned her seat on the cushioned bench built into the window sill.
Hm. I would've liked to listen to the birds a little longer. Oh well.
"Coming mother!"
Rin marked her book- A Collection Of Faeritales From Ye Olde Deutschland- and snapped it shut. She'd just get back to it when she returned from whatever errand her stepmother would undoubtedly send her on.
As her foot hit the last step, she saw her stepmother already waiting at the doorway of the house. Draped over her left arm was the long red cloak she knew Rin enjoyed wearing when she went out, and over her right forearm hung a wicker picnic basket. She could see the neck of a bottle of wine jutting out from beneath the lid.
"Rin-chan," her stepmother began, her eyes beseeching, "I'd like for you to deliver this basket of food to your grandfather. He is ill, you see, and I haven't the time to go to him and then return here before dark."
Rin nodded her head, understanding and accepting her task. She was fond of her grandfather, and if she'd known earlier of his illness, she would've set out with the basket of food long ago.
"Of course mother. I'll take it to him and return home as soon as I can."
"Oh, thank you so much, my darling!" The woman wrapped her arms around her stepdaughter- who may as well have been her biological child with how close they were- and then pulled away. She draped and clasped the red cloak around Rin's shoulders and then gingerly pushed the basket into her waiting hands.
She smiled, satisfied, before a certain thought returned to her, inducing a worried frown.
"Oh, yes. Rin-chan, just...one last thing before you go..."
The blonde turned, her hand already on the doorknob.
"Yes, mother?"
"Well...I wouldn't expect you to have heard, but recently, there have been sightings of- of a witch, going around and kidnapping young girls..."
Rin smiled confidently.
"Don't worry mother- no witch in the world would want such a plain and average girl like me, anyway. I'm sure I'll be just fine!"
Before the middle-aged woman could say anything more, Rin opened the door and began making her way to the woods. Concealed in the shrubbery marking the border between the village and the woods, a pair of red eyes watched her silently.
Yes...this girl is the one...
Blood-red lips curled into a loving smile.
Soon...very soon...
This time, his incarnation would return her affections. She'd make sure of it.
Rule number one: stay on the path, no matter what happens.
The soles of her brown boots made a soft teko-teko sound as she walked along the dirt path. Above, she heard the sounds of small rodents gathering supplies for the winter, even though it was still early Autumn. The goso-goso sound as the leaves rustled- this sign of life- made her feel safe.
Rule number two: don't talk to strangers unless there's no other alternative.
Faintly, Rin heard the sound of metal against wood. As she got closer, she recognized it as the sound of someone chopping wood. As the path brought her closer still, she saw the woodsman's apprentice, a kind blue-haired gentleman named Kaito. He caught sight of her and waved.
"'Lo, Rin-chan!"
"Hello Kaito-san!"
Rule number three: don't ever stop for anything- you must return home before nightfall.
"What's a young lady like you doing in these woods?"
"Oh, I'm delivering food to my grandfather- he's been ill, you see- so I really should be going!"
The man smiled kindly at her. "Alright! You should get going, but first-" he knelt down, placing his axe on a tree stump, and swooped his hand to grab a small handful of wildflowers "-I have something for the old man." He untied his tiny ponytail and used the red ribbon to tie the flowers together before he went up to her and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
"Take these- the note's for your grandfather, and the flowers are for you."
Rin beamed despite the bright red of her cheeks.
"Arigatou, Kaito-san! I'll make sure he gets it! Have a good day!" She ran off before she could accidentally make things more awkward.
The red eyes which had followed her glared daggers at the blue-haired man- at that 'Kaito' whom her soulmate seemed infatuated with.
I won't let you get in my way this time!
The owner of those eyes darted off down a secret patch, cleverly hidden amidst the foliage. Today was the day, and no one would stop her!
By and by, Rin came to the cottage that her grandfather lived in. The door was locked, as it always was.
She knocked five times, pausing between the first and second knocks as well as the fourth and fifth.
"Come in, dear!"
That was certainly her grandfather's voice, but it sounded off.
Mother never specified grandfather's condition. Perhaps a cold, or something similar?
She entered the house, wincing as the door creaked louder than she'd expected.
Instantly, the smell of the house assaulted her nose, and her gag reflex kicked in. It smelled of urine and vomit and bile and blood and...something rotten.
This...this isn't right! If grandfather was still able to write, he'd never let the house get so filthy! What happened here?
Following her gut, Rin stopped by the kitchen on the way to her grandfather's room and grabbed a large knife. After setting the basket on the dining table, she continued on to the bedroom, where the disgusting conglomeration of smells grew stronger. She actually had to pause to keep her stomach contents from emptying out onto the hardwood floor.
At the doorway, the smell was so strong she actually did retch, her breakfast emptying into a puddle on the floor. She took a few minutes to gather her bearings and then, when she was able to stop, she looked to the bed.
The knife trembled in her hand as her eyes widened.
"G...G...Grand...father..."
He was dead- that was without question. His skin and hair and eyes were gone, leaving only a bloody mess of organs, meat, and muscle-tissue over and inside a skeleton. Crawling and wriggling, maggots tore into the corpse- and had been for quite some time now, apparently. The top half of his skeleton was exposed, save for the bits still hidden beneath the red and pink organs that had somehow remained untouched.
All except his heart. That was missing, and there was a hole in the corpse's ribs, as if something had violently torn it out.
"Oh God..."
The pale girl heard girlish laughter, and turned abruptly.
"Wh-Who's there!?"
"Teeheehee~!"
Light footsteps sounded, somewhere close.
Rin backed away.
I-I-I...I need to tell mother...oh God...she'll...this'll break her heart...!
She began walking towards the front door, trying to be quiet. Her footsteps sounded thrice as loud to her, but she knew better than to stop. The sun was only just starting its descent- if she was quick, she'd make it home before nightfall.
"Hmm? Where are you going, Rin-chan?"
Startled, still jumpy, the blonde froze. Cold arms snaked around her middle, pressing something warm and wet against her stomach, where the blue cloth of her dress peeked out from beneath the red cloak.
She didn't dare look down to see what it was.
A sudden weight settled on her right shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw silver.
And red.
"Wh-Who..."
"Eehee! Do you like my surprise, Rin-chan? I did it just for you, you know! Look-" the albino girl held the warm, wet object up to her face, forcing Rin to look at it-
-the warm, pulsing, bloody organ that was her grandfather's heart.
"-Now you're grandfather won't ever leave you! Isn't that nice? Isn't it?"
...I need to get out of here. Right now!
She moved on autopilot, tearing away from the girl and then making a mad dash for the front door.
"E-eh!? Rin-chan! Where are you going? Don't leave me again!"
But Rin had already dashed out of the house.