Hello, reader. Welcome to my super-special-awesome Halloween story, in celebration of Halloween! It's really short, but that's because, well, I'm lazy tonight. But, back to the subject; my story. It's not that scary, but, well, whatever. At least it fits the occasion. But enjoy, for I shall be your narrator for this super-special-awesome Halloween story. Please enjoy.
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Hinata was no normal girl; her father was the president of a huge cosmetic company. Her brother Neji was an international genius, and Hinata, well…Hinata was Hinata. Shy, reserved Hinata; she strived for her father's approval, but he blew her off, showering her with money instead of love. He mostly ignored her, as did her stuck up brother (who her father adored). You see, because of Hinata's family, people assumed she had some secret talent. When they met the stuttering, blushing mess of Hinata, they were thoroughly disappointed and avoided her. Ashamed, she hung her head and avoided them as well.
But let's get back to the actual story; you see, at the moment, Hinata was frozen in fear. She was standing outside the local abandoned mansion (how cliché…) sitting atop the hill near her house. See, she had been convinced by a couple girls in her class that if she got them a golden candle from the old mansion, they'd be her friends. Poor Hinata agreed, deciding fear wouldn't be an issue in the end, as long as she got the candle and ended up with friends.
But once she got there and saw the mansion, she froze.
"Come on, it's not so bad," one of the girls, Ino, soothed, patting her shoulder. "I mean, there's only been three cases of dead bodies found at the bottom of the hill…"
"Ino!" Sakura said, though she was trying not to laugh. "Don't scare her! Go on, Hinata, I'm sure those murders were simply coincidence."
She lightly pushed her closer to the looming mansion. Hinata gulped. Her pallid face was upturned toward the eerie glow of the impossible mansion, so high, she felt as if she required wings to catch it.
"H-How do I get up?" she whispered. Sakura stepped up next to her and she visibly relaxed.
"See that?" Sakura pointed to a spiral case of stairs riding up the side of the hill. "Climb those. It shouldn't take long. Now go, you're wasting time!" she giggled.
Hinata ran as fast as she could up the stairs, closing her eyes and dashing blindly. She decided running full speed ahead was much better than taking an agonizingly-slow march up the stairs. So she settled for her mad dash up the ridiculous hill.
She only opened her eyes when she reached the top. She didn't dare look down the hill, in case she ended up having fear of heights, and took her sweet time walking to the door. Once there she gulped loudly, again, and, trembling, pushed the old doors open. When she stepped inside, she grew paler than before.
The placid room she had stumbled upon was nothing like the outside of the mansion. It was large, and everything was shining and new and bright, made of marble or gold or silver, and oh, it was more beautiful than anything she's ever seen. Hinata ventured further into the mansion, somewhat soothed by the discovery. But, she wondered, who kept it so clean and sparkling? Surely no one lived there! The very thought baffled her.
She didn't see a gold candle, so she continued the lower half of the house, the quiet atmosphere somewhat disturbing her heart. Nothing about this place was old; so why was the mansion's exterior so disgusting? And, it had been up for thousands of years, it seemed, and was known as some kind of landmark. Something big happened here, yet no one said a thing about it.
She was stopped by an abrupt dirge. The slow, mournful hymn floated down the silver hall she was in, reaching her perplexed self with dignified ease. She hesitated, fear making her chest twist, but she forced herself down the hall, further, ignoring the frantic beating of her heart. The hymn led her to a large oak door, which she fearfully threw open, prepared to see a ghost or a vampire, something.
Instead she saw a handsome man's back. His back was elegant; he wore a suit, one that look out of place in this era, his jet black hair curling handsomely at his arched, pale neck. His fingers, long and pretty, flowed across an ancient piano. Hinata stood at the doorway, gawking at the alluring figure as the music danced about in the air, a song so mournful that goose bumps formed on her arms and tears filled behind her wide eyes.
The man stopped. He turned to her.
She jumped and let out a soundless gasp. His eyes were dark, such a dark coal color, matching the beguiling demure he posessed. His face was perfect; a chiseled jaw and handsome features; a face one could never find this day and age.
His smile brought more unshed tears to her eyes. His decorum was somewhat calming, yet the fear in her heart did not sway, and she began to sob. He stepped away from his piano and walked to her, gently taking her hand and kissing the palm.
She stopped crying. He smiled again.
"I am Sai," he purred. "It's a pleasure to find such a young beauty wander into my abode. Most stay away."
She couldn't find words.
"My, this maiden seems to have lost her tongue," he teased, kissing her thumb. Her cheeks grew a placid red. "And now she changes to red! What an enchanting temptress, this is," he was smiling so radiantly, she couldn't pull back or look away or even move.
"Won't you stay with me?" he asked.
"Who—what are you?" Hinata stumbled on her words, but her question was clear. "What is this place? Do you live here?"
He eyed her with a beguiling smile. She wanted to just swoon into his arms, but she stood her ground, trying her best to stare at him without blushing again. He finally spoke, seeming to crumble under her persistent glare.
"I live here," he confirmed. "I've lived here for many, many years."
She didn't want to know how much 'many' was.
He continued: "This mansion of mine; it is enchanted. Many—" at this, he looked away, as if remembering something, lips hesitating before he continued his reply; "—Many, years ago, I lived here with my family. But they left, and I stayed, and eventually, this cursed house bound me here. In here, time is irrelevant. It does not exist. I cannot age, nor can I grow ill or die. I am immortal."
Hinata stared at him, silent.
"If I were to leave, I would instantly turn to dust," he said, turning his bright gaze back to hers, snapping from his trance. "…because, in your era, I am long dead."
Hinata swallowed. It left a bitter taste on her tongue.
"Please, beautiful maiden," he said, smiling at her so statuesquely that she could not refuse his next request; "stay with me."
So, Hinata stayed with Sai in his enchanted house. She learned many things about Sai; he loved fish, furrowed his brow when he was confused, grew silent whenever she asked him if she could leave (she never did), and most of all, he loved eating dinner with her. They would sit at a long, glistening table and Sai would serve them even though he was always the one being served (he used to be called "young master" by the work there). They always ate different, pleasant things, and drank expensive wine. Hinata stayed with him for a while, knowing fully well that in her world, time hadn't passed since she entered the house, so she wasn't bothered.
But after four days, she missed her family, so she asked Sai if she could leave yet. Usually he would fall silent and say nothing, so she'd change the subject, but this time when he did it she got angry.
"I want to go home," she cried. "I want to go home now!"
His expression struck fear in her heart.
"Dinner is almost ready."
He was gone before she could even blink. He didn't even look at her at dinner that night. Hinata stayed silent about it, and bared another long three weeks with Sai, who seemed to forget their little argument, and went on as usual. He played music for her (lately the songs have been happier), talked with her enthusiastically, told her stories about his family and his old life, and show her more parts of the house. After a month, Hinata confronted Sai again about him keeping her there.
"Sai," she said at dinner one night, "I want to leave."
He stopped and didn't look at her. He stabbed his steak with his pure silver fork.
"I know you're lonely," she whispered, "but so am I. I miss my family."
He twisted the fork in the bleeding steak, lips pressed together tightly.
"Please," she whispered brokenly.
"No," he said, standing. He left her there and she wept all through the night, her dinner untouched.
A year passed. Hinata always asked him, quietly in fear he'd get angry with her, if she could leave. Every time, he would calmly refuse it, and go on as normal. Hinata would cry herself to sleep every night. Sai, after a year, started to touch her. It wasn't scary; his touch was gentle, loving. He would suddenly run his fingertips across her jaw line at the most random times, his gaze gentle. Sometimes he pushed hair behind her ear, or stroke her neck or back. He was always so gentle; it made Hinata's heart ache, for she feared him as well as loved him.
After two years passed, Hinata contemplated suicide. One night at dinner she announced this out of the blue;
"Tonight, I will kill myself."
Sai looked at her so fast his collar bent awkwardly against his ear. Hinata resisted the urge to reach across the table and fix it for him.
"No," he said, but unlike the times he refused her request to leave, it was filled with desperation and fear.
"I will," she threatened, suddenly crying—something she seemed to do a lot lately. "I'll really do it! I hate this place! I want to leave!"
His expression twisted into a horrifying look of rage. He suddenly stood, knocking his chair over, his pale, handsome face suddenly red and distorted and ugly.
"No!" he screamed at her. "I shall not allow such a thing! You can never leave me! You're selfish, so selfish! Never! I will not allow it!"
She could see his rage through her tears. "You can't control me! You can never, ever control me!"
He fell utterly silent, expression falling back to a stoic decorum; the face she was so used to. He silently left the dining hall, not even sparing her a glance.
She didn't kill herself that night.
The next day, she didn't leave her room. She merely dreamed of a life that didn't exist; a mother, a father, a brother—who all loved her. Who didn't have set expectations and only felt disappointment toward her. She would have a small house, a humble life; friends who really cared for her, and wouldn't ask her to go into a haunted house to get a golden candle. She would have a life only seen in movies, or stories. A life she could never—would never—have.
She only left her room for dinner.
She sat down, as usual, and silently watched Sai enter. Dinner was something she hadn't seen before, but it tasted good, so she didn't bother to ask him what it was. She was nervous, so nervous, so she began to quaff her wine.
"Hinata," Sai suddenly said. Ah, his voice. So tender…so loving. "I love you."
She gulped down the wind she had deeply sunk into her throat. It burned.
"You're the first one," he said. She chugged the rest of her wine, eyes screwed shut. "You were different from the others. I actually fell for you."
Her throat was on fire.
"That is why…"
She couldn't breathe.
"I had no choice."
She couldn't see anything.
"I'm sorry."
Her cup clattered to the ground and she drew her last breath before tumbling to the floor.
"I won't let you leave me."
That was her last year at Sai's house.