SAI: Hmm. I had a writer's block that made me suffer for many months. Plus, computer being broken equals no stories to be updated so I'm happy that my computer is now repaired an up and running. Thank you still for the readers who had a great deal of patience. And for those who favoured and reviewed this story of mine.

Disclaimer: The same as with all my other stories. VK is not mine only the plots of the story and the OC's . One of which is Ichika Hio also known as Ichika Kiryu she is a common character in my other stories for she plays the vital role in being the mother of the Kiryu twins.

Warnings: Character death. OOCness, grammar mistakes and misspelled works. And blood lots of blood and bouts of insanity. Hey its' a horror fic.

So on with the story and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. Once a story awakens its fellow story siblings awaken as well. So, Cross Musical Academy and A Royal Affair is now in the works and will soon be updated.

Happy Holloween!

:*:*:*:*:

Chapter One: Deathly connections

Her heart beat with a thunderous roar, it wanted to get out of its ribcage. She swore, it was making her even afraid with what she is experiencing. Being inside this old house had her distraught and tired at the same time.

"I wonder, what I'll see." She mumbled, her steps echoed by the ever rickety sounds of the rotting stairs.

Briefly she stopped ascending on a step as her gaze was caught by a lone rabbit stuff toy that was pinkish in color and had a chocolate barlike pillow cradled by its hands. Whose buttoned eyes looked sorrowful as it was caged by the dozen cobwebs surrounding it. Yuki clutched her head as another bout of pain tortured her mind.

Choc-chan!

You really love chocolate…. She heard the whispers and she cursed as she felt disoriented. The whole room was spinning and it did not help that her vision was turning blurry and the fog that suddenly sprouted was not giving a semblance of comfort to her.

"Stay awake, goddamn it! Keep your eyes open!" The pain was excruciating leading for her to bite her lip so hard it bled. As her whole body shook with cold shivers and her eyes tempted to close itself. She was not having any of that, whatever dystopian sick world she is in it was to be disappointed if it wanted her to get just surrender.

Gritting her teeth, she battled on as the whispers become even more heavy and pounded her with its muckiness to her situation.

Are you alright?

Are you alright?

Ohh, you're hurt….

"IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD!" A voice harshly shouted on her ear that got her to cover her ears with her hands for its harsh and ringing bellow. Her sienna eyes moved in a frantic pace for beside her a ghostly figure of a decayed woman with a rope on her neck hovered to her, its whole disposition was covered with hatred as its eyeless stare was fixated on her.

The woman couldn't help it, she screamed and sprinted off not even thinking of the stairs' horrible state. As she took off her steps on the stairs became clumsy and before she knew it, a crack resonated below her and her foot fell through the hole. She yelped as she slipped because of it her head hitting the old wrinkled carpets that covered the 2nd floor.

Seeing the ghostly figure come closer, Her whole being froze as she realized her foot was stuck in the gaping hole. Panicking, she tried to dislodge it as the figure inch by inch was gaining onto her. With a cry of anguish, she pulled and before the skeletal hand of the ghost would caught onto her she escaped with a bloodied feet and cuts that rendered her limping as she dragged her wounded feet on the floor, hissing in pain as she did so.

Her blood was seeping to the carpets as she limped helpless trying to get to the door that was presented before her. As she got near, her cries only double as the door's handle was jammed.

The figure was looming closer and closer and She shook the door's handle with a fervor that was equivalent to a mad person. She pried and pushed with her might wanting to escape this fright. Her shoulder burned as she realized too late that the figure's skeletal hand had touched her and it felt acidic.

With one last heavy push she got the door opened and quickly close it. Her breathing labored as she sagged in pain beneath the door's frame. Hand on her shoulder as her fingers touched the crisped skin much to her displeasure and pain. The burn was stinging and her foot was aching as the cuts bled with a vengeance.

"Aren't ghost able to walk through walls?" With that thought, her fear escalated as her eyes were fixated on the door's knob. Moments ticked by and all was silent. She was thankful for the silence for the figure did not follow her anymore but confusing her even further. "The ghost can touch me, yet it can't follow me in this room?"

It was weird and it took great courage for her to finally turn her eyes to the room she entered. It was every bit of as dark as it was tinged with the purple glow and of the full moon's light that was illuminating a balcony. The bed itself was old with the bed sheets and its white canopy turned dirty and black by the time's relentless punishment towards it. Even the dresser was awful with all the clothes hanging around. In short the whole room was a mess!

Shivering she stood and walked slowly to the bed table, her hand on her burned shoulder. As she got neared the purple glow of the room seemed to stretch wider. When She had finally got there amidst her body's protests she was shock to see a picture that was torn in half.

With a shaking hand she took the picture and squinted her eyes just to see clearly what was the picture trying to show. It was a little boy who had silver hair and violet eyes that was smiling and a woman with auburn hair and eyes that was of the same color of the boy's eyes. In the picture, the woman looked happy as her loving gaze was on the boy, the boy was facing the camera eyes shining with delight near the torn part of the picture she saw little hands that was wrapped on the boy's arm.

Seeing that, her eyes widen as she remembered that a similar torn photo was on the table where the other family photos were displayed downstairs. Her brain convulsed as she connected the two torn pictures in her imaginative mind.

A little girl that was like the miniature version of her clinging to this mysterious boy…

A boy whose ghost had hunter her moments ago…..

And the woman beside the boy who had a resemblance to the figure that chased her here…..

As she was stuck with her thoughts the purple glow danced and blinked with boldness. With every blink, the glow was becoming bigger. Until, with a gasp from her was plunged to its light, her whole being quivered and her stomach felt queasy. She clenched hands as the magnitude of the whole situation was suffocating her. With a start, she watched in awe and fascination as the purple glow pushed its way inside her. Embracing her form while it made her crouched in pain, a groan left her lips. Her breathing turned to pants as her mind ached and the pieces of the shattered memories had finally been restored….

:*:*:*:*:

In the past….

"Choc-chan!" a voice ringed with joy, that hearing it had a seven year old Yuki turning to the owner of said voice.

"Ichiru!" Excited, Yuki ran towards the boy with a silver hair that had violet eyes. They met in an embrace. The adults beside them were watching their reunion with a smile. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too!" Ichiru's hold on Yuki tightened, he was happy that he could get to see Yuki again. After his parents' divorce he had been lonely due to the fact it resulted of him being separated from his twin. Yuki was just a ray of sunshine at least since he knew Yuki since they attend the same school and knew her to live around this neighbourhood where his mother decided to move after the whole debacle.

Yuki giggled, oblivious to Ichiru's train of thoughts. The two embraced some more until they broke apart and had jovially sprinted of with their hands intertwined towards their private tree that had a wheel swing beneath it.

Kaien followed the kids' with his eyes and chuckled. "Those two are just inseparable."

His comment was met with agreement by the two beautiful women beside him. "Yes, Ichiru was so excited! He was jumping on his seat in the car while we were driving towards here." Kaien's attention fixated on the lovely woman who had auburn hair and violet eyes. She was Ichiru's mother, Ichika Hio formerly Kiryu. He was nonetheless shock by the sudden annulment of her and Reo Kiryu. Back in their days they were known as the "Amazing Quartet." It was composed with him, his wife Juri, Ichika and Reo. They were close and it didn't take too long that feelings got enclosed in their group and it settled to the fact that Reo and Ichika dated and him and Juri respectively. So, it was strange that Reo and Ichika would get divorced for the two were so in love with each other just like him and Juri. What happened so bad that the two thought divorce was the only remedy.

"How you've been since the divorce?" Juri, his ever gentle and caring wife inquired delicately. Her sienna eyes were alight with concern.

Ichika let out a heavy sigh, her eyes had blackened. To the couple, she looked exhausted and just emotionally drained. " It's been hard. I mean. I'm fine with it all but I can't help but feel heartbroken every time Ichiru would ask about his father and his twin. Take away dad, he seems fine but being split from his twin? Well, that was hard."

Juri's heart lurched with sympathy for the young boy that was now playing happily with their daughter. "I see. I pray that moving here may ease some of his sadness on the situation." She consoled Ichika wanting to comfort her.

"Thank you for your concern, Juri. I hope so too. Yuki seemed to have grown so much since I last saw her." With her comment, Ichika saw the couple smile and look at each other with love and happiness.

"Yes, she's growing and even a gifted artist like me." Kaien was proud as he said those words. His darling daughter was already able to mold clays at such a young age that it was just fascinating.

"Too bad, she's as bad as her father in the kitchen." Juri's rolled her eyes at the irony and Ichika let out a small smile at the blatant annoyed expression Juri had on her face.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. I doubt Ichika would find that interesting. Juri. So, let's just go in the house with the children and talk of old times. While the movers are still busy moving Ichika and Ichiru's items in their house." Juri could only sigh as she knew by her husband's laugh he was trying hard to change the subject.

"I'm so glad you to choose to move here. Finally, were neighbours and I can have some mother talks with a fellow woman who understands the ordeal of being a mother. You're company is infinitely much better than a husband whose topic is clay and other more ceramics that I can't even relate. " Juri confessed and Ichika's eyes lighted with amusement in seeing Kaien's flabbergasted expression because of what Juri said.

"Juri! How could you say that? Pottery is an art the way that you mold that clay to perfection, the feel of your hands as it glides the softness of it and the heat it needs to perform and become a masterpiece!." Ichika and Juri shook their heads as Kaien continued in his tirades and passionate speech about the properties of pottery.

While the adults talked, Yuki and Ichiru were content on swinging on the wheel as they look weirdly to both their parents. Ichiru was rummaging something in his pockets then later revealed it to her. It was a chocolate bar. Like being attracted to a magnet, Yuki quickly took it and in record time had been munching on it much to Ichiru's amusement.

"You really love chocolate. That's why it is so fitting I call you Choc-chan!" Yuki blushed, at Ichiru's comment as the silver haired boy laughed. She glared at him only to fail in being angered and laughed with him. When their laugh has subsided their attention turn back to their parents

"What do you think are they talking about?" Yuki asked, sienna eyes laughing as she saw her father's energetic expressions and hand movements.

"Don't know and don't care. We're still seven year olds Yuki. How would I know how adults think?" Ichiru stated seriously a frown marring his cute features.

Yuki giggled as she saw Ichiru's frown. "Oh, Ichi-kun is so cute!"

Ichiru's eyes turned outraged as he pinned Yuki with a glare and a pout. "I am not cute! Puppies are cute, girls are cute even babies are cute! I am neither one of those three!" he snapped indignantly.

"Oh? So you think I'm cute?" Yuki teased, liking the fact how Ichiru's face turned crimson and was sputtering incoherent words.

"Wha-wha-what?" Ichiru stuttered.

"You said, girls are cute. I'm a girl. So that means you think I'm cute?" she asked again, laughing silently at dear caught in headlights expression of Ichiru.

"Well, yeah. You're cute and very pretty." Ichiru cast his eyes down, cheeks blushing as he twiddled with his thumbs.

His comment caught Yuki off guard. Her teasing backfired on her and now she was the one sporting a blush on her cheeks. They were avoiding each other's gaze when Kaien, Juri and Ichika had ushered them in the house.

That summer was the happiest Yuki would have been. Little did she know that it would also be the last summer she would ever be happy with Ichiru.

Tragedy and death struck fast. And it all happened so quickly, that Yuki had a hard time believing it. The day it happened was just like any other the both of them was playing passing the ball when Ichiru missed his pass and the ball went to the streets. Wanting to continue playing Yuki ran to it. A car's horn beeped so loud that she stood frozen in the middle of the street waiting for the car to hit her. Closing her eyes she had expected the pain or maybe the heaven her dad and mom would say whenever a relative of them would pass away but nothing came.

She came to the realization that she laid on the cemented floor of the street and as she sat up, her eyed widened and filled with tears as she saw Ichiru's bloody and broken form. Ichiru had pushed her from danger!

Sprinting towards him, Yuki cradled his beaten form. "Ichi-kun, Ichi-kun!" she cried, shaking Ichiru's form. A pair of violet eyes stared at her.

"Be-al-alwa-ys- sa-fe." Ichiru choked and his once brilliant violet eyes turned glassy until it stilled to nothing.

"No, no, no, Ichiru!" Yuki screamed, shaking Ichiru's form relentlessly. The car that hit him was long gone disappearing with nothing but a line of smoke.

As Yuki held Ichiru's already cold body to her she was forcibly pushed aside as Ichika found them her eyes red with tears as screamed in anguish for her loss. Kaien was already calling the authorities while Juri embrace Yuki's sobbing form

In that moment, Ichika's red eyes fixated upon Yuki with such hate. "YOU KILLED MY SON! YOU KILLED HIM!" she exclaimed her hand digging painfully on her shoulder once she was near her, nails biting and sinking to it. Yuki could only shake her head in denial and her cracked sobs echoed the surroundings as her wrenched Ichika away from her.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD. HE WAS ALL I HAD SINCE MY HUSBAND LEFT WITH MY OTHER SON! YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED HIM!" Ichika's cries of outrage was deafening as she struggled from Kaien's grasp. Ichika fainted then and there her cries still ringing through Yuki's mind.

It was only three days after Ichiru's funeral. That Yuki was wrecked with guilt as she heard that Ichiru's mother torn with grief by her loss had hanged herself on the very tree were she and Ichiru had played countless of times. Her corpse so cold and her eyes void with life in her pocket was a letter stating how she abhorred Yuki's existence and her regret that she was not able to save her son and of their move. Ever since then, Yuki had been plagued by endless nightmares…

She was never the same ever again….

:*:*:*:*:

Yuki's whole body trembled, as the onslaught of memories came crashing to her in waves. She now know her name, she is Yuki Cross daughter to Kaien and Juri Cross. She remembered the accident and how she lost her precious friend Ichiru Kiryu and how it only leads for the mother of his precious friend Ichika Hio former Kiryu to be driven to suicide.

Instinctively, she looked back and saw Ichiru's ghostly visage.

Do you remember now? His eerie voice echoed and all she had for a reply was a nod. It seemed to have made him furious.

CLEARLY YOU DON'T STILL REMEMBER EVERYTHING! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE! UNTIL YOU REMEMBERED WE ARE FOREVER TRAP HERE! GET OUT!

GET OUT!

GET OUT!

Ichiru's wail was so great that she clutched her head, it was too late for her to realize that as she was painfully moving away from her back was already on the window of the room. With another bout of cries and wail she was pushed by its force through the window that cracked on her impact.

She harshly landed on the bush. Grunting she stood up as her body was wracked with tremendous pain. How ironic was that the torn photo was still in her hand as she was forcibly thrown out by the ghost of her friend. Not wanting to be anywhere near the house anymore she limped her way towards the fountain confused more than ever.

"I don't remember everything? What does Ichiru mean by that." She tried to think of anything that would give light to her current predicament and found none. The gravity of it struck her. Ichiru was right she had no semblance of memory left in her. It was like she was new-born babe trying to find who she really is. Looking at the photo in her hand she find it quite iconic that the designs on one of the fountain holes was the exact size of the photo she has.

Carefully she crouched on the hole and placed the photo on it. A ticking and gear shift sounds could be heard as some sort of mechanism inside the fountain turned, the debris on it shaking as the rocks fell off and a statue slowly rose up amidst the wreckage. Yuki's eyed the emerge statue. It was a statue made of cement that reflected of a woman with long hair that ended below her waist but the peculiar thing was the chains that slithered on the woman's body up to her neck, arms on her feet. It all ended on the shield that she holds at the center of her chest, the chains started on the four holes that the fountain had. Yuki's eyes followed the light that came from the hole where the photo was now placed as it danced and followed the path of the chain it was connected to up to the statue's cement hair until it cracked and fell.

The place was getting weirder and weirder and she wanted nothing more but to escape this hellhole she is in.

"Start with the old, to the years, to the frames and finally to the Cross." The golden plaque's words came back to her. The old was done now next is to the years, gathering her thoughts Yuki tried to comprehend what would the "years" possibly mean. Her gaze went to the mansion and shook her head. Mansions were held by generations of families throughout the years. Yet, universities itself was the epitome of years of education. Now another series of questions came bidding to her mind?

Which is the right path to take?

The Mansion?

Or the University?...

Will she ever escape?

Sai: Hate it or Like it?

Please Read and Review

Your opinions matter and shape the story