Chapter 8 Spectral Seeking
{Original Title: Who Ever Said the Dead Were Silent?}
[A/N]: Konnichiwa nya! (Why am I a cat?) O.o I wish I would've posted this on Halloween
…For extra effect in this chapter (if you don't already have it like this), change your Fanfiction page color to black with white font instead of the normal white page with black font.
REFERENCE- Sharing an umbrella with someone else can strongly be considered a romantic gesture in Japanese culture.
A good friend of mine in real life, ImparedImpala helped me with more ideas for this chapter. She introduced me to the strange world of Silent Hill…and the rapist Pyramid Head…Beware. If you lose your wife or daughter DON'T FRICKIN' GO THERE! Forget those bitches….Anyway, thank you ImparedImpala! I guess this has some Amnesia references too…
But the one that creeps me out more than any other video game…"Mad Father" anyone?
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo, Fuu, Mugen, Jin, Momo, etc. Are you serious? You really think I own it, being a poor Laotian girl dressed in a baggy jeans and a t-shirt? You my friend, are an…otaku. Lol, umm that's my modified quote from the Amazing Spiderman. I LOVE THAT MOVIE! And no, I don't own any rights to Spiderman, Silent Hill, Amnesia or anything else… But I'll always love you Andrew Garfield. XD
Chapter 8 Spectral Seeking
Wind picked up severely over the course of the summer night. Strong gusts ruffled the leaves of the craggily trees, reaching their mangled branch arms to any unaware travelers walking along the muck covered paths. Howling in cacophony, the air also hung a thick and muggy numbness about the ground. No stars were out and even the moon hid from onlookers, covered by black clouds that swallowed virtually all radiance. Every object, every shape seemed like a bleak shadow in this…seemingly eternal night. That tree over there…could be a person, as for the odd angled bush over yonder…it could be a tengu…
A wandering man turned to the female at his side, stopping momentarily in his filth covered tracks.
"It's gonna rain soon." Mugen stated aloud, squinting towards the murky billows now upon them. His senses were always remarkably in tuned to nature which captivated Fuu's interest, though it was something she'd never bother to share with the male. At that same second—right on time—she looked above, only to be hit smack dab in the forehead by a weighty droplet of water.
The two looked down their darkened path further ahead. They noticed but a small fragment of illumination in the distance. "Mouuu….We have to reach that inn before it starts pouring…" Fuu grumbled, picking up the pace of her own jaded feet.
Soon the first raindrop was accompanied by another…then another…and then another…until Mugen began cursing up at the blotted sky and Fuu waved her fists around. Both travelers were jogging towards the inn, soaked to the bone in a short moment and the farther they went, the worse the rain appeared to beat down on them viciously. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" The female yelled to the gods who must've surely been laughing at their misfortune of being entrapped in the midst of a torrential downpour.
After they'd left the last town just north of Edo—bidding their reluctant farewells to Kokoro and Nozomi—they'd been heading for a straightforward course west. Interesting…how they were headed west again, just like that time.
It had completely slipped Mugen's mind to mention there was to be a squall earlier, which didn't go without a string of heated complaints from Fuu...who was more than happy to provide them. "You'd think we would've made plans for things like this!"
"You'd think for a moment you'd quit your bitchin'!" he argued on.
"Well MAYBE you could've warned me earlier so I could buy umbrellas before we left the last town!"
We barely got enough for an inn and ya wanna waste money on umbrellas?!"
Their feet still splashed on the puddles even as they argued, Fuu giving a shriek when mud stuck in between her sockless toes." "There's enough for one!"
"I ain't sharin' an umbrella with YOU!"
"WHO SAID I'D WANT TO SHARE ONE WITH YOU?! JERK!" Fuu finally screamed over the incessant pattering of the rain, her ringing shout challenging the volumes the sky's orchestra performed. Truly, her voice rivaled it.
Slowly the faint glow in the distance grew closer until the whole entire inn's worn outline shown unmistakably even in the glummest of light, a streak, while a small one, still a slim streak of optimism for the two.
Sloshing against the large puddles of liquid, they must have been sprinting by now.
Step, turn, dodge puddle, step, pivot, step, trip, shriek, almost fall in puddle; that eventually became Fuu's unique dance in the rain. He was surprised that as clumsy as the woman could be, she was almost keeping up with his pace of running honed after years of crafty bill dodging.
"YES! We made it!" The teenage girl waved her hands in the air. These same motions she would usually execute when she'd won a fortune gambling or something. Mugen just grunted in return and burst into the entrance of the building, practically breaking the corroded hinges of the door.
Inside, the inn created a genuine homely feel to the travelers; the lanterns were bright, it was warm and dry, and everything felt completely perfect. Grabbing the hem of the kimono, she rung out the cloth and caused the excess drips of water to splash against the floor. Her companion meanwhile, shook his wild black mane like the ruthless mutt he was, and tapped his stilted shoes to dry off. A massive pool formed beneath where they stood.
At least she'd get a decent amount of sleep tonight, with a warm fluffy mattress, and hopefully a nice bath, Fuu recalled. There was only one problem; customers already lined up at the front desk and the couple just ahead in the excessive line apparently paid for the last available room. Mugen and Fuu's jaws solidly dropped.
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" Now it was Mugen's turn to yell. Brutal hands slammed against the inn's counter. "We just ran when it's pouring like a frickin' monsoon and you expect us to just stroll on outta here again? You gotta be shittin' me!"
As for the innkeeper, she humbly bowed her head multiple times to the scary male ready to annihilate someone, anyone; her being the first. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. All our rooms are completely booked and some are bunking with others. Since it started raining, clientele flooded in. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do." Oh, but Mugen wouldn't take no for answer…and now the petite girl had to hold him back from killing the timeworn woman.
"Come on, forget it. We'll just go back out in the rain again."
"I ain't sleeping in the rain. Are you?!"
"You think I'm happy about this?!" The two quarreled amongst themselves again before turning towards the hazy windows, watching the rain still relentlessly pelting the building. There was no choice left. Having lost all hope of enjoying sleep, they sighed, trudged towards the door, the vagrant swearing up his own storm beneath his breath, finally having that privilege back. Yay.
That's when the innkeeper halted their loathing feet by speaking up in her gentle, elderly voice once more. "Wait! There might be a place for you to stay. Not here, but there's shelter about a half a mile south of this inn…but…"
"Alright!" Subsequently, Mugen already went to exit and consequently got roughly yanked back with the neckline of his scarlet clothing…by Fuu.
"Will you let her finish? I swear, you're always in a rush." She unyieldingly dragged Mugen towards the clerk desk against the man's will—his steel geta screeched against timbered floorboards.
"…Well, the place I mentioned is actually an estate that's been there for about a hundred years. More than several years ago, it was abandoned because the entire family of nobles is now dead."
The seventeen year old's interest was piqued as she fully faced the old and frail innkeeper who seemed to be quite nervous, fidgeting here and there… "So…why didn't anyone ever buy it or tear it down?"
"This is exactly why I stopped you before you left. Apparently every time someone goes near the house to fix it up or stay there for a night, they either run away or end up going missing…" the elder answered. Mugen rudely picked at his ear, flicking the disgusting wax onto the floor, simulating loss of interest already.
There was a strong howling of wind…
So Fuu kept the conversation going after turning away from the pelted frames, having glanced outside. "Why?"
"Some say that the evil spirit of the wife of the owner resides there…The reason the whole family is dead is because they were brutally massacred by one of their trusted servants who wanted their inheritance, and wasn't willing to wait for the unlikely possibility of the entire family dying before him. Only the wife survived because she was visiting the capitol. When she returned, she found out of her families' death...caused by her favorite servant, her friend. She was overcome with deep grief and sorrow…so she…"
"She what?"
"She slit her throat on a rainy night like this. Shortly after, the police said the murderer of the family returned to look for their hidden savings…and later his corpse was found in the house, mangled. Only one man was ever able to stay there for a whole night and lived to tell about it." Even as the innkeeper spoke, she was practically shivering, truly afraid of the story she dared to speak of. "But the police…didn't bother to research further. Maybe they were scared as well…"
"Or maybe this is all bullshit." The ex-pirate, with all the shit he'd seen in life, didn't believe any of this for a second; while Fuu looked over her shoulder with genuine fear held deep in her eyes. Again, Mugen started off and Fuu had to once again grip his haori tightly to prevent such departure.
"Who was the man who survived a night there?" she'd asked.
"He was just a simple ronin in gray who needed a place to stay a while back. The wanderer couldn't afford a room, so he asked if there was shelter. When he returned here the following morning, he said something was definitely wrong there. He also said to not desecrate any of the belongings or look for the family treasures that the servant coveted. Only people who take things or attempted to destroy the house went missing. But then…those could be rumors. Most never even visit the house or come back to this inn afterwards to tell their story anyway. The police dismissed any allegations."
Gray! That was the same color Jin was wearing when they parted ways!
"Well, did that guy… have long black hair tied in a ponytail, really pale and umm…reserved?" With a quizzical look, the owner of the inn nodded her head at the strangely accurate inference on the samurai's characteristics. "Did he have glasses?" Another nod. It had to be Jin. No question about it. That's when her companion grinned a wicked way...for if Jin could survive in that supernatural place, he sure as hell was capable of such a deed too!
With that, his vigor couldn't be suppressed by Fuu any longer, and he was out the door by the time she looked back to him. "Jin must have gotten a new pair of glasses, huh Mugen. …Mugen? HEY, WAIT!"
Fuu quickly thanked her for all the information but the innkeeper still offered more to provide; albeit the room they actually needed more than anything else. She reached under the counter and placed a few candles and matches into Fuu's hands before the traveler followed he companion to the exit. The old woman's crow's feet in the corners gave way when her eyes squinted, though she smiled warmly and motioned towards the weather-beaten wood of the door, wrinkles tugging at her reminiscent lips. "That man…he is young and brash still. Hopefully you can straighten him out."
"Hopefully." Fuu giggled, bowing in gratitude and waving goodbye to the kind old proprietor.
Shortly after, she caught up, both their efforts to dry off in the inn in vain as soon as they wandered to the open air. "Hey, Mugen! Stop for a second!" Just by his fiery expression, she could easily foresee that he would want to have a run-in with the supposed spirit that occupied the mansion. "Do you really think that you can slay a ghost? What do you think, you're God or something?" Brown hair stuck to her face and arms were crossed over her chest in a disbelieving mannerism.
"You believe what that old crone told ya? Tch…there ain't no such thing as ghosts. People are just going crazy." He shook his head, accidentally pelting the already disgruntled Fuu directly in the face with more drops of liquid in the process...
The seventeen year old gave him another scowl. "Don't be rude! She was nice!"
"Yeah. Nice right after she threw us out into the rain to fend for our own sorry asses."
"Ughhh. Besides, that man that survived a night there might have been Jin and he said-"
"Obviously, he has some screws loose too then. And we ain't even sure it was him. Don't get your hopes too high up, 'cause they'll end up being crushed."
She just stared back with a complete dumbfounded expression; recognizing halfheartedly how unbelievable Mugen could be. "You make it sound like…like we won't ever find him."
No answer was given.
In a short while of depressing trudging in the relentless torrent, an ethereal structure in the distance came into view. It was truly old—the long unkempt grass grew without management, the gateway leading to the small courtyard was rusted and unmanaged, hanging ajar, a stony well there having lost several of its rocks making the structure crumble—bark peeled trees concealed it especially in the darkness.
Easier than Mugen expected, the thick wooden doors to the estate slid open with a lifeless creak after he'd shunted them ajar. Even if the house was abandoned, Fuu removed her zori at the door. As did Mugen remove his footwear, kicking the geta off rudely. 'At least he takes off his shoes.' she laughed to herself. Momo peered uneasily from the front collar of her kimono. Then, he glided back outside into the pouring rain… "M-momo-san!"
Carefully, they took steps into the unlit main foyer. Cold; that was the most sudden change from the outside and the very first thought that came to mind…even though the humidity of rain filled August was unbearable.
There was a loud thump in the distance and Fuu quickly grasped Mugen's toned arm out of surprise. Mugen nudged her off in annoyance. "Will you let go? Stop being so clingy, ya wuss."
"Well, this wasn't my idea. This place is really creepy…"
"I'll be happy to throw you out into the rain again, if you'd like." Giving her a devious grin, she huffed in annoyance while walking deeper into the center of the peculiar abode.
Throughout all of the rooms, there were large amounts of dust cohesively layered upon the expensive furniture and wood paneled floors. Fuu traced her finger delicately against a partly cracked mirror coated with dirt and cobwebs in the corners…half expecting to not see her own reflection looking back from its damaged surface. Mugen looked to the walls and noticed numerous colored canvases, the paper old and weathered as well as porcelain statues and antiques. One caught his attention which was a ukiyoe print of a woman with flowing black hair down to the waist, hand positioned on her lap and her skin a deathly pale. "Must've been the lady of the house.'' he gestured and Fuu nodded.
After locating the spare bedrooms that were abundantly positioned in the lengthy corridor, they walked into one. There, Fuu found a lamp which she lit. Unlike the other rooms, it was less fancy… The wallpaper was dingy and there were several holes poking through the paper sliding door. Fuu feared it was the same bedroom the servant that was killed inhabited. Expecting Mugen to stay, she found herself mistaken…
"…Where are you going?" arose her question and the man who turned away felt a vein throb in his temple.
"Gettin' some shut eye. Don't know about you though. Nighty night." He shooed her off with a motion of the hand but boy, Fuu was persistent.
"Wait, Mugen! What about the gho-"
"I don't wanna hear it."
"But-"
Again, she was abruptly cut off. "Nuh-uh. Go to sleep."
"Mugen!" Right when she could get another word in, Mugen already pushed her into the room she'd be residing in until morning and roughly slid the door shut to get the damn point across. No way was he going to listen to her complaints all night about a nonexistent spirit. 'Screw that!'
She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly at Mugen's uncaring behavior. "I can't believe he just threw me in here by myself, what a jerk." Just because he'd always been supposedly "fearless", it didn't mean the former tea house waitress was. He lacked empathy or concern…of any kind; which Fuu knew she should've expected from Mugen anyway…
Her clothes were still soaking wet so she let down her flowing tresses that grew through the years and undid the top layer of the kimono to lay it out to dry. Only covered in her pale white juban clothing that clung like a second skin, she quickly covered her sodden form in the hopes of drying off.
Few candles and the dim hue of that one lantern lit were the only source of luminosity capable of surpassing the expansive darkness of the entire manor. This place seemed so…eerie in every regard of the word. 'I wish the innkeeper hadn't even told me that ghost story…It's all in my head…'
Sanity dwindled at the sole thought of being accompanied by the undead.
Secretly—something only her long ago finished diary knew—she felt much safer when her lewd former bodyguard guarded her from somewhere nearby. Of course, she'd deny that she needed him since she promised herself to be independent, not depend on people…especially men that so readily displayed their loathing towards her. Besides, the bastard would more likely tease her forever about it.'Mugen, you idiot… Obviously, you don't care. Whether there's thieves, killers or ghosts, you always…always act like you could care less! You could AT LEAST protect the defenseless girl! Geez!'
Sometimes, she still would debate if he cared at all. It was always like she were helpless…or just plain pitied upon by the fighter. For some reason her stomach started churning at the thought; how she was undoubtedly useless in matters related to survival. What could he possibly need her for? Fuu shut her eyes as tight as possible, planning to block out the creaking of the old house, the pouring rain, and chiefly the image of Mugen. Fuu was relieved to sleep.
In the neighboring room, Mugen removed all of his wet upper body clothing—unclasping the red jacket, then pulling off the crisscrossed, tattered shirt— and made himself comfy on one of the guest bedroom's futons. It was soft and plushy, maybe a little too much considering how he was so used to sleeping on hard floors and such. He yawned at full volume, sprawling his legs about until his body seemed suited for undisturbed rest. The rhythmic pelting of water on the roof gave a lulling melody, as he folded his arms behind his damp hair, listening.
This journey…he really hadn't had time lately to think about what he was doing traveling with the broad again, couldn't understand why he bothered. There must have been a reasonable answer, and there was. 'To find fish face, yeah that's it.' He assured himself, not questioning his recent peculiar actions and worry for Fuu. In a way, that wasn't really recent either…Before he'd think "Where the hell is that bitch? She better not have gotten herself killed. What do I care?"
…and then he'd search for her two seconds later out of his bodyguard duty or whatever else that title reluctantly became.
It always had to be the ex-criminal, the devil of a man to go back—sprint back—and save the girl from all the dangers of the world, huh. Separated by just a painted wall, he wondered if she was in that other room, terrified by every noise she heard. 'Damn it, I gotta get away from this bitch. She needs to learn to fend for herself! I'm not always gonna be around to save her and all that other bullshit…'
Yeah. Not always going to be around. Not with her. No way in hell would that happen.Everything must come to an end, even this journey; same like the last.
Last time, he'd been, along with Jin, tricked into helping her find an untraceable scent and be a bodyguard by the secretly conniving brat of only fifteen.
But now, he chose to accompany her. And she agreed.
Maybe a year of being away from Fuu felt too strange…especially after getting used to someone who became the first main constant out of his entire patchy and erratic life.
Mugen even remembered that day; the very same day she walked away from him. His memories were so vivid and real that he wondered if dreams already consumed his fleeting coherency.
The skies were blue and sunny that summer afternoon and the clouds drifted by so peacefully. But he hadn't at all considered the sky or the clouds as he walked down the dirt path. Mugen thought about her. He had planted his geta firmly into the ground with every step. Well, that was his resolve, to keep moving forward because he'd been so confused. He'd grinned as he walked, truly. He wanted to be content—be a free soul again. And in a way he was; content; like he finished the impossible… Alas, each extra step creating further distance from the center of the crossroads revealed how pissed off he was. About her, about everything. Why had he been so frustrated that day…so irritated, so fed up? There was something else there, a nagging that he never gave the chance to be fully pushed away, while repressing it still... Was it because he never got to-
No, he wouldn't think about it anymore…the same day he didn't look back to the pink he'd grown to tolerate, that gradually faded away behind his tensing shoulders and balling hands.
Little did he know, she had done the same.
Fate led him to her once again, and that's how it was going to be. 'Until we find him, guess I'm stuck with ya.'He snorted aloud, wondering if she too was as reluctant as he about traveling again…
Was he reluctant?
Before answering his own question, the whole topic was dropped entirely out of his thoughts; his flaring nostrils picked up on a peculiar smell. Mugen opened his eyes to welcome the darkness and noticed something hanging in the air.
Mugen didn't want to scare Fuu further, though he'd smelled this lingering stagnant odor all the way through the house. He sniffed again, taking in an abnormal scent of strong female perfume mixed with…blood? He knew the scent of blood well. Choosing to ignore it, he closed his eyes with the philosophy that at least it was a female ghost judging by that perfume in his presence. 'Hopefully, she's an attractive spirit.'Mugen joked within himself before being allowed the privilege of being taken away by dreams.
Fuu soon found herself awoken with a start by the sound of an odd…scraping resonating from somewhere in the hallway. "Wha…" her groggy ogle slowly transported over towards the edge of the room to see nothing there…though something seemed to be pending, closer.
Even now, the rainstorm hadn't relented. It battered on the roof of the estate lacking any compassion. Lightning flashed in the distance, igniting the room in white flashes every few seconds more than candles flames possibly could. Thunder boomed from somewhere nearby, like a gong played for the preparation of war, only two seconds prior to the bursts of silver fractures cut into the room. But that loud din was much more comforting than the all too subtle one.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
It was the most disturbing noise her ears ever conceived, almost as if long nails were dragging leisurely against the floorboards in the hallway… Then it stopped. 'W-what was that?' Fuu sat up straight in her bedding, waiting for the sound once more. "Momo-san?"she asked, then she heard a squeak as the animal scampered from the floor and his rain soaked fur crawled all the way up her arm. "Eeah! Momo-san…Don't scare me like that, making noises and then jumping out of nowhere!" The animal soon fell asleep, tucked cozily against her bosom. "You brat…" It must have been Momo's usual scratching; speaking of the animal, he'd been unusually on edge ever since they'd arrived, running off even in a thunderstorm… For some reason her surroundings all of a sudden felt incredibly cold and damp again. Just silence then…she sank back down.
And surely there it was for a second time, dragging against the ground in such a deliberately slow tempo. She jumped.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
It wasn't Momo.
"Ohhhhhh…I see. I'm not going to fall for some dumb prank." She spoke up now with newborn bravery from sudden realization. Still, the scraping progressed closer and closer to her. "Mugen, cut it out right now! I'm not that stupid!" she close to shouted at the oncoming noise, refusing to let doubt worm it's way and settle its parasitic nature into her terrified mind. Of course, it had to be that idiot pulling a joke on the unsuspecting girl…right? The scraping was now outside the door.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
The sound was an irritating itch to her ears, like a never-ending taunt to whoever became the unlucky listener. With another flash of light and the earthy rumbling thus following, a dark shadow on the floor outside the shoji door could be clearly alleged. Fuu practically jumped out of her skin as her heart raced faster and faster. Constant pounding of her startled pulse vibrated in her head. Hesitant in her actions, she questioned the noise with all the hope in the world that it was just an ex-criminal that she wasn't (although everyone else is for obvious reasons) afraid of.
"Mugen?"
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
No response; just that faint scratching drawing nearer and nearer with every passing minute. Fuu's skin felt itchy all over, sweat feeling dank from the unexpected coldness filling up the air. The draft was almost…constricting, choked her.
That's when she heard Mugen's soft snoring coming from the other room. If he was asleep, then what was outside the bedroom? All of the color of her already pale face completely drained.
She would swear on her life that someone or something rather, was staring back at her from the thinly separated shoji door. Her hands tightly gripped the edges of the elaborate embroidered blanket, waiting for the shadow to disappear. It did not, only stopped…and waited. The figure seemed to be…breathing heavily against the paper; Fuu could faintly hear the sound.
As if trying to frighten her further, the door slid at a painstakingly slow rate. The seconds ticking away felt like years of a curiosity she never wanted to find the answer to. She shivered, her gaze refusing to leave the sight of what caused the door's uncanny movement. 'It's all in my head, it's just a dream. Calm down, Fuu!'
When a quick bolt of lightning ignited the room with flashes of white, the young woman saw a bloodshot eye partially covered by flowing black hair stare straight back at her, almost through her. The figure's throat was cut, the blood staining the material of the traditional garb sagging from its bony shoulders and dripping the liquid of rustic red unto the floor as…
…it smiled.
"MUGEN!"
~To Be Continued~
[A/N]:
REFERENCE- Japanese ritual suicide or "seppuku" usually entailed someone cutting their stomach and disemboweling themselves. However in ritual female suicide or "jigai", wives of samurai would slit their throats for a quick death. A woman would bind her knees with rope to remain in a proper sitting position, so she wouldn't fall into an "undignified position" after convulsing before death. The creepy thing about this is their backs would sometimes face a door, so when authorities' entered, the woman would look like she's kneeling properly and alive… When really, she's already dead. That's why the ghost's legs are tied and she's crawling across the floor.
Mugen: *snoring and dreaming of beautiful big breasted women*
Momo: *sleeping peacefully and dreaming of sunflowers*
Me: Poor Fuu…
ImparedImpala: At least it's not Pyramid Head…or Chad…
Me: True…true… Everyone must fear the Chad.
Maybe I should explain who Chad is… Let's just say he was a creepy friend of ours who…made really high pitched noises that scared the shit out of us. Hmm…to describe in words it would be mreherheheheh…Ummm…A better way to describe it is Flapjack and a satanic goat combined…on some really good crack. That's the noise he makes before he gets you while you sleep…
As always, Follow, Favorite and Review!
See you guys in the continuation, Chapter 9….until then, sleep well. Hmhmhmhmhmhm… Jin, get the hell out of here with your creepy laugh!
End of Chapter 8