Disclaimer: I don't own Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z and any of its characters, Ao Oni's mansion layout and all its puzzles, and Corpse Party's concept of dimensions used in this fanfic.

Inspiration: Ao Oni and Corpse Party.

A/N: Since this is inspired by Ao Oni and Corpse Party, this fanfic is M-rated. There will be dark, rather suggestive themes later on—aside from strong, coarse language. If at any point you feel offended or uncomfortable, you're more than welcome to leave the page.

When I started writing this, I was really into Ao Oni and Corpse Party, both of which are 2D horror games. For Ao Oni, I watched a lot of YouTube Let's Plays and later watched its CGI anime adaptation when that came out. For Corpse Party, I watched YouTube Let's Plays and (silent) walkthroughs of all its versions and read all its manga adaptations.

At some point, I found out that some Japanese fanatics did their own parody of Ao Oni, such as in the Hetalia fandom where there's HetaOni. I vaguely recalled in one of the PPGZ episodes that there was a mansion in a forest (which may have been related to Him for that episode), so one thing led to another, and this idea was born.

As someone who enjoyed reading horror, suspense, and supernatural while growing up, I wanted to attempt something else for the RGB fandom. Much of what I write tends to be happy, fluff, drama, or angst, and for once, I wanted to try to explore something different in my writing. I'm not sure if many of you will like this fanfic, but I hope you all enjoy it, anyway.

Legend of the Mansion

Chapter 1: The Rumor

A rumor.

A mere rumor caused this all.

And yet, it was this same rumor that intrigued so many people.

Every person had the same thought: Is this true? Their burning curiosity continued to eat away, filling their heads with questions galore. They all started off with one: even if the rumor was false, how did it start, anyway?

In the end, no one knew how this rumor spread.

Besides, even if they did, no one lived long enough to tell the tale.

"You two didn't have to come along, you know."

"What?! Kaoru, do you really think I'd let you go in alone?!"

"Why not? You run away whenever we go into a haunted house, don't you?"

A slight pause. "T-That's not the point!"

"Now, now, you two, don't start arguing."

"But, Miyako—"

"That is disgusting, Momoko."

"What?! How?!"

"The way you said her name—"

"Are we going to enter or not?"

At once, all bickering ceased.

Three 16-year-old girls, named Momoko Akatsutsumi, Miyako Gotokuji, and Kaoru Matsubara, stood a fair distance away from the mansion, each adorning their school uniform.

Miyako was a beautiful light blue-eyed blonde. Her hair was in curled pigtails that reached to her shoulders. She had porcelain-like skin that matched her blonde hair.

Momoko had her red hair tied into a high ponytail that cascaded all the way down to her bottom. A silk red ribbon was used to tie her hair up instead of a hairband. Her eyes were pink while her skin was peach.

Kaoru had her short black hair going in all sorts of directions, complementing her olive skin and making her light green eyes stand out further.

Momoko and Miyako wore their school's female uniform, which consisted of a tucked-in short-sleeved white blouse, its collar lying flat on their clavicle; a black skirt that reached halfway above their kneecaps; and a small and thin black ribbon tied underneath the collar, as though it was a necktie.

Kaoru, on the other hand, adorned their school's male uniform, which was a white tucked-in long-sleeved shirt and pair of black slacks. The sleeves of her shirt were rolled just above her elbows, and the collar of her shirt popped upward. Although Momoko and Miyako had buttoned up their blouses to the collar, Kaoru didn't button a few of the top ones, leaving it wide open. Compared to her two friends, her appearance came off as more masculine than feminine.

"You two don't have to go with me, you know," Kaoru stated. "Nothing's going to happen to me—"

"Kaoru," Momoko began, "do you not watch horror movies? They always start out like this! It's better to go in a group than alone!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Wait, why did you want to come here, anyway?"

"Because that damn Urawa—"

"Have you been talking to Natsuki again?!"

"Oh, my fucking God, Momoko. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm only friends with that asshole?!"

"Well, out of every boy that you're the closest to, it's Natsuki—"

"That doesn't mean I see him as a God damn love interest!"

Momoko pouted as she narrowed her eyes at Kaoru. "But out of every girl that Natsuki's closest to, it's you."

"Does it look like I give a damn?" Kaoru replied, glaring at Momoko. "The boy is an asshole. Have you not seen how he treats you and everyone else—"

"Natsuki is amazing, okay?!"

Kaoru scoffed. "You only say that because he's the so-called 'hottest' guy in school."

"Because he is! He's good at sports, smart, and good-looking—"

"Yeah, to you and his fangirls. He's an arrogant asshole, Momoko, and quite frankly, he's lucky I haven't kicked his ass yet."

"I don't care! Natsuki is Natsuki, and I'll still like him, anyway!"

Kaoru shook her head. "You're fucking blind. Out of all of the assholes you could've fallen for, it just had to be him."

While Momoko and Kaoru continued to bicker, Miyako stood at the entrance of the mansion and stared at the large brown doors for a while, tilting her head as she began to examine its outward appearance.

The doors were worn out, as expected because of how old this mansion was, but it seemed rather sturdy. It wasn't just the doors. The rest of the mansion itself seemed worn out as well. Its black bricks were almost graying, and clumps of dirt clung to some lower parts of the walls. The paint on the roof tiles was beginning to peel off, showing its white, but dirty surface underneath. The windows seemed as clear as ever, except that they were all covered by curtains from within, so any hope of peering inside of the mansion was completely lost.

"Natsuki is mine!" Momoko cried.

"God damn it, Momoko!" Kaoru shouted. "I said that I don't care! If you want him that badly, then be my guest!"

"But it's obvious that he's—"

"How many fucking times do I have to say that he's just a friend?! There is no way in hell he's interested in me, and there's no way I'll ever be interested in an asshole like him!"

Miyako continued to ignore the bickering behind her and blinked a couple of times before walking up towards the door and placing her hand on the knob. Her eyes widened after realizing that the knob could be turned. "Momoko. Kaoru."

Momoko and Kaoru ceased their bickering as they turned their heads to Miyako and simultaneously asked, "What?"

"The doors are unlocked."

Momoko and Kaoru blinked a couple of times before glancing at each other.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Kaoru stated before sighing. "No one lives in this damn mansion, anyway—"

"Wrong! Obviously, you haven't heard the rumor about this mansion!" Momoko exclaimed, pouting slightly before her eyes overcame with slight fear.

"Rumors are just rumors," Kaoru replied, rolling her eyes. "Like I said earlier, you guys don't have to come with me. I'll be fine."

"No way we're letting you go in alone! What if something happens to you?!"

"Oh, for crying out loud, I just said—"

"Momoko has a point, Kaoru," Miyako interrupted. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to venture inside alone."

"See?! Miyako agrees with me!" Momoko exclaimed, jumping up and down. "It's better to go in as a group!"

Kaoru sighed bitterly. "All right. But for the record, blame Urawa for this."

"What?! Why Natsuki?!"

"Because he's the one that made a bet with me. My end of the bargain was going into this damn mansion."

"And if you won?"

Kaoru stared at Momoko for a bit as she hesitated before replying, "He'd have to go out with you on a date—"

Momoko then leaped onto Kaoru, hugging her tightly.

"What the hell, Momoko?!" Kaoru exclaimed, already feeling her "death hug" take effect as she struggled for air.

"Oh, my God, I take back everything I said earlier!" Momoko exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Kaoru! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you—"

"Whatever!" Kaoru managed to say. "Just…let me go!"

Momoko complied, sending Kaoru a huge smile.

Kaoru panted to catch her breath and sent a small glare. "Get your damn ass into the mansion already."

Momoko pouted before she complied. Miyako, on the other hand, giggled before she headed inside as well.

Kaoru groaned before she entered the mansion.

Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru stood in astonishment at how the inside of the mansion seemed…normal. They were in a hallway that intersected with other pathways. Behind them was the entrance they just went through. In front of them, just a few meters away, was a door. Whatever was behind it, they didn't have a clue. Next to it was a staircase that led upstairs to a second floor. To their right and left, the hallways led to some destination, but they were too far away to determine where each of the pathways would lead.

"Well, this is one hell of a disappointment," Kaoru stated, frowning. "I thought that there would be at least something interesting."

"I already don't like this atmosphere…" Momoko stated softly, shuddering. "Can we leave now?"

"What the hell, Momoko? We just came in!"

"I know, but—"

"Um, Kaoru?" Miyako interrupted.

Kaoru turned her head, finding that Miyako had a nervous look on her face, and frowned. "Yeah, Miyako?"

"Did you…close the door?"

"No. Why?"

Miyako hesitated before pointing behind her.

Kaoru's eyes went wide for a second before she turned around and found that the doors of the entrance were completely closed.

"See?!" Momoko exclaimed. Her eyes were completely wide as she began panicking. "Oh, my God, we're going to die—"

"Shut up, Momoko! You're exaggerating the damn situation!" Kaoru yelled, glaring at her. She then quickly stomped over to the door and began turning both of the doorknobs to try opening them, which refused to turn no matter how much effort she put. After a couple of failed attempts, Kaoru grunted in frustration and turned to Momoko and Miyako before shaking her head. "It looks like we'll have to find another way out."

"Maybe we can try going out one of the windows?" Miyako asked.

"Do we even know if these windows open, though?!" Momoko exclaimed.

"Stop shouting, Momoko!" Kaoru exclaimed. "The worst thing to do in a situation like this is to panic, and you're doing exactly just that, so just shut up and calm down!"

"Well, you're yelling at me!"

"Says the girl who's panicking and screaming her ass off!"

"You two, stop shouting, and let's try to find a way out of here!" Miyako yelled, her stern tone coming through.

Momoko and Kaoru flinched.

"Honestly!" Miyako huffed softly before walking over to the nearest window. She moved the curtains aside before blinking a couple of times. Her eyes grew wide in realization before she turned to the other two.

"Well?" Kaoru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This window doesn't have a switch."

"What?!"

At once, Momoko ran towards another window, moved the curtains aside, and leaned towards the glass. "Same here!"

Miyako then checked the other windows, only to find that it was the same result: none of them had a switch.

"We're going to die—"

"Momoko, shut the hell up, and let me think, for Christ's sake!" Kaoru exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. After sighing bitterly, she glanced at the set of stairs and added, "All right. How about we—"

Crash!

They all flinched at the sound.

"What the hell?" Kaoru muttered.

"It sounded like something made out of glass shattered…" Miyako stated, frowning as a look of worry appeared on her face.

"I'll go check it out, then—"

"No! We're going together as a group!" Momoko suddenly exclaimed. "This happens in horror movies all of the time! The group separates, and one by one, they all die!"

Kaoru blankly stared at Momoko for a few seconds. "You need to lay off those movies."

"But, they're so addicting—"

"And anything else related to shoujo manga, shoujo anime, and all of those damn Korean dramas—"

"Hey! I watch Japanese ones, too—"

"Okay, you two, that's enough bickering for now," Miyako interrupted, rubbing her temples. "How about we go find out what happened?"

Momoko and Kaoru nodded their heads, and they walked down the eastern hallway. Halfway down, they came across a black door on their left.

"Hey, there's a door here," Kaoru stated, frowning.

"Maybe we can open it?" Miyako inquired, slightly tilting her head.

"Don't open it! Who knows what'll come out?" Momoko exclaimed, her eyes filled with fear.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation at Momoko's expression and walked over to the door. At once, she tried turning the knob, but it wouldn't turn. "It won't open."

Miyako then squinted before pointing at the doorknob. "Kaoru, look. There's a keyhole."

"Huh. So, I guess it's locked."

"I guess that means we'll have to find the key."

"Need I remind you that we don't know what's in there!" Momoko exclaimed, flailing her arms about.

"You know what, Momoko?" Kaoru inquired. "I think you need to lay off on believing rumors as well."

"But rumors always start somewhere—"

"That doesn't mean that they're true. Who the hell believes in the supernatural nowadays, anyway?"

At once, Momoko cleared her voice, glaring at her as she tapped her foot.

Kaoru blinked and then sent her a deadpan look. "Oh, right, you, who finds vampires utterly 'sexy—'"

"They are, though!"

"They're dead, Momoko. Do you want to have sex with a corpse? Oh, wait, you can't have sex with them, anyway, because they can't get boners!"

Miyako sighed in exasperation as she hung her head, pulling her two friends by their hands down the hallway while they continued to bicker.

"Kaoru, you just don't understand what it's like to be in the presence of someone so hot—"

"Yeah, because I see no point in going gaga over some boy—"

"Not even if he was a hot vampire?"

"Hell no! That's disgusting! Haven't you ever heard of necrophilia?!"

"We're here," Miyako interrupted before the two could pointlessly continue bickering. "It looks like this is the kitchen?"

"Make that living room as well," Kaoru added as she walked over to two sets of couches and a small mini table in between the sets of furniture. She then sat down comfortably, leaning back against the pillows of the couch. "You know, this couch isn't so bad. It's pretty comfy."

"For a mansion, the furniture is rather simplistic," Miyako added, pondering as she paced slowly around the room as she glanced at the furniture and the carpet. "The carpet looks like it's been kept in good condition, too."

"Maybe someone lives here?" Kaoru inquired as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling lights. "I mean, it would explain why the place is lit up in the first place."

"I don't think so."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at Miyako. "What makes you say that?"

"This mansion looks old, so there's a high possibility that the mayor assigned a caretaker—maybe even more than one. I can't imagine just one person taking care of this place all by themselves…"

"True. Wait, does he even know about this place?"

Miyako shrugged in response as she then walked over to the wall, wondering why the walls were kept so clean because they were completely white—no speck of dirt seen. She frowned while raising an eyebrow as she continued to examine the wall.

Kaoru, on the other hand, was still sitting on the couch and staring at the ceiling lights.

Meanwhile, Momoko looked around before finding a gleaming object near the counter. She squinted her eyes before smiling and walking over. Leaning down, she found that the item was none other than a plate smashed into pieces. Slowly, she reached for one of the shards and held it up before turning around. "Hey—"

Zzt!

Pitch black.

It was utterly pitch black.

Momoko gulped softly before calling out softly, "Um, Miyako? Kaoru? Are you there?"

No response.

She gulped softly once more before whispering to herself, "Oh, why do things like this have to happen now of all times?" Pausing, she then added, "Calm down, Momoko. It's probably just…really bad lighting. Yeah. That's it. The lights will eventually come back on."

As if on cue, the lights switched back on, and for that, Momoko was grateful.

There was only one downside to this situation, though.

She was all alone.