縄 (Noose)

Story blurb: A young witch girl tied to cursed demons and a powerful demon fox who helps her kill them.

Disclaimer: I'm not adept in the Japanese folklore so I might not get somethings correct. Please don't hesitate to point out mistakes if you notice them. Thank you.

Rated M for mature themes.

Paranormal romance.

SasuSaku Au fiction.

I don't own Naruto.

ICHI

一

My bare skin feels tight against the icy air, making me shiver in my light night clothes. When Ame had brought me out of my home and told me she wanted to take me for a walk, I didn't expect she'd go this far. I didn't expect her and her minions to want to force me to do this.

I pressed my hand against the necklace hung around my neck and squeezed the ruby pendant, wondering if it would really ward off Yūrei like Obaa-san used to say. Obaa-san, as superstitious as it sounded, told me my pendant had powers that could dispel evil spirits. But at the moment, it wasn't doing anything because if it was, Ame and her friends won't be dragging me off to who knew where.

They were still very here, giggling amongst themselves. Finally, they came to a stop. Right in front of an abandoned house.

"Well," Ame turned, facing me. "Why are you standing there, witch?" She shoved me forward, towards the house that had rumors about it being haunted. The building loomed over us, the dark of the night wrapping around it like a ribbon. "Go in." She commanded.

"Go in, witch." The others laughed, exchanging teasing looks among themselves.

When I didn't move, Ame pushed me again. "I said go in." I stumbled forward, landing on the concrete floor. "Places like this shouldn't scare you. I mean, you do have your coven meetings here, don't you?"

I gritted my teeth in anger, closing my eyes and wishing they would just vanish. Despite the stinging pain I felt in my knees, I forced myself up. A trail of blood ran down my knee, and into the worn out shoe I was wearing. With a sigh, I turned to the house, my eyes trailing over the high steps that led inside and the broken windows that creaked each time the wind blew.

Because of the pendant I wore, I could see the Yūrei that flew in and out of the house, their body passing through with ease. When one turned to look at me, I quickly looked away. If there was one thing that unnerved me, it was ghosts. And I knew the moment they knew I could see them, I'd be very unlucky.

Swallowing and feeling the cold seep into my bones, I moved a shaky leg forward. I walked up the stairs, hearing Ame and her friends follow behind. When I reached for the door, it creaked open by itself. I halted in my steps, hesitating to move.

"Go in." Ame said from behind me.

I shook my head, my throat suddenly itchy. There were too many of them inside. "I can't. I-"

Before I could complete my sentence, Ame pushed me in and locked the door.My heart jumped to my stomach as I rushed to the door and pounded on it furiously. "Ame, open the door. Open it!"

"Cast some spells and let yourself out." She laughed.

"Please," I cried out. "Please let me out!" I could feel the rush of blood running in my ears, my heart beating fast as my hidden fear awoke completely. "Open the door!"

I pounded on the door over and over and over again. But no response. Their voices had faded a long time ago, leaving me alone in the haunted house. Panic rose in my stomach. I took in large gasps of air as I watched the world spin and my vision get blurry. Closing my eyes again, I counted mentally, repeating a mantra I'd learned to say over the years.

"Please go away." I muttered, taking in deep breath and letting them out slowly.

Heart still thudding, I pressed my hand against my pendant, hoping it would awaken the magic contained inside.

This house was swarming with thousands of ghosts and I had no doubt there were higher and stronger ones hidden somewhere in the darkness, waiting for me to come across them. I didn't want that to happen. And if I didn't want that to happen, I had to find a way out. Letting go of the pendant, I opened my eyes and faced the darkness in front of me.

Thanks to the ray of the moon outside, I was able to pick up the silhouette of a few things inside. There was a staircase, already decaying from the hundreds of years it had been around, leading up to a place I couldn't follow with my eyes.

I walked up the stairs and came to a hallway. There were rooms at each cornerUnlike downstairs that had little ghosts roaming about, the ones here were much. They moved around, blending into the shadows. One passed through me, raising goosebumps on my skin.

Emotions call them in. I remembered what Obaa-san would say. If you don't want them to notice you, keep your emotions as tight as you can.

I took in a raspy breath, trying to calm myself down. This was what I got for being a shaman's granddaughter. While Obaa-san was away, performing her shaman duties, I had to bear the torture of being laughed at and ridiculed by my classmates everyday. My mom had left me with my grandmother because she also couldn't bear it. Seeing ghosts, exorcizing them. It was too much. Maybe I should have gone with mum. Maybe then I wouldn't suffer this much.

I sighed, shaking my head. As if it was that easy. It was my decision to stay with Obaa-san, so I doubt mom would readily take me back. Besides, she had made it clear she didn't want anything to do with me anymore. Not when she had a new family to cater for.

I stepped forward, flinching when the floorboards creaked underneath me. The sound echoed in the hallway, making me pause and stand rigid like a statue. My eyes wandered around. The ghosts still paid me no attention. Good.

Then I caught sight of a window in a room across from me. Just what I needed. I could jump out.

Ignoring the protesting sounds the floorboards made, I moved forward. As long as the ghosts paid me no attention, getting out wasn't hard. My fingers reached for the window handle and I pulled, only to realize it was locked. I drew my hand back, throat dry. No.

I looked at the room, searching for anything I could use. The room I was in belonged to a child. I could tell from the scattered toys all over the place. Then, I spotted a figurine.

Despite the ruined and dusty state the house was in, this kitsune figurine sparkled like it had just been cleaned. The kitsune had seven tails and its eyes were bright red, almost too red they looked like tiny drops of blood. I moved closer to it. Wrapped around its neck was a talisman with a black calligraphy.

I traced the characters, unconsciously reading out loud.

Fūin. It said.

I realized too late the words I'd read out was a binding spell. Dread washed over me as I gasped out loud. I moved away from the figurine and glanced towards the room door just as I heard movements. A shadow crept up in front of me, looking like the figurine I'd been staring at not too long ago.

The crimson eyes were still the same, if not darker. And unlike the glossy, ceramic look he had before, he looked a bit human if not for his tails and ears. I stared at the person in front of me, legs quivering so violently I thought they'd caved in.

"Ah," the kitsune purred, stretching his limbs. "I'm finally back."

Next chapter preview:

He risked a step closer, his eyes flickered to the pendant wrapped around my neck. Then he looked up at me, eyes widened.

"You," he seethed, his voice as menacing as the look he gave me. "After all these years, you're still alive?"

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