Slam Dunk is so not mine…."sniff"
A/N: Hey, I just changed the genre of the story…I decided not to add in any romance at all…whew…I don't know…just enjoy ok??
Chapter 5: You Have Nothing To Fear…
Mitsui slumped on the luxurious couch at Sendoh's house wearily. He could feel his back aching with exhaustion and his eyes dull with fatigue. It was night time again. They had spent the whole day searching two cemeteries with no luck. He was even beginning to doubt whether this whole thing was a dream. He even doubted whether Yoshiko knew what she was talking about when she mentioned open entrances and spirit worlds. His mind was cracked with confusion and fatigue.
The clock on the wall ticked the hours slowly, and it was the only sound besides the snoring of the rest in the other room that could be hear puncturing the silence of the night. Mitsui could not sleep. Terrifying nightmares of the recent events stalked his sleep, leaving him with bloodshot eyes and a face pale with fear. He awoke always feeling more tired than ever. Not knowing what to do, he absent-mindedly flipped the button on a remote control.
The television screen whirred to life, and the picture came on. It was the news report. Bored, he started flipping through the channels. Finally, he stopped at his favourite channel, AXN. An advertisement was currently being showed on the screen about the television series Fear Factor.
"…Do you have what it takes to face your greatest fear? With a little bit of skill and a whole lot of nerve, you have nothing to fear but fear himself…"
He listened dully to the voiceover of the advertisement. Nothing to fear but fear itself. He shivered. The fear that he was facing could not be countered with skill. And he was already losing his nerves. This was not one of those ordinary stunts they showed on the television. Not just eating worms or swimming with crocodiles or even being crawled all over by rats. To face the fear that they were all facing now he needed blind, suicidal courage. Courage which he did not have. None of them had it.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the slight creak of the door being opened and the slight footfalls on the floor. He looked up and saw Yoshiko. He flipped the button on the remote control again and the screen went blank. She did not say anything but just proceeded to sit on a chair near him. Mitsui actually welcomed the presence of another human being. He needed someone in this cold lonely void of a night where he fought a losing battle against insomnia.
After a while she spoke. "Mitsui," she began. "Last time I hated walking alone at night. It was one of my worst fears to walk alone in the deserted streets. But now, now I'd do anything just to walk alone again. Just alone without that thing. Weird isn't it?"
"It's not weird. It's just that we have faced a more difficult and terrifying fear. All our old fears are almost nothing compared to what we are facing now," he replied softly, gazing thoughtfully at the blank wall.
You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Somehow that line kept repeating itself again and again in his head. "Mitsui, you look terrible," said Yoshiko. "Maybe you should get some sleep."
Mitsui nodded and went out of the room abruptly. He did not feel like sleeping, but he was not going to tell her about his nightmares. That would make him sound like a weakling. Exhausted he lay on one of the mattresses laid on the floor. Nearby, he could hear someone snoring loudly, which sounded suspiciously like Kiyota. He felt sleep slowly settling on his tired, swollen eyelids, closing them with delicate fingers. Soon, he would be floating back in the realm of dreams. Or nightmares.
* * *
Mitsui jerked awake from his slumber suddenly. He did not know what had awakened him. He felt sure that it had been more than just an ordinary nightmare, but he had awakened with a terrible feeling of dread crawling in the pit of his stomach. His chest was tight with fear. Something was not right. Something that did not belong in here was intruding the peace of the night.
Meanwhile, all the others lying next to him were beginning to awake, too. "What's that?" asked Kiyota in a hushed tone.
"I don't know," whispered Fujima back. "I just felt kind of weird and I woke up."
"Me too," said Maki.
"Is it that – that thing? That soul?" asked Jin. Everyone knew it was. Only that thing could radiate such evil and malice. They could not see it but they knew it was somewhere near. Miyagi, who was nearest to the light switches quickly darted towards it and flipped the switch on. Light flooded in the room illuminating all their pale faces and fearful eyes. Its malevolent presence shook the room, but they could not see it.
"Where is it?" asked Kogure. Nobody could answer that. What was it going to do now?
"Come out and show yourself," said Sendoh trying his hardest to be brave.
"Sendoh!" snapped Miyagi. "This is not the time to be funny."
Suddenly, the door burst open and Yoshiko came running in holding something gleaming in her hand. It was a handful of those crystals. Sheaths of silvery light escaped from the crystals enclosed within her fist through the cracks between her fingers. Nobody knew why, but at the sight of Yoshiko carrying those crystals they each felt a pang of relief.
The evil thing must have seen those crystals too, because before Yoshiko had a chance to drive it away it away, an unearthly shriek pierced the night. Mitsui felt the hairs at the back of his neck prickle with fear and his nerves screamed with terror at the horrible, evil sound of that shriek. Fujima and Jin even covered their ears in horror. Only Yoshiko stood firm. The thing gave another shriek before it fled out of the house, away in to the dark, swallowing night outside.
Nobody felt like sleeping after that. They just sat in a circle staring with gaunt, weary expressions at the blank wall. Mitsui looked around him. He could see a ring of terrified faces. Kiyota kept looking wildly around for no reason. Miyagi was trying to comfort Ayako. Everyone was wishing fervently for the comforting rays of dawn to come.
"Will it be back?" asked Maki shakily.
"Not tonight, I think," answered Yoshiko.
"Will it continue to sneak in like that again?" asked Ayako.
"I don't know, Ayako-san," said Yoshiko again. "I really don't know. The faster we find its grave and send it back the better."
Soon, the first rays of sunlight began to filter in through the windows sneaking across the room, warming them. Though it did wash away their fears a little, it also added up to their melancholy and grim mood. It was another day of hopeless searching.
Tbc.
Aha..another chappie done. Not very interesting, though. Don't forget to review ok?