Disclaimer: Characters depicted in the story aren't mine. They belong to Takeshi Konomi.
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! Gomen if this chapter's a little rushed. But... oh well... ; Hope you enjoy this.
A Strange WeekendDrumming his fingers on the table, Yoshirou Akazawa leaned back on his chair as he contemplated which chess piece he should move to avoid getting checkmated by his challenger. His opponent was really good in the game, he had to admit. He had only a few wins in his record whenever he faced this particular player. He shook his head and moved his bishop four paces to the left. He had his eyes on his opponent's queen. And the bishop was his only hope into stopping the mighty piece from attacking his king.
Akazawa's opponent only took five seconds to think of her next move. She then strategically placed her knight before her queen, effectively blocking Akazawa's bishop, and, at the same time, putting his rook into peril. He gritted his teeth in frustration at the speed on how she countered his well thought out move in just a few moments.
"Tch," Akazawa muttered under his breath. "Damn Mizuki and his Mac."
The St. Rudolph buchou saw Mizuki's Macintosh lying on his bed earlier that night and decided to play with it for a while, leaving Tachibana who was in the room with him to entertain himself with a book. He didn't worry about intruding into Mizuki's privacy when it came to his PowerBook. The data gatherer had been quite generous with lending the Apple to him. Mizuki, however, warned him off not to open the files located in the Player Profiles and Weaknesses Folder. And Akazawa, who was not the least bit interested in Mizuki's research, respected the request. After all, who would want to know some guy's playing behavior and sometimes, even their eating habits?
"About to lose again, aren't you?" Tachibana, without any hint of sarcasm nor sneering in his voice, observed when he heard his fellow captain curse the Apple for the third time that night.
"Yeah," Akazawa replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders then quitting the game. "Mizuki's better with games like these. He even has Go and Shougi installed in his Mac."
"Mind games, huh?"
Akazawa nodded. "He likes strategies, schemes, and manipulations and..." his voice trailed off when he realized how terribly rude he sounded when he spoke of his teammate. He looked back at Tachibana who had his eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue. The St. Rudolph buchou cleared his throat. "I'm not saying that he enjoys manipulating people but... Ah, just forget what I said."
"Forget what?" Tachibana cleverly replied before going back to his book.
Taking Tachibana's dismissal as a sign that their conversation's closed, Akazawa returned his attention back to the Mac and scanned some okay-to- read files Mizuki saved in his folders. He then saw the file that read Matsunagi Convention Center and clicked it open.
The document was downloaded from the net and as he continued to read, he felt chills crawling up his spine.
...Rumored to be a gateway leading to the netherworld, the Matsunagi Convention Center has long been known as one of the most haunted buildings in Japan. Sightings ranging from headless specters to bloodied apparitions have been reported seen by guests staying overnight in the center.
"Some friends and I stayed in Matsunagi for a three day seminar last summer," 17 year old Shin Arisugawa relays to the paper his uncanny experience in the said Convention Center, "I don't know what happened but on the second day, I found myself suddenly awake in the middle of the night. The room was really quiet since everyone in the room was already asleep that I could totally hear their snores. I was lying on the top bunk and I turned to stare at the ceiling, waiting for a few minutes for sleep to catch me again . And that's when I saw her.
"There was this woman in white who looked like in her early twenties, spread out on the ceiling just a few feet above me! Her arms were open wide as if holding herself on the ceiling, and her dark hair framed a really pale face. And what totally freaked me out was that she was watching me with that blank dead gaze of hers! I will never forget that look. It was really creepy! I was so scared I screamed!"
Another account from a 34 year old mechanical engineer, Hisashi Sato, narrates his story during his stay in the center. "I was half asleep when it happened," he says, "I saw my wife sitting by the dressing table, brushing her hair languidly and humming a tune I barely recognized. Calling out to her, I told her to come to bed already since we were going to have an early start the next day. She didn't answer so I turned to my side to go back to sleep. And that's when my groggy mind finally registered that my wife didn't wear her hair long.
"The humming stopped and I heard her walking toward the bed. I felt the mattress dip behind me but didn't dare open my eyes for the fear of seeing what she looked like. I could feel her breathing on the back of my neck. The woman, whoever she was, stayed by my side for God knows how long, as if waiting for me to turn and look at her. I didn't. I continued to pretend asleep until I felt her leave my bed."
A student from Akayama Junior High, Toujo Akari, relates his own experience in the Convention Center when he...
Akazawa couldn't take it anymore. He closed the window and clicked the Mac shut.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!"
"Yeah!" Sengoku cheered, jogging toward Oishi, and raised his hand up for a high five. The latter laughingly returned it. "Three points for us. The opponent: zilch!"
"But you barely did anything, Sengoku-san!" Kamio protested and stood up. He looked at Minami, his charades partner, and waited for him to agree. Minami merely raised his hands, palms up, and shrugged.
"I crouched," Sengoku replied.
"He crouched," Oishi nodded his head solemnly, seconding the motion. Kamio sighed.
The Yamabuki Reps invited the Hyotei, Seigaku, Fudomine, and the St. Rudolph students to their room after the ghost story telling in the lobby to check on Minami's "decapitated friend". Atobe and Mizuki declined the offer, saying that they were uninterested and tired, and decided to just go back to their respective rooms to turn in for the night, leaving Oishi and Kamio with Sengoku and Minami. The Yamabuki/Gyokurin quarters was empty when they got there and concluded that the Gyokurin Reps were in another room, hanging out with some friends.
It was either that or they too saw the ghost and ran out of the room in fear.
When they opened the door and saw nothing strange inside, the four students laughed at their idiotic idea of ghost hunting and decided to just stay in the room and hang out for a while. And that was when Kamio came up with the idea of playing charades.
"I knew playing a girly game like charades was stupid," the 8th grader muttered under his breath and slumped back on his seat. "Who's idea was it anyway?"
"It was yours, Kamio," Oishi replied not unkindly.
"Oh," the speed demon reddened in embarrassment. He then frowned, "Well, I was bored out of my wits, that's why I suggested it. And besides, if you didn't want to play, you should've said so."
"You're the only one complaining here," Sengoku stated the obvious. "We were having fun, actually."
"Yeah, because you're winning," Kamio grumbled. "And I could barely understand how Oishi-san got the answer with just you crouching."
"Well, I guess it's because great minds think alike," Sengoku answered with a grin and nudged his charades partner. "Right, Oishi? I bet if we play doubles, we're going to be unbeatable."
The Seigaku vice captain laughed in return, "Maybe. Have you ever played doubles?"
"Nope. But the Jimmies could give me some points."
"Don't call us that!" Minami said, his face reddening.
A knock on the door interrupted the laughter that followed Minami's outburst. The Yamabuki captain stood up and answered the door.
"Good evening, kids," one of the teachers in the center greeted them as he stepped inside the room. He looked from one teen to another and gave them a warm smile. "I'm just here to tell you that it's already ten in the evening. I suggest that you sleep early and not stay up too late. The seminar will start early tomorrow, if you remember."
All four answered in affirmative. The balding man nodded and turned to leave. As he was about to close the door after him, he paused and turned around to look at them again. "By the way, if you hear someone knocking on your door in the middle of the night, do not answer it."
All ears perked up at the warning. The four students looked at one another, the cogwheels of their minds turning sharply as one explanation formed in their heads. Still, they had to confirm their thoughts.
"Not answer the door?" Sengoku asked, "Why is that, sensei?"
The teacher looked uncomfortable for a while, deciding if he should tell them the truth or not. He settled on the latter. "Just don't," he said firmly, "No matter how insistent the knocks will be, do not open the door."
"But if it was an emergency of some sort..."
"Then ask what the person wants before opening the door. Just don't answer it without knowing who's on the other side."
"Sensei," it was Kamio who spoke up, a look of discomfort and fear settling on his face. "Is it true? Is this place really haunted?"
The teacher didn't answer. And that merely confirmed their suspicions.
"S-Sengoku-san..." Kamio gulped and turned to the only skeptic in the room. Fear was contagious. And so was bravery. If one of them remained unbelieving, then perhaps he could gain courage from that little act of sanity, overcome his apprehension on the matter being discussed, and stop shaking like a ninny. He almost wished that the other skeptic, Atobe-san, was also in the room with them since Sengoku-san wasn't saying anything remotely helpful. Kamio was sure the Hyotei captain was going to remain stubborn about it and merely scoff at the teacher's warning.
It was Oishi who spoke after a few moments, "We understand, sensei. We will do as we're told."
The teacher sighed in relief. "Good. Now, off to bed, all of you," he said before closing the door after him.
"I feel faint," Kamio groaned before he slumped down on his seat.
Atobe was on his way to the Hyotei/Seigaku room when he saw Tezuka rounding the corner that also led toward their quarters. Tezuka barely nodded in acknowledgment when he saw the Hyotei captain. Silence reigned between the two as they trudged down the hallway side by side, each deep in his own thoughts.
Tiny footsteps behind them alerted the two after a long while and they froze in their tracks. The footsteps behind them stopped as well. Tezuka and Atobe, without an ounce of expression on their faces, looked at each other astutely. As if a silent message passed between them, they began to walk toward their room again. The footsteps behind them followed suit.
Atobe, his patience finally thinning, whirled around to face whoever was following them. Standing only a few feet away from him was a little girl dressed in her white sleeping gown, gazing up at him with an innocent look on her face.
Not the least bit concerned if the girl was lost, Atobe haughtily tipped his head back and said, "Listen, kid, stop following me and go back to your room. I have no time for the likes of you."
The girl inclined her head in confusion.
Then she smiled widely, transforming her cherubic face into that of a goblin child's, as she held out her little hands to him. "Let's play," she said, her eyes flashing bright yellow.
"What the---?" Involuntarily, Atobe took a step back.
"Let's play!" The girl said again, her voice turning a little guttural as she giggled menacingly, and started to run toward him.
Turning around, Atobe found his stoical companion already some fifty feet away from him, not running but merely walking away from the possessed demon child, as if oblivious to what was happening behind him. Atobe cursed under his breath and broke into a sprint.
Running away wasn't cowardice, he thought to himself. It was survival! Who knew what would happen if the child caught up with him?
"If I were you, I'd start running, Tezuka!" Atobe warned his rival when he breezed past him.
The Seigaku Captain narrowed his eyes when Atobe ran past him. He looked behind him and found the child chasing them in a rather fast pace that her little chubby legs could never possibly be capable of, her eyes flashing yellow as she cried, "Let's play, onii-chan!"
When he realized that she was homing in on Atobe and not on him, Tezuka merely sidestepped and let the child run past him.
"Gambatte, Atobe," he called after the Hyotei Captain in the deep, calm monotone of his. "Don't get careless."
Atobe never thought he'd live to see the day Tezuka would crack a joke, however inappropriate a time it was. And besides, it wasn't funny. The little girl wasn't ordinary; she wasn't even human! It was only natural that he ran away from that goblin child. She looked like she could whip out a meat cleaver out of thin air and start butchering him.
He'd rather not die in such a disgraceful fashion. Still, he wondered, why didn't the child even notice the Seigaku Captain?
Nearing the Seigaku/Hyotei Room, Atobe decided to ignore Tezuka's rather unexpected and most outrageous comment and pushed the door open. He quickly slipped inside and locked the door after him.
What the hell was that? he thought as he wiped the back of his long sleeve across his forehead. Where in the world did she come from?
"Damn that gaki... Tezuka!" Atobe was muttering under his breath and almost shouted the name in surprise and bewilderment when he turned away from the door and saw the bronze haired boy sitting by the window, with a thick detective novel in hand. "The hell are you doing here? Weren't you just outside?"
"I was here the whole evening," looking up, Tezuka replied calmly.
Anger simmered as he remembered what Tezuka told him back in the hallway, "You're lying."
Tezuka's eyes narrowed a fraction, "I never left the room."
"Oh yeah? Then who was walking with me in the corridor when that little girl..." Atobe's voice trailed off when he replayed the sequence of events that happened in the hallway in his mind. He frowned.
"Gambatte, Atobe," he called after the Hyotei Captain in the deep, calm monotone of his. "Don't get careless."
Atobe didn't really know Tezuka but from what he had gathered about him, the Seigaku Captain was never one to goad. Right? Then who was that in the hallway with him? His doppelganger?
Was it even remotely possible that something like that actually existed?
A series of knocks interrupted his thoughts. Atobe whipped his head to look at the closed door. Could that be him? The other Tezuka? Atobe wondered what would happen if the real Tezuka saw his doppelganger. Didn't they say that if someone saw his doppelganger, it would mean his imminent death?
"Tezuka, are you there? It's Oishi," the muffled voice on the other side called out, "Why's the door locked?"
When Atobe made no move to open the door, Tezuka stood up and crossed the room. He pulled open the door and moved back to let the vice captain in.
"Domo, Tezuka," Oishi said and stepped inside the room. "One of the teachers probably told you to lock the door too, huh? All of the senseis must be doing their rounds right about now." He then looked past Tezuka, to Atobe who stood in the middle of the room. "Ah, Atobe, there you are. You have a guest."
"What?"
The Hyotei Captain then watched in horror as the little goblin girl who chased him down the hall appeared on the doorway.
"Is that the onii-chan you were talking about?" Oishi asked the little girl with an indulgent smile on his kind face as he pointed at Atobe, "The one with the dark hair?"
The girl bobbed her head enthusiastically and moved toward the stunned captain, a demonic smile breaking on her face as she looked at Atobe, "Let's play, onii-chan!"
And quite unexpectedly, Keigo Atobe was the first one to scream that night.
The second one was Yoshirou Akazawa when he opened the door that separated their bathroom from their bedroom and found himself face to face with a large eyed, white faced ghost. Akazawa roared the same way he did during the match with the Golden Pair back in Tokyo. But this time, it was due to absolute fear and not in frustration.
Curiously, the ghost was waving his hands wildly around him as if telling him to shut up. It was then that Akazawa really looked at the "ghost".
"Mizuki?" Akazawa exclaimed, his eyes widening in recognition.
Mizuki nodded in exasperation as he folded his arms on his chest.
"Don't scare me like that!" Akazawa reprimanded the team manager with a scowl, "And don't walk around looking like that! What's that on your face anyway?"
His lips barely moving, Mizuki answered, "It's a beauty mask. I put one on every night and wait for it to dry before I peel it off. That's why I can't speak much."
"What does it do?" despite his best intention not to pry, Akazawa couldn't help but be curious with vanity.
"It removes facial hair, cleans my skin pores, removes dead skin cells..."
"D-Does it work?"
Mizuki looked at his captain and smirked, "You want to try?"
Akira Kamio was the third to scream that night when he opened the door to the Fudomine/St. Rudolph quarters and found two white faced figures sitting by the dressing table.
"UUUWWAAAAAHHH!!!!! WEIRDOS!!!"
A series of terrified screams by the Tokyo students from the Matsunagi Convention Center was that night's sweet lullaby. Doors were continuously banged shut. Heavy footfalls outside the hallway were heard. And still, none of the students dared to go out of their rooms to check on what was happening outside their quarters.
It was indeed a night fit for screams.
And probably, the only one who enjoyed a peaceful night was Jirou Akutagawa.