Twelve Weeks of Ikarishipping
Title: Haunted Castle
Genre: Mystery
Rating: K
AN: Um, inspired by chat with Rayon1-san...well, she gave me the idea, but still! The acknowledgment counts!
Summary: Maybe it was not a very good idea to go to the Old Chateau in the Hakutai Forest alone on a dark and dreary night. AU story. Glossary is at the end.
Week 3: Haunted Castle
The leaves underfoot crackled and crunched as feet walked on above them. The sounds echoed in the silent woods as an explorer entered into the more secluded area of the Hakutai Forest. He scowled as a strong gust of wind swept through the deserted forest, tugging at his grey and purple jacket and playing with the strands of his dark hair. The trees swayed and groaned, their branches and leaves rustling in the eerie silence. The explorer narrowed his dark brown eyes and swept the beam of his flashlight through the trees.
A glimmer against the darkness...
He swept the light again.
Another gleam...
There!
The explorer focused his flashlight on the glimmer of light and smirked. There was something there, hidden amongst the tall trees, shying away from the world in this gloomy area. It could have been anything, from shiny objects in a bird's nest to a mirror.
However, he had a hunch that it was what he was looking for—the only reason why he even thought about venturing into this forsaken forest in the first place. Something was reflecting the light from his flashlight, and he was sure that it was what he had come looking for:
The Haunted Mansion: The Old Chateau.
There was no doubt about it present in the explorer's mind. It ha to be the abandoned and haunted house, hidden away in this secluded place, hidden in the heart of the Hakutai Forest's deepest and darkest part.
It was mystery and excitement that brought him here, and he was going to find out all the secrets the place had to offer. With one more glance around him, the explorer trudged down the path towards the Chateau with only his flashlight to light the way.
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Upon first glance, the place didn't look all that special. The mansion was in a state of disarray. It was a desolate place—the shingles holding the shutters had all but rusted away; the wood was rotted through and the courtyard was unkempt and overgrown with grass, weeds, ramblers, and a variety of other types of plants. The gate squeaked when the wind stirred it, and the door was so old and battered that the lock stopped working, allowing anyone brave or foolish enough entrance.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it, Hikari was neither.
The only reason why she even dared wander this far into the forest to come to this house was because of a dare.
Why didn't she choose truth instead?
With a sigh, Hikari hardened her resolve and trudged on ahead, determined not to let all the legends about the place daunt her. She was going to go through with the dare, and there was nothing that could stop her.
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The door creaked shut as the explorer entered into the entrance hall. The Chateau was dusty, and there was broken and charred furniture scattered all over. Dark shapes loomed all around him, some floating close enough to try to give him a scare.
All he did was sneer and glower at the floating shapes.
As they would scare him.
He had been in a lot more of dangerous situations than this, and this wasn't going to daunt him.
So he went deeper into the castle, careful to avoid the debris.
There was a room that caught his eyes, hidden away in the shadows of the west wing. The door was slightly ajar, and there was an eerie glow omitting from it. The explorer smirked and made his way over to the door when he heard the door slam. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed, but he shrugged, passing off the sound as the wind causing the broken door to slam shut.
Inside the room, the explorer found a TV that was turned on. He found that the glow was coming from the it, and reached out to touch it. However, when his hands were centimeters from it, he heard a loud shriek coming from somewhere inside the house.
"What the—"
The explorer scowled and rushed out of the room. He had heard the shriek again. What was going on around here?
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Hikari hesitantly pushed open the door to the Chateau open. It creaked and groaned, looking like it was about to fall over. Dust crumbled and fell to the ground, causing her to cough.
"Ugh, it's so dirty!" she grumbled, stepping into the threshold. "Geez, couldn't someone clean this place up in a while?"
"Hikari," came the voice of her friend, Jun, from her communicator. "That place has been abandoned for years now. Do you honestly think someone would have enough guts to come to the Chateau to clean it up?"
Hikari giggled sheepishly. "Eheheh, I guess not...oh well. Here I go!"
"Good luck! You're gonna need it!"
"Oh shut up, Jun!"
Hikari growled and stomped upstairs into the east wing. She was going to win this dare!
Opening the first door in the wing, Hikari stepped in, scanning the place quickly in fear.
"Wait, what was that?"
Hikari quickly scanned the room again.
"Eek!" Hikari jumped when she saw glowing red eyes glaring at her through a portrait hung on the wall. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! GHOST!!! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
Dashing out the door, Hikari tore through the hallway, running head first into a solid body. "Oomf!" Both of them were sent to the floor.
"Oi, watch where you're going, why don't you?" came the distinct male voice, clearly irritated.
Hikari glared at the purple haired explorer, rubbing her head. "Well sor-ry," she snapped, fighting off the urge to slap him. "But I was running from a ghost!"
The explorer rolled his eyes in exasperation. "There is no such thing as ghosts," he replied, getting up and dusting himself. "It's just a figment of your imagination, onna."
"H-hey! Don't call me that! I have a name, you know!"
Rolling his eyes again, he glared at the girl. "You're forgetting the fact that you never told me, ahou."
Hikari blushed and fiddled with the hem of her jacket. "E-eto...gomen. Watashi wa Hikari desu. Ano...namae—hey, wait! Where are you going? What's your name? Aren't you going to help me up? Argh! Stop right there, you jerk! Don't leave me alone out here!"
"Shut up! And if you don't want to be stuck out here alone, then get up off your lazy butt and come on."
"Argh! Why are you such a—hey! Matte!"
They had entered into the room with the portrait again, and Hikari clung onto the explorer's arm for dear life. The portrait was staring at them...
"Eek! See?" she pointed. "That picture's haunted! It's glaring at us! Eek!"
"You're cutting off my circulation," he replied blatantly, dislodging his arm from her vice-like grip.
"Eek! No! Don't go near it! Hold on, wait! Don't leave me alone!"
"Argh! My arm!"
"Aah!"
The portrait glowed red and the figure of a woman stepped out, her long, pale hair floating about. She gave the explorer a seductive smile and caressed his cheek. "Hello, dear," she whispered, her breezy voice brushing the shell of his ear. "Have you come to help the spirits of this place?"
Hikari bristled at being ignored, and felt a slight twinge from her heart at the sight before her. There was no way a ghost lady could hit on him! For one thing, she was dead, and he wasn't, and for another, he certainly didn't look to comfortable...though she couldn't really tell from his stoic expression.
"Hey, let go of him!" she snapped, latching onto his arm. "Besides! You're a ghost! There's no way you two can end up together!"
The lady gave a chilling laugh and turned her attention to Hikari. "Ah, so you're jealous of me for stealing the attention of a man you have just met?"
Hikari blushed and tightened her grip on him. "So? I'm not about to let him get seduced and end have him end his life just because of a stupid, stinking ghost!"
She laughed again, shaking her head in mirth. "Oh, children these days," she said flippantly. "How amusing. However, I am not here to seduce any young men. I am here to ask you two to do me a favor."
"What is it?" the explorer demanded, finally speaking up.
The ghost's eyes narrowed, observing them for well over a minute. "Hmm...you two seem capable..." she muttered, mostly to herself. "Very well, then. Here is what I need you two to do. I want you to burn this place down to the ground."
Hikari's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, what? Why do you want this place to be burned down?" she asked, looking very skeptical.
A sad and somber look flitted through the ghost's face. "When this place was first burnt down," she replied. "All the people died, however the house was not. We are bound to this place, not able to find rest until the entire estate is gone. We have been waiting for decades, now, in hopes of someone brave enough to come here and finish the job for us. Please, help us, help us find rest."
Hikari brushed away a stray tear and tried her best to smile. "W-we'll help, promise," she whispered, her fingers curling around the explorer's jacket.
"Yeah, we will," he replied.
"Wait, before you do, please take the book inside that desk. It is my journal. It will tell you the history of this place. I hope it is payment enough."
The explorer opened the draw in the desk and pulled out an old, battered book. "This is it, right?" The ghost nodded, and he tucked the book away in his pouch. "Thank you. We will make sure you and the rest of the spirits find rest.
The ghost gave a serene smile and faded away, her ghostly voice reverberating in the suddenly warmer room. "Thank you."
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It was somewhat creepy, standing outside in the Hakutai Forest, watching the Old Chateau burn down to the ground. When all of it was nothing but ashes, Hikari finally released her grip on the explorer's arm with a sigh.
"It's gone," she whispered, afraid to break the peaceful spell.
"Yeah." He pulled out the book, flipping through its contents. "Do you want the book, or should I make a copy of it and send it to you?"
Hikari smiled. "A copy will be fine, thanks." Taking out a pen, she quickly scribble down her address on a blank sheet of paper inside the book. "Here's my address. See you soon?"
"Maybe."
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Hikari yawned and stumbled downstairs, sitting down at the table while her mother poured her a cup of coffee. It had been several weeks since the escapade in the forest, and she still hadn't heard back from the man she had met there. She was a bit disappointed, but kept repeating to herself that he would eventually send her the copy of the journal, or come and visit.
"So much for that," she muttered, taking a large gulp of her hot drink. "He probably forgot all about it..."
"Hikari, dear, you have a letter," her mother, Ayako said, plopping a large envelope down before her. "Goodness, it's thick!"
Hikari scanned the address posted on the front and grinned. "Shinji, 15363 Light Stone Road, Tobari City..." She giggled. "Well, if he's not going to come and visit...I'll just go and visit him!"
And there you have it! Not very long, or very action packed, but I was kind of short on time. I'll make it up to you guys, promise! Just wait until White Day! -Insert Evil Laugh Here-
Glossary:
-Shinji: Paul
-Hikari: Dawn
-Hakutai Forest: Eterna Forest
-Old Chateau: The haunted castle in the Eterna Forest where you can get Rotomu/Rotom from the TV.