Wahh. You guys chose the good ending?! Well now I can say, the bad one would have ended a little like fortune telling, and the worst one... well, I would have lied about killing only one person.

Well thank you everyone who reviewed and stuck with me. And to everyone who will review. It's been a fun ride, but I'm ready to move on to my other two (or six if you've looked at my stories) now.

I've been reading so many OC stories lately, it kinda makes me want to write one with mine. But uhhh, I don't know if I should...

What remains

Nothing remains, nothing is left at the end of the line. At the end of our chain, we've both run out of time.

-Just be friends ~Luka (version rockleetist)

The old wooden flooring creaked under their movement. Otoya hesitantly took stride in front of the blonde. He flinched at every jingle the keyring made. He swallowed harshly, Adam's apple bobbing. His red eyes closed to the world, letting his hand guide him up the stairway.

He let his mind wonder, placing one foot in front of the other. He could still see this place as a loving home. Kaoru chasing Syo down these steps both mother and father laughing happily. Mother and father...

"Syo-chan, where is your mother and father?" Otoya's unsteady voice echoed through the silence.

"K- Kaoru said that they went over seas for a while."

"Can we trust that?" The redhead's eyes flickered open at the top of the first flight of stairs. He rounded the small turn to the next set easily, hand still resting in place.

Syo took his time answering. He didn't want to scare Otoya, but he wasn't going to lie either. Even though he stood behind the other teen, he still shook his head. "No." But it wasn't unusual for his mother to be gone, while his father he had expected to be here.

"What do we do after we get Nagi?"

The blonde sighed. "We leave."

"And go where?"

"Does it matter?"

Otoya looked down at his feet, eyes filled with hurt. "No, I guess it doesn't."

Taking a deep breath, Otoya put his right foot on the wooded floor of the third floor landing. His shaggy red bands dipped into his eyes as he looked through fluttering eyelashes. He didn't bother to look back at Syo's reaction to the empty dusty space that he once lived in and loved.

"Last door." Otoya pointed, letting Syo move around him.

The blonde nodded, not needing to say anything. His blue eyes dulled. This barren place was just a ghost of his childhood now. Even so, it wasn't as if he played to much in this place. In his clammy palms he clenched the keyring tightly. He couldn't bring himself to tell Otoya that no matter where they went, Kaoru would find them. The blonde shook his head rapidly, making the other look over at him with concern. Syo knew the only way to stop everything, but for now he would keep it to himself.

He stopped in front of the wooden door. This door... Syo tilted his head, he had no idea what had been behind this door. A drop of sweat ran down his face as he lifted the keyring up. There were many keys of different shapes and sizes. The first one he tried was a small rusty one, that was far to big for the lock.

After a few, he finally brought a square golden key up to the handle. He looked back at the redhead with quizzical blue eyes. Otoya nodded. The click of the lock unlatching echoed throughout the empty halls.

Immediately chains rustled on the other side of the door. Fingernails screeched against the tiled floor. They could hear Nagi's heavy breathing. Syo pulled the door open to be greeted by darkness. Dim light from the mostly covered windows, in the halls, were all that lit the room. They could see the rosette trying to claw his way to the door, only to have the chain's binding his ankles stopping him.

"Nagi!" Otoya shouted pushing passed Syo, rushing to the other.

Nagi looked at him with large eyes, heavy bags underneath. His mouth opened and closed as if he were talking. Still no sounds came from the young boy.

Syo entered the room. Nagi struggled to back away. His gray eyes darted over to the other side of the room. The shape of a bed could be made out. Syo let his hand fly over the wall searching for the light switch.

Nagi, realizing that it is not Kaoru, raised his hand up and brought it down as if he were pulling something. He then points to the bed. Syo frowned. His hand still placed on the wall, he guided himself slowly over to the bed. It didn't take long for his leg to hit the leg of a small table. He let his and fall from the wall to the table top. He felt a small lamp. Then one and one clicked together, he tugged lightly on the string, flicking the light on.

He gasped cover his mouth with his hands, letting the keys in his left hand fall to the floor. "No."

"Syo-chan, what's wrong?" Otoya stood from his knees taking a step closer.

"No! Don't come closer." He said moving his hands from his mouth to just above the face of the person resting on the bed. It was as if he couldn't even touch the person. With the lamp light being so dim, Otoya couldn't see who it was.

"Syo?"

Blue frightened eyes turned mean, dark, cold. Syo raced out of the room, muttering something.

Otoya, confused, stepped closer to the person. The light shines off his sleek golden curls. Green eye looked dully up at nothingness, a vacant smile on his pale pink lips beneath his plastic mask.

"Natsuki? Na-chan, you're alive?" Otoya shook him slightly.

Nothingness, he didn't blink, he didn't move, if not for the mask he probably wouldn't even breath. The vacant stare remained on his face.

The rattling of chains brought Otoya back to his senses. He looked down at the floor, grabbing the keys. When he stood up again, things were different. Even as dark as the room was, it had grown darker, more eerie. The feeling of cold liquid hit his shoulder, steeping through is shirt. He turned back to Nagi, who looked even more frightened.

This wasn't really, it had to be another dream. Otoya's eyes widened. The walls, the floors, everything, it was all covered in blood. It oozed out of the floor boards.

"This isn't real, right?" The redhead's voice asked Nagi, who could only stare back at him.

Ai pulled Reiji along by the hand. The brunette looked around wide-eyed as they ran. He hadn't seen outside of that room in over two months. The walls were dark, damp. Skimming his hand across, Reiji felt the moisture. Lookin at his hand he could tell it was blood.

"Ai?"

The cyan haired teen looked back. He smiled with a hint of fear.

"Ai, what's happening to this place?"

"I don't know, but when we get out, we leave."

"What about the others?" Reiji asked.

"Don't worry about it." Ai's smile dipped into a frown. He looked away from Reiji to get his barrings. The stairs were up ahead. They just needed to make it to the stairs.

Reiji looked down at the flooring. The blood steeping through his shoes didn't bother him. At the moment, he didn't even care where it came from. He just continued to run, his hand firmly being held, fearlessly, by someone ten years younger than he. Someone whose face was being covered by the crimson that dripped from the ceiling.

"Aren't you afraid?" The brunette questioned.

"Yes."

"I'm afraid too. Like, what if-"

"That's not what I'm afraid of. I'm terrified of what remains."

Syo clammered down the steps. His small feet pounding harshly against the wood. Blue furiously, rapidly, scanning each floor, until he reached the first one. The front door opened to show almost a mirror of himself.

"I guess you found my surprise," Kaoru's lips split into a sadistic smile. "sooner than I expected."

"Why?" Syo shouted.

"Did Ittoki not show you that book I left with Nagi? How unexpected. I suppose he didn't trust you either."

"Answer me!"

Kaoru took a step closer setting his keys next to a blue vase filled with flowers. "Because I felt like it."

Syo's eyes sharpened. "And Nastuki?"

"Oh, he was so fun to play with. He tried so hard to get away, to get to you." Kaoru took another step.

"This isn't a game!" Syo yelled, taking a step away from his brother. "I know what you did to Starish. It wasn't a dream like this isn't a game!"

"Of course it is."

"No... I-it-it's murder."

"Then show me how mad you really are. Let's play one more game."

"I don't want to play your games."

"Nii-chan, if you win, it will be our last game."

The older twin looked at the other, their faces only inches apart. "What kind of game."

Kaoru's sadistic smile grew wider. "Oh, it's a very simple game..."

Otoya placed his hand on the railing once again, he didn't even mind the blood. This time Nagi's small cold hand found it's way to his other unused hand. Making their way slowly down the stairs, careful of each footfall.

That was until a crash chimed out. Screams and shouts could be heard. Scrambling around on the wooden floor also called out through the empty house.

"Syo?" Otoya called, picking up his pace, hand still firmly wrapped around Nagi's.

When he didn't hear an answer he forcibly dragged Nagi along, not caring if the other was being soaked in blood. It didn't matter, the liquid dipped from the ceiling so it would eventually cover them anyways.

He didn't see it until he reached the bottom of the steps. Even then his attention was drawn to the door just left of where he was opening. Out spewed Reiji and Ai. No, it was Reiji who pointed it out first. It made Otoya wonder how he had not seen, never mind heard it.

Syo laughed wildly, petting the blonde hair of his brother. Well, blonde-ish. His own hair was also covered in the crimson coloring of his brother's blood. His eyes somewhat vacant, but nothing like Kaoru's dead dull eyes. A shard of blue glass sticking out of his neck.

"Syo-chan." Otoya called hiding Nagi behind him, much the way Ai tried to push Reiji into a hiding spot between him and the still opened basement door.

The blonde looked at him, astonished by his fear. "I-it's okya now. I-I won his game. We can leave. We can be free..."

His last word slipped out like a whisper. He let his hand fall from Kaoru's head down to his own bleeding wound. His blue eyes closed and he embraces the darkness.

"Syo-chan!" Natsuki's voice rang out.

Syo's blue eyes opened to the world. They fell on Nastuki's bright smile, light shining in his room. Ai's bed perfectly made as always. Ai's bed... Ai's bed! He bolted up and looked around.

N-na-natsuki? What day is it?"

The older blonde put a finger up to his lip and tapped lightly. Brow furrowed. "July... July... July something."

"What?"

"23rd!" Natsuki exclaimed finally remembering. "Anyways Syo-chan hurry up. We have practice with Nanami after breakfast!"

"Nanami's alive?" Syo pushed his blanket off of himself, standing quickly.

"Um, yes?" He tilted his head. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Syo rubbed his eyes. "I-I think... but it felt so real."

"Oh poor Syo-chan. I'll sleep with you next time so you don't have anymore bad dreams."

"But-but, was it really just a dream?"

"Oh, yeah! Syo-chan you have a letter from Kaoru down in the kitchen. Ren and Otoya really wanna open it so I would hurry." Nastuki smiled. It was a strange smile, mixed with cruelty and knowingness.

"Natsuki?" Syo looked at him, blue eyes scared and cold.

"Don't worry Syo-chan, I know it's just a bad dream." He waved his friend off. That a mile not leaving his lips, eyes sharp, and he closed the door.

I'm not sure it was just a dream. Or is where I am now just a dream?

Taaada! The end. Hehehe, did you guys like the good ending? Oh and Starishadow, foolish hopes made this ending so fun to write out. It's amazing that you were able to guess what I was going to do.

Anyways- thank you guys for being awesome. Even just reading it made me happy! But no fears I'll be back with another horror soon. In fact I take requests too.

Disclaimer- not mine, but I'd love to own it.