After what seemed like an eternity of one horror right after another, the credits finally started rolling. Heaving a great sigh of relief, Kagami deflated against the couch feeling both exhausted and completely scared out of his wits. When The Ring had first been released in America, he'd made sure to avoid it all costs and now he knew why! If only he hadn't given in to Kuroko's whims he may have been able to sleep tonight ...
"Which one should we put in next?" Koganei said excitedly, holding up the two remaining DVD cases and comparing them.
Remembering that there were still two more movies left to watch, Kagami sat bolt upright. There was no way he could handle another one, he was already terrified as it was!
"We probably should have watched Ringu first, since it was the original." Hyuga said with a critical tone, eying the cases over Koganei's shoulder.
"By that logic, we should have read the novel before watching any of the movies!" Riko pointed out before reaching over Koganei and grabbing The Ring Virus out of his hand. "Lets just put this one in. I don't think it really matters."
"Please wait," Kuroko said, drawing everyone's attention. "There's a special feature on this disc which I think we should watch before continuing. I think it will add to the mood."
Mood? What mood! Kagami glared daggers at Kuroko but the stoic boy didn't even seem to notice as he used the DVD player remote to navigate back to the main screen before doing something lost on the red-head that made the screen go black. For a split second, Kagami thought it was malfunctioning and he was more than ready to wipe the sweat from his brow in relief when it suddenly blinked to life.
A short bout of static erupted across the black screen.
Then abruptly, an eclipse accompanied by a blood chilling skreeeeee, skreeeee sound.
Oh god, it was the cursed tape!
Quickly covering his face with his large hands, Kagami fought down the urge to scream aloud in terror but something made him pause. All around him, the bemused murmur of his teammates rose up and he found himself feeling quite foolish. He was a man, wasn't he? Surely he could watch a single fake video …
Peeking out between his fingers, Kagami watched the TV screen with bated breath.
More static.
Some kind of bubbling liquid, perhaps blood or maybe wine.
The mother from the movie who, pausing, glances directly at the viewer.
That wretched fly.
Gruesome images that made him wince and feel nauseous.
Squirming maggots.
The burning tree.
And suddenly, the well.
Kagami could feel tears stinging the backs of his eyes as he stared unblinking at the well, terrified of seeing even the slightest hint of Samara emerging from its depths to come kill him. His heart was thudding loudly within his ribcage but he couldn't look away. What if he missed it? What if she started to come out and he didn't see because he'd looked away? If he'd really been cursed by watching this video then wouldn't he see her ha-
All at once, overwhelming static that crackled and fizzed and made Kagami's heart leap up into his throat. Ramrod tiff with fear, he slowly leaned back into the couch. It was taking every fiber of his being to remain seated and not run off screaming. There was no way he could handle another movie, not after that.
The phone rang.
Jumping to his feet, Kagami bolted out of the room with a whirl of his vampire cape. The previously laughing and joking basketball team grew silent and listened as the front door slammed shut before exchanging looks with one another.
"Did he just leave?" Tsuchida asked incredulously.
"Kagami sure is a scaredy cat!" Said Riko with a laugh. "I'm sure he'll be back soon though. I mean, where could he possibly go?"
Having stood and walked over to the phone, Kuroko picked up the receiver. "Hello, Kagami residence." A pause. "You have the wrong number."
The tension in the room that no one had noticed until now dissipated and as Kuroko turned to face the others, lighthearted conversation rose up. Everyone was either talking about Kagami's whereabouts or the movie but no one seemed to be as scared as their host had been. Finally, after five minutes without a reappearance from the red-head, Kuroko volunteered to go find him.
(****)
Panting slightly, Kagami took a moment to lean against the side of a building and let his mind catch up with his body. He hadn't run very far but the adrenaline and fear had cut his endurance in half so he now felt exhausted and drained. Damn, he never should have agreed to watching those movies. He probably shouldn't have even thrown this party in the first place but how could he have ever imagined that Kuroko would bring those DVD's with him, especially knowing how much he hated scary stuff?
If he didn't know any better, he'd almost think his shadow had a sadistic side to him.
Deciding to suck it up and head back to the apartment, Kagami turned around only to find someone standing a scant few inches away from him, shrouded in darkness.
The basketball player screamed and backpedaled, heart going into overdrive all over again. He was more than prepared to let the tears start freely falling when the light of a nearby streetlamp caught on the glint of yellow hair.
Yellow hair?
"Whats up, Kagamicchi!" Kise proclaimed, emerging from the shadows.
Kagami had never wanted to break someones nose as much as he did in that moment. "K-Kise … what are you doing out here?" He ground out, struggling to keep himself in check lest he wildly attack the other boy who had quite literally just scared the snot out of him.
"I'm headed home from a date. And what about you?" Golden eyes roved over Kagami's appearance in a less than impressed way. "I like that you're trying to dress up your style a little but don't you think that outfits a bit … gauche?"
"It's a Halloween costume you jerk and you scared the crap out of me!"
Kise laughed amicably, waving a hand at the other boy to show that he hadn't meant any harm. "I know, I know! I'm only joking with you. You should try to be a little less serious, Kagamicchi. But I have to ask; you weren't trying to trick-or-treat were you? Japan isn't really into all that, y'know."
"Of course I know that!" Kagami shouted, hating the pitying look the blond was sending his way. He may have lived in America for most of his life but that didn't mean he was completely oblivious to how Japan worked.
"Then why are you out here all by yourself and dressed like that?" Kise asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"It's a long story," Kagami replied as he felt heat creep across his cheeks. He couldn't possibly tell one of his rivals that he'd been so scared by a movie that he'd fled in terror.
"Kagami-kun," said Kuroko, suddenly materializing out of the darkness.
Both Kagami and Kise screamed in surprise this time.
"K-Kurokocchi! You startled me!"
"Kuroko! For the love of god, you're going to give me a heart attack!"
"I'm sorry for scaring you. Are you alright, Kagami-kun?"
"As good as I'm going to be," The red-head grumbled, tugging his collar loose. Despite the night chill, he was burning up. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep soundly for a few months but at least I'm not dead, right?"
"That is a relief, yes." Kuroko paused, silently eying the taller boy. "If you're really that scared, we could use the method from the movie to transfer the curse to someone else."
Pulse quickening, Kagami regarded the fair haired boy almost suspiciously. Why had he brought that up so suddenly? Was he really that worried about Kagami's mental health?
"Um, what are you guys talking about?" Asked Kise, completely lost.
"Kagami-kun threw a Halloween party and we ended up watching The Ring but it really scared him. If we make a copy of the tape and have someone else watch it then we wont have anything to worry about." Kuroko turned a placid expression towards his former teammate. "Would you be willing to help us, Kise-kun?"
"Of course, Kurokocchi!"
"You don't … really believe in that kind of stuff, do you?" Kagami asked hesitantly, knowing that if Kuroko was worried about this supposed curse then he definitely had cause for concern.
"Not at all, but I don't want you to be scared for the next seven days like you were when you ran out of the apartment. I was the one who brought the movies so I'll take responsibility and help ease your fears, alright?"
Kagami stared at him wordlessly. Well, that was … touching.
"You're so kind, Kurokocchi!" Kise bubbled, clearly excited by Kuroko's request for help. Turning, he motioned for the other two to follow him. "C'mon, Kasamatsu-senpai doesn't live too far from here. We'll have you uncursed in no time!"
"And why would we go to his house?" Kagami grumped, falling into step behind the blond with Kuroko at his side.
"Because he has a VHS player, silly!"
(****)
Wow, there were a ton of hits for the first chapter and yet no reviews. That tells me you all either hate it … or you're waiting for the good stuff. I do so hope it is the latter. But yes! Chapter two is down, for anyone who made it this far. In no time at all, things are going to be 2spooky4you and you're all going to miss these SOL moments. The third chapter might be up sometime tomorrow evening, it really depends on how I feel after work. Ciao!