Chapter 2

Haru Hikaroa, an average, normal, fourteen year old albino: That's what most people, if not all, think he is. Of course, they look past the fact that he has white hair; as apparently that's 'un normal', but most seem to not care as others have teal, green, purple, pink, and other colored hair.

For the record, Haru wasn't this average, normal boy everyone thought he was.

In fact, he took an interest in the mythical legends of Japan. One had just so happened to catch his eye, and now he and his supposed 'father' always went to libraries around Japan to study it.

Now, most may ask; Well, isn't that normal?

Well, yes and no. It was normal for some people to be attracted to these fairytale legends. But, Haru and his father always took research to the extreme.

To the extreme of being killed to investigate it.

Haru's mother and older brother had been researchers like them. That is, until it went too far and they ended up being killed in a place known too many as "The Dark Woods". His mother and brother had been researching a legend about a family of eight who lived at the end of the maze in the Dark Woods in an abandoned old mansion.

The legend tells that this "family of eight", who apparently steal souls. And these so called eight, happen to not be a family at all. Most of them are related, but some are not.

Haru's mother and brother had figured out that only the Master, Mistress, and Princess were related to each other; with the exception that the Lady was the Mistress's sister. The Doll Twins, The Butler, and The Maid all seemed to not be related to the other four, and not even to each other. The Doll Twins are a pair of brother and sister, but the Butler and the Maid play no part in it.

Snapping back to reality, the fourteen year old had gone out the woods by himself. He regretted not leaving a note for his father; that is if it really was his father.

Haru had grown up alone. All by himself, he managed to fight through ten long years of being left alone. That is, until a white-haired man appeared before him one day claiming to be his long lost father.

Haru never believed him, but having no one to look up to or to care for him, accepted the man as he was; his father.

The only way he ever found out about his mother and brother being killed was through a newspaper. He had seen the paper saying that a black haired woman and raven haired boy being killed; their bodies found at the entrance to the Dark Woods, with the words "Leave Now" imprinted onto their bodies.

Their last names? Hikaroa.

Snapping back into reality once again, Haru continued on his way through the maze. It was in fact complicated, very complicated.

Everywhere he went, a dead end threatened him. Every corner he feared that something would pop out and eat him alive. And it wasn't helping that it was night out either, and he would be having such a hard time seeing if it wasn't for the full moon tonight.

Stumbling over a tree trunk, Haru fell onto the ground. "Oof!" Sitting up from whatever he had bumped his head onto; he looked around to find the letter he'd been carrying. Finding it and gripping onto it tightly, the boy stumbled to his feet.

In front of him, stood a mansion. The entrance was a set of double doors and there were two floors, if not three.

Three windows on the right…Four windows on the left. So there's seven windows total on the second floor. And, let's see…Thinking to himself, Haru began counting the windows on the first floor. One door on the left, and…oh geez, there's so many windows on the first floor. Too many to count.

Looking around, the boy began mumbling notes to himself. "A clearing in the middle of the woods, that's strange. And this mansion," He looked toward the mansion, "It wasn't here when I was in the maze. Wait, and speaking of the maze."

Turning around, Haru looked for the way he'd come out. To his surprise, there were only trees; no passage way or anything.

"That's strange, very strange," He looked toward the mansion, "It wasn't here when I was in the maze. Wait, and speaking of the maze."

Turning around, Haru looked for the way he'd come out. To his surprise, there were only trees; no passage way or anything.

"That's strange, very strange." Mumbling again to himself, Haru stepped up to the doors. Still clutching the letter, he knocked on the doors.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" He said aloud.

To his surprise, a click sounded on the other side of the door; unlocking it. Then, in a quick motion, the doors opened.