Me: Sooo sorry for the wait!
Rukia: You better be. Do you know how hard it is to be patient at a time like THIS in the story?
Ichigo: (yawns) At least I got some fucking sleep.
Me: Oh, right. Thanks, reviewers, for making Ichigo stop throwing random medieval objects at me!
Ichigo: Yeah...thanks so much...for letting the annoying freak of nature live.
Me: (sweet voice) Ichigo, dear, don't make me kick your ass.
Ichigo: Ignoring that.
Rukia: Enjoy the chapter!
Peyton grinned to herself as the rest of them (even Ichigo) gaped at Magic Kingdom. Especially Cinderella's Castle.
"I think we should split up," Karin commented after a few moments.
Peyton nodded. "Sure. But we should all meet up somewhere..."
"How about in front of the big-ass castle that's easy to find?" Ichigo deadpanned.
Everyone nodded. "Right!"
Isshin and Yuzu held up their index fingers, pointing to the sky like cheesy superheroes. "Off we go!"
Ichigo and Rukia sweatdropped as the two ran off, and Peyton and Karin shook their heads. "...Peyton, tell me, how easy is it to get devastatingly lost in this place?"
"Extremely."
"Great. They'll be crying in corners within the hour."
"Doubt it, Karin. Dad's too damn loud to be missing for long."
"Not if we say we didn't hear him," she pointed out, and they all nodded slowly. "This is true..."
Peyton rolled her eyes and strolled off. "Whatever, ya'll do what you want, but I'm goin' to ride some rides!" Rukia ran after her, and Peyton turned to look at Ichigo once she caught up with her. "You comin' with us?"
He scoffed. "With you? I'll pass."
"Suit yourself, Strawberry, just watch out for the 'It's A Small World After All' ride," Peyton said rather ominously, making even Karin pause to look at her.
"...The what?" they all asked, and she nodded solemnly.
"Yep. It's over with all the little kid rides in the Fantasyland section. Somewhere around Peter Pan, I think. And it's got kids in it singing the theme song, 'It's A Small World After All', right? ...If you're by yourself, or acting bad, one or two workers'll kidnap you and chain you down to the floor of the ride after teaching you the song, and you have to sing on the ride until you die and they switch you out with some other kid."
They all gaped at her, and she shrugged. "Ask Seth. That's why he didn't wanna come, he saw a skeleton floating in the hot air balloon where a clown should be. The sad part is that some of the workers here even WARN YOU, but you know how people are. They just...don't...listen," she said ominously before smiling at them. "So. Just watch out for that."
Ichigo laughed nervously, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing at the obvious fear written on his face. "That's the stupidest story I've ever heard, Peyton...heh...Karin, wanna come with me?"
"Very much so," she said quickly, and they ran off. Rukia looked to Peyton with wide eyes.
"Is that TRUE?"
"Oh, of course it is! I can't make this shit up, Rukia."
THREE HOURS LATER...
"If we have to wait one minute longer, I'm ripping Walt Disney's mustache right off!" Rukia snarled, which earned them both a dirty look from one of the moms in line behind them.
"Ignore the scary little lady," she told her son, who nodded fearfully.
Peyton flashed them an apologetic smile before leaning to whisper in Rukia's ear. "You can't do that, he's dead. ...Well...I take that back, you could always sneak into the cryo lab. I hear he got himself cryogenically frozen."
"Like Austin Powers?" Rukia asked curiously.
Peyton sweatdropped, having expected to have to further explain what it was. "...Yeah. How the hell did you - "
"Oh, thanks so much for saving my spot in line!" Ichigo said smoothly, sliding up next to Peyton.
Peyton smirked and said nothing; she wanted to see how he'd react to Splash Mountain. Rukia, however, pointed a finger at him. "Hey! We split up, remember? That's skippi-"
Ichigo and Peyton both covered her mouth, and Peyton laughed nervously as the still-angry mom smiled sweetly. "Was she about to say you were skipping, young man?" she asked innocently.
"NO," Ichigo and Peyton stated. The mom gave them dirty looks and unzipped her fanny pack rather harshly to store her sunglasses, but dammit, she should've minded her own business to begin with.
Finally the line moved, and they could see the logs from their new spots. Peyton just silently hoped neither Rukia nor Ichigo wouldn't attack the tiny creatures on the ride. Speaking of Rukia, she was bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. "Is Chappy going to be on this ride?"
"He better not be, or I'm suing the frozen old fart," Peyton muttered dangerously. The nosy woman behind them sighed in dismay again. Screw her, Chappy was scary as hell!
"Don't worry, I'm sure Ichigo would protect you," Rukia commented innocently. Ichigo and Peyton both gave her a glare before huffing moodily. Luckily for them, it was their turn to board.
Peyton pumped her fist, immediately cheerful again. "Heck yuuusss!" Ichigo and Rukia sweatdropped as she leapt into her seat and dragged them both in with her, and she just grinned. "We got front-row seats. It ups our chances of getting wet," she explained happily.
Rukia drooped. "Wet? As in soaked-to-the-bone wet, or wow-that-felt-good wet?"
"Right in the middle, if we're lucky. Heeee-re we go!" Peyton announced as the log started moving forward.
LESS THAN A MINUTE LATER...
"...Please explain why the hell we're surrounded by stuffed animals," Ichigo asked Peyton with a sweatdrop.
Peyton turned her head sideways to look at him, having placed herself in the middle since she knew they'd ask her about a million questions. It was kind of a given with them. "Have you ever heard of Brer Rabbit? ...That rabbit that thinks he's the shit 'cause he's smarter than a fox and a dumb-ass bear? Oh, SURELY you've heard of at least 'Zippidy Doo Dah'?"
He just sweatdropped and shook his head. "You must've forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"That I'm not a redneck, dumbass, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."
Peyton huffed. "Sheesh, you just had to say so. Okay, so basically this rabbit keeps outsmarting the wolf and bear while he's out looking for adventure. ...I promise that the slightly-creepy animatronics are worth it," she assured him. He crossed his arms, unconvinced.
As if on cue they went down a steep drop, and Ichigo let out a surprised yell like everyone else. He hadn't been paying attention, as per usual.
When they were out of the dark tunnel-like-area-thing, Peyton grinned smugly at him. Before she could say anything, he just scowled at her with a templethrob. "...Shut up, Peyton."
"Would you PLEASE be quiet? I'm trying to hear the story!" Rukia hissed, watching with wide eyes every scene they passed. Peyton smiled at her rather child-like expression, but it quickly turned into a scowl when Ichigo huffed next to her. "Damn bossy midget. I'm surrounded by midgets..."
THWACK!
"Ow! Goddammit!"
"NEXT TIME, I'M THROWING YOU OUTTA THE BOAT!"
"There are CHILDREN aboard!" someone shouted behind them, making Peyton shake her head at him with a tsk-tsk-tsk noise.
"Yeah, Ichigo. Children. They're very impressionable, you know."
They went down another drop, successfully interrupting Ichigo's comeback. Peyton stared at him expectantly, but he just crossed his arms again and suddenly decided to look at the ride as if it were fascinating.
"..."
"..."
"...You forgot your comeback, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
She bit her lip to keep from snickering, deciding she should probably at least pretend she was paying attention to the ride. "I sure wouldn't want those hanging around me," Ichigo muttered a few minutes later. He was referring to the vultures perched above them on a branch, dressed up for a funeral as their log climbed up a big hill.
"Time to be turning around..."
"If only you could!"
"If you finally found your laughing place..."
"How come you aren't laughing?"
"So, you're looking for a laughing place, eh?"
"We'll show you a laughing place!"
The vultures chuckled down at them, continuing their dialogue and making Ichigo's eye twitch as if he were taking it personally. Which he probably was, the dumbass.
Peyton nudged him, cocking her head at Rukia. He couldn't help but grin like she was; Rukia was so absorbed in the story that her mouth was slightly open and she was bouncing slightly with anticipation as to how it ended. Peyton clapped her hands together rather theatrically, and she noticed that dreadfully nosy woman STILL behind them had jumped and was now staring daggers at the back of her head.
"Alright, here it comes! It's gonna take our picture, just warning you. And also, you can stop glaring at me like that now, Nosy Lady Behind Me, I promise I won't eat your kid or anything," she stated cheerfully.
Ichigo laughed as the lady made an "Eek!" noise, whereas Rukia had barely heard any of that, focusing instead on Brer Rabbit's voice.
"Do what you want to me. ...But please, please don't throw me in that briar patch!"
"Isn't that where he lives?" Rukia asked, brows furrowed in confusion. "If I recall correctly, that was in one of the first scenes we passed in our log contraption!"
Peyton held up a hand as if reassuring a toddler that they'd been heard. "Be patient, Rukiaaa, wait for it!"
They reached the peak of the hill and could see people on a bridge, waiting for them to shoot down the 150-foot-drop. They heard the dumb bear say thoughtfully, "Brair patch?"
Peyton glanced to her left and right, thoroughly enjoying Ichigo's and Rukia's expressions as they understood at their own respective speeds what was going to happen.
And then they shot down, everyone screaming with excitement (or terror, in a couple little kids' cases). They swooped down into the water with a huge splash, and it pretty much enveloped the front two rows. Peyton and Ichigo were laughing their asses off, and Rukia was fingering her shirt worriedly, trying to keep it from sticking to her skin.
"Oh, hell yeah! It gets fun all over again every time," Peyton commented between laughs, wringing out the ends of her hair cheerfully. As they headed for the exit, they stopped to look at the pictures on the screens.
Ichigo pointed to theirs, and Peyton laughed. The two were giving each other bunny ears with sneaky looks, as if the other person wouldn't notice (Peyton had had no clue, but still); it was so cheesy and stupid that it was actually a little funny. Rukia was gawking down at the drop, her mouth a giant "O". The wind was blowing her hair off her face, making her widened violet eyes look even wider.
"...Yeah, we need to work on that. Buy the perfect picture before we leave," Rukia commented. "And this time I'll be ready, because now I've heard the fascinating tale of Bray-er Rabbit!"
"...Rukia, it's Brer Rabbit. Brer."
"That's what I said, Bray-er!"
"I told you, Peyton, you keep forgetting who the redneck is here," Ichigo said innocently, earning a smack upside the head from said redneck.
They continued to use the Spot-Holding System for all the "big-kid rides"...and even rides that Ichigo specifically told Peyton and Rukia to never tell anyone he rode under threat of stuffing them both in lockers. Peyton knew he wouldn't, but decided that it was better to be one of only two people to know that Ichigo had managed to squeeze his tall ass in a honeypot to ride Winnie the Pooh per Rukia's request.
It got dark and close to closing time way too soon for anyone's liking, and they had rode almost every ride at least once...and a handful of rides more than twice. Yuzu and Karin were exhausted, and Isshin decided it was time to "Put me- er, I mean, my daughters- to bed!"
The three teens stayed out and swore they would catch the bus when they were done. "Next up...The Haunted Mansion," Peyton announced in a low tone, adding a spooky laugh as they strolled down Liberty Square, heading for the creepiest building in Magic Kingdom.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It can't be that scary."
"Oh-ho-HO, Ichigo, it's Piss Your PANTS scary!"
"It can't be any scarier than your face was when Matsumoto made you wear that green mask thing."
"...It was exfoliating lotion, and she assured me it would help preserve my Southern tan," Peyton grumbled, temple throbbing. But then she suddenly smirked, and Ichigo sighed. "What now?"
"I'll bet you twenty bucks that you jump from the scariness of that ride in ten minutes tops," she said simply.
"Deal," he replied without hesitation, and they shook on it.
"Wow, you guys are finally holding hands?" Rukia asked. Apparently she hadn't heard their conversation and happened to turn around at the wrong time...although, to be fair, they were the idiots who hadn't let go of each other's hand yet.
"DAMMIT RUKIA!"
"Look, calm down before you have a coronary!" Peyton snapped, then grinned somewhat maniacally. "That's what the ride's for."
The mansion itself was enough to give you a shiver of anticipation; the bugs and crickets that had come out only added to the creepy manor music they had playing around the property. It all had an air of being decripit and eery despite being well-maintained. Out front, Ichigo and Peyton both had to explain to Rukia that the carriage outside with a missing horse had an invisible horse and driver, hence the hoofprints and the harness that looked to be attached to something. She then demanded Peyton take a picture to prove it to her, which she had done, and promised to get it developed as soon as possible.
Now they were standing in line with other people on the mansion's side, a grassy hill to their left with tombstones on it. "There, look at the tombstones, you still have that pissed look on your face," Peyton grumbled, knowing good and well that neither Ichigo nor herself were fun to deal with at night. She didn't want to ruin Rukia's first time riding one of her all-time favorite rides with his bitching.
Ichigo huffed and did as she suggested, pointing to one in particular a few moments later. "Who's she? Is she on the ride, or just some random person?"
It had a picture of a woman on it, and the enscription read:
"DEAR SWEET LEOTA
BELOVED BY ALL
IN REGIONS BEYOND NOW,
HAVING A BALL"
Peyton grinned. "That's the crystal ball lady, Madame Leota. You'll figure out who she is as soon as you see her, I promise."
They were soon both laughing like idiots at the downright odd sayings on the other tombstones:
"DEAR DEPARTED
BROTHER
DAVE
HE CHASED A
BEAR INTO
A CAVE,"
"IN MEMORIUM
UNCLE MYALL
HERE YOU'LL LIE
FOR QUITE A WHILE,"
"REST IN PEACE
COUSIN HUET
WE ALL KNOW
YOU DIDN'T DO IT,"
"MASTER GRACEY
LAID
TO REST
NO MOURNING
PLEASE
AT HIS
REQUEST
Farewell,"
"HERE LIES
A MAN NAMED
MARTIN
THE LIGHTS WENT
OUT ON THIS OLD
SPARTAN,"
"HERE LIES
GOOD OLD
FRED
A GREAT BIG ROCK
FELL ON HIS HEAD
R.I.P.,"
and
"At Peaceful Rest Lies
BROTHER
CLAUDE
PLANTED HERE
BENEATH THIS
SOD."
"You know, they're all named after people who worked on Haunted Mansion back in the '50s, and most of 'em were huge animation pioneers," Peyton informed him. He nodded slowly, impressed, while Rukia just sighed impatiently and pulled them along. "The line's moving, hurry up! You can be Disney History nerds later!"
As they got closer and closer to the entrance, Peyton felt...uneasy. Goosebumps had already popped up on her and Rukia's arms, despite the humid Florida air. She glanced up at Ichigo, who looked relatively calm, but she could still tell he was a little uneasy himself. The Haunted Mansion's eery theme music was still playing, getting louder the closer they got. A woman and man, both dressed as butler and maid with green-and-black color schemes, stared unwaveringly at them all.
They looked to each other before the maid opened the door, the butler ushering them in. The three followed them wordlessly, fellow tourists chattering loudly all around them. It was rather annoying, actually, but they quieted down as soon as they heard an ominous voice ring out:
"When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker, where the air is deathly still. That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion! I am your host, your...ghost host. Hmm hmm hmm hmm. Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone," the voice from some unknown source instructed.
Rukia gulped, making Ichigo roll his eyes. "Honestly, Rukia. We fight Hollows on a daily basis, and you're scared by a ride about ghosts?" he asked in a whisper, not wanting the other tourists to overhear.
"I'm not scared!" she cried out indignantly, pouting slightly. Peyton didn't say anything, confused by how uneasy she still felt. She'd never felt like that on the ride before.
The smirk never left Peyton's face, however, as Ichigo put on his best bored expression while the voice went on about the ride. The room was just as she remembered it; same circular shape, same stripes of green, pink, and a decaying sort of yellow on the wallpaper. The portraits were the same, too. One had a middle-aged-at-best woman with her dark brown hair in a weird bun spiraling up atop her head and a rose in her clasped hands, one had a man with facial hair that belonged on a Russian with a pen and document in his hand, one featured a man wearing a bowler hat and smug grin with crossed arms, and finally, one had a pretty young girl with a parasol and an outfit that suited a ballerina.
Rukia's neck craned every which way to take it all in, standing on her tip-toes and using Peyton for balance occasionally. But then the room started growing, something that couldn't go unnoticed even by Ichigo.
"There's no turning back now. Our tour begins here, in this gallery, where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptable, mortal state. Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of forboding. Almost as though you sense a...disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination, hmm?"
The paintings' lower halves exposed funny images, but they were made slightly creepy when the music and overall tone of the ride was taken into account. The older woman was revealed to be sitting on a tombstone that read "Rest in peace, Dear Beloved George"; there was a bust of a man at the foot of the tombstone with an ax in his head, suggesting she was an axe murderer.
The man with the Russian facial hair and the pen and document was revealed to have no pants on, his red-and-white striped underwear showing proudly as he stood atop a barrel marked "DYNAMITE", a candle lighting a fuse that coiled to the bottom of the painting.
Bowler Hat Dude was revealed to be sitting on the shoulders of one man, who was sitting on the shoulders of another, who was about chest deep in a tan puddle labeled "QUICKSAND" on a tribal-looking sign.
The ballerina woman was balancing on a tightrope above an alligator, jaws open and waiting for her to fall. The pleasant smile on her face was more than a little creepy now.
Rukia laughed gleefully at the pictures; obviously Disney World brought out the inner kid in her, just like it did for everyone else. Even Ichigo grinned for a second - and it sounded like he chuckled to himself, then caught Peyton smirking up at him and quickly returned to his bored expression, complete with his trademark scowl this time.
"And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows, and no doors. Hmm hmm hmm hmm. Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! AHAHAHAHAHA! ...Of course, there's always MY WAY..."
Suddenly the lights cut off, making everyone reflexively look up. The ceiling seemed to disappear or at least get higher for a split second, revealing an image of a man hanging by a noose in front of a glass window. Among the screams, Ichigo's and Rukia's were the loudest, and they all screamed again when a shrill ghost-like scream rang out, moving all around them like the narrating ghost's had before there was a shattering and thud noise.
Even Peyton jumped and screamed at it all, having never noticed the hanging man until today. She had always hidden her face against her mom once the lights cut off, having expected an actual ghost lingering in the ride to take the opportunity to talk to her - even at their last visit to Disney World, only three years ago.
When the lights came back on, Peyton and Ichigo barely had any space between them - in fact, there virtually was none. He was lucky she hadn't jumped right into his arms, one of which looked to have been about to wrap around her. They both cleared their throats awkwardly and slid away from each other, much to Rukia's amusement as she patted her chest. "Stupid gigai...its pulse appears to be malfunctioning..."
Ichigo and Peyton sweatdropped at that, but decided not to comment since the "Ghost Host" had started talking again.
"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely! Hmm hmm hmm hmm...The real chills come later. Now - as they say, 'look alive', and we'll continue our little tour. And let's all stay together please," the ghost instructed as the butler opened the door that had suddenly appeared behind Ichigo. It made him jump yet again, proving without a doubt she had won their bet.
Rukia grinned as Peyton held out her hand triumphantly, and Ichigo sighed and handed over twenty bucks. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir," she said in a cheerful British accent, making the butler raise his eyebrows.
The door on the other side of the room opened to let more people into the ride, and both Ichigo and Peyton jumped with a yell. Rukia held out her hand smugly, and Peyton sighed before handing over five of the twenty bucks. "Pleasure doing business with you, madam," Rukia commented.
"Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step. Do not pull down on the safety bar, I will lower it for you. And heed this warning: We spirits will materialize only if you remain quietly seated at all times. Oh yes, and no flash pictures please! We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights."
Peyton once again sat in the middle, with Ichigo on her left and Rukia on her right. She couldn't help but get an eye twitch when a maid checked the bar to make sure it was lowered all the way and brushed her hand across Ichigo's arm, giggling to another maid as their little Doom Buggy left.
Ichigo smirked down at her expression. "What's with that look on your face? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous or something."
She flushed, but quickly recovered by pushing him back so he was pressed completely into the Doom Buggy. "Would you move your tall ass outta my way? I'm gonna miss half the ride," she grumbled, trying not to show her satisfaction at his own flush from her lingering hand against his chest.
"You're free to look on my side. In fact, I would prefer it that way," Rukia muttered, eyes wide as they moved through the dark hallways. Lightning flashed in the windows, revealing hidding pictures within the pictures on the walls; a woman on a couch turned into a ferocious tiger woman, another turned into Medusa, and a ship turned into a raggedy Flying Dutchman-looking one, among other things. A teenaged girl that had been ahead of them thought she was extremely hilarious and decided to let out a shrill scream less than thirty seconds into the ride, successfully scaring the crap out of Rukia.
They then rode into the library, surrounded by books and busts of men, the latter following them with their eyes as they moved past. "Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions - only ghost stories, of course," the Ghost Host explained with a chuckle. "And marble busts of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known..."
"Freaky," Rukia breathed, making Ichigo chuckle with amusement. Peyton still felt unbelievably anxious, and the goosebumps were returning the further they went along the ride.
They moved on to the music room, where an unknown pianist was smashing away at the keys. "They have all retired here, to the Haunted Mansion. ...Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for one thousand. Any volunteers? If you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour." In the middle of his statement, they had moved onto a staircase with candlesticks that went across the room on Rukia's side, both the stairs and candles being upside-down and right-side-up to make random patterns down what seemed like an endless hallway. Glowing green footsteps appeared, walking across the stairs above their heads and slowly fading away. Dozens of big eyes stared at them, blinking ominously in the darkness.
"Freaky," Rukia repeated. "From what I've seen, I don't believe this is an ordinary house by any means..."
"...No shit," Ichigo and Peyton deadpanned, shaking their heads at her statement.
Their buggy trudged on up the stairs, turning every which way to give them the full effect of the doors with knockers knocking of their own accord, and a candle floating in an invisible person's hand down a hallway.
"We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat; every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills! Ssshhhh, listen..."
They did listen, and heard moaning and screaming and crying. Even Ichigo gulped, and Peyton noticed he had goosebumps as well. So she wasn't the only one feeling it...
They looked at the coffin with the lid being pushed straight up by skeleton arms from inside it, the nails that were supposed to have kept the coffin shut poking out in the green light. "All our ghosts have been dying to meet you! This one can hardly contain himself," the Ghost Host said with a chuckle.
Peyton chuckled as well, though she could hear her own anxiety in it. What the hell was going on? Why did she feel so uneasy and...somewhat frightened?
They made a sharp turn into a room to the left, one with floating instruments and a strong female voice ringing out. "Unfortunately, they all seem to have trouble getting through. Perhaps Madame Leota can establish contact. She has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied..." And with that, the Ghost Host paused for a while, letting Madame Leota talk for a while.
Peyton looked at Rukia and Ichigo as their jaws dropped at the sight of the woman's head floating in a crystal ball that was hovering above a table in the center of the room. "Okay, even I didn't expect that one...That's most definitely Leota," Ichigo said matter-of-factly.
Her temple throbbed as Rukia waved her hand in Ichigo's face to shush him, smacking her in the process. "Shh! She's talking to us! It must be of importance, you should always listen to those speaking beyond the grave, Ichigo."
"YEAH, Ichigo."
"Shh, Peyton."
"Right."
"Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, call in the spirits wherever they're at. Rap on a table, it's time to respond, send us a message from somewhere beyond." There was rapping from right beside Rukia, making her jump with a slight squeal. Ichigo laughed, and Peyton sweatdropped.
"Rukia?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Get off my lap, please."
"Sorry, Peyton."
"Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine. Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond. Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint by ringing a bell!"
Sure enough, a bell suddenly rang out, followed by rapping on the table, all of which happened directly in front of Peyton and made her jump with a squeal of her own. This time, Rukia was the one laughing as Ichigo's temple throbbed.
"Peyton."
"Yeah, I know, off your lap, I get it," she grumbled, glad it was dark so neither of them could see her embarrassed blush. She'd been on this ride before, for crying out loud!
On that somewhat-climactic note, their buggy moved towards the exit door of the room, back onto the main track. "The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. They're assembling for a swinging wake and they'll be expecting me. I'll see you all a little later."
They were approaching a balcony, and Peyton bounced with excitement. This was one of her favorite parts; the ghost ball. All three of them peeked over the railing before it was fully in view, and Rukia's jaw dropped. There was dozens of ghosts down there for her viewing pleasure.
There was one perched on the top of a tall hearth's canopy, one below him in a rocking chair, a sea captain and person in a nighty and cap chasing each other, a long table with cake and wine and the like that seated a good twenty ghosts with some empty chairs here and there, drunk ghosts swaying to the music atop a huge chandelier, there were several dancing couples in ball gowns and top hats, and two paintings on the wall even had one ghost each in Civil War Era clothes that stepped out of their respective paintings and shot at each other in what appeared to be the unfair duel one of the tombstones had mentioned outside.
"...Whoa," Rukia breathed, "it's fascinating."
Ichigo nodded in agreement. "I have to admit, the effects are pretty damn impressive."
"I know, right?" Peyton said with a laugh, suddenly freezing mid-laugh as the feeling hit her full-force. Ichigo was stunned into silence as well, the goosebumps appearing on all three of them again. The rooms had all been noticeably colder in the mansion, probably to add to the ghostly effect, but now it was even colder; it had nothing to do with air conditioning this time.
"Please tell me at least one of you feels that," Peyton murmured, earning nods from both of them.
"It feels like a..."
"Ghost," Peyton finished, and they all started looking around.
Rukia shook her head slowly. "I've never felt a ghost like this."
"I have. It's your typical Southern ghost, really. Negative ghosts like this tend to have different, more frightening auras - it really sucks. ...We have a lot of poltergeists and negative-type ghosts around here, something I noticed ya'll don't really have in Karakura."
"Do Hollows count?" Ichigo deadpanned, rubbing his cold arms. There were whispers among the people in other buggies, as they were now able to see each other's breath. Peyton stared at the pictures they passed, each one with the same bride and a different groom. And each groom's head was shown to be missing after a few moments.
"...This is new...I don't remember this being here at all!" Peyton whispered, eyes wider than Rukia's.
"The hell do you mean?"
"Well, I heard that they'd refurbished it, so...this must be a new part of it."
"Whatever this is, the ghost's in here," Ichigo stated plainly as both he and Peyton's hairs on the back of their necks stood on end.
"You may kiss the bride..." an eery female voice hissed, making them all jump.
"We'll live happily...ever...after," she continued, and Peyton leaned forward to get a better look at their dark surroundings; they appeared to be in some sort of attic, with the wedding pictures scattered around along with tons of cobwebs, dowry trunks, and wedding dresses. ...Among other things, like your usual ancient attic objects.
"Where the hell's her voice coming from?" she wondered, gripping the safety bar tighter so they wouldn't see her hands shaking.
"Till death do us part..." Peyton abruptly fell back against her seat, leaning as far into the buggie as she could as the bride came into view. Her eyes were glowing, and with every sentence she said, a ghostly ax appeared in her clasped hands, her whole body illuminated with a ghostly blue glow. And she was unmistakably the only real ghost here.
A couple children cried, and some people whispered about how realistic she was and were either agreed with or were asked what they were talking about, there was no one there.
The bride looked directly into the three's eyes, one by one, causing shivers to run through them. "Heeeere comes the bride!" she practically sang, and Peyton instinctively inched closer to Ichigo as she stared back at the cackling ghost.
"...Should we go Soul Reaper?" Ichigo asked Rukia, not seeming to mind Peyton's close proximity level.
Rukia hesitated, but Peyton shook her head. "Leave her be."
"WHAT?"
"Shhh!" Rukia hissed, making Ichigo's eye twitch.
"Oh, so you're taking Peyton's side?"
"She's not hurting anyone, she's just scaring the hell outta those who can see her," Peyton pointed out. "Those who can't see her are just creeped the hell out by her voice and her aura corroding the whole room. Obviously it's good for Disney business, too, and people'll live here with a ghost story, so...The last thing I want is Mickey Mouse getting pissed at me."
"...Point taken," Ichigo and Rukia muttered, making her grin triumphantly as they finally passed the bride. They went into the backyard - another favorite of hers, which included a cemetary, ghosts flying around everywhere, two fat queens on a see-saw, a caretaker and his skin-and-bones dog shaking with fear, and zombie heads that popped up and scared even Peyton since they too were new. Also new were the five busts singing the "Grim Grinning Ghosts" theme song, one of which was crumbled and looking up at them from the ground. There was even a mummy and a Viking singer with the winged helmet and blonde braids, the whole shebang. And, of course, the three hitch-hiking ghosts.
But really, they passed by so much on the whole ride in general that Peyton was sure she'd missed some of it. In fact, she'd seen things she knew had always been there but had never paid attention to, just like she always did on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Much to their dismay, the ghost bride was perched on top of the column of the exit. "Hurry ba-ack...Hurry baaaa-ack...!"
Luckily, this one was a miniature and was meant to be there, if eveyone's pointing and "Oh, so THAT'S who was talking!" was any indication.
"Be sure to bring your death certificate...if you wish to join us...!"
Peyton shivered, and Rukia shook her head as she looked up at the ghost. "No thank you, I'll stick with Soul Society," she muttered, making Ichigo and Peyton sweatdrop.
"Rukia, she's not the actual ghost."
"I know, but just in case she was thinking I even considered the option..."
" ...Ah! There you are, and just in time! There's a little matter I forgot to mention... Beware of hitch-hiking ghosts! Hahahaha!" They passed by some mirrors, and Peyton winced at how pale and disoriented the ghost aura had made her, but ended up laughing when Rukia's reflection was replaced with that of the small bearded Hitchhiking ghost and she frantically felt parts of her body to make sure she was still there.
"How clever!" the tiny Soul Reaper praised, making even Ichigo grin to himself.
"They have selected you to fill our quota, and will haunt you until you return! AHAHAHA! Now, I will raise the safety bar and a ghost will follow you home!" their Ghost Host exclaimed, laughing as the safety bar was lifted up by invisible hands and the three climbed out before practically running across the little strip of moving floor. "Kindly watch your step, please, watch your step..."
"OHTHANKGOD!" Peyton and Ichigo shouted once they were outside, breathing in the hot, humid, non-ghost-aura-filled air.
"I hate those damn negative ghosts, they make my head hurt even worse than the normal ones," Peyton grumbled. Ichigo nodded in agreement.
"I don't think a ghost or Hollow's ever affected me that bad."
"Tch. You wouldn't last a week in my old house then - or neighborhood, for that matter. We had a Civil War battle there, so it's full of ghosts, both negative and normal. Our house had been used as a hospital, too, so it was like hell on earth for me and mom. We got used to it after a while, but it still sucked to be sitting there in the morning and have some negative ghost come along and make your cereal fly into the wall," she grumbled, making him chuckle and shake his head.
Rukia pointed to a set of what looked like crypt graves; they were built into a pink granite wall outside. "Look, look! 'Six winsome wives, some fat some thin, six of them were faithful, but the seventh did him in.'"
"Gee, wonder who the seventh was," Peyton muttered.
"I have my suspects," Ichigo replied, shaking his head again. "Amazing how I'm on vacation and I still see ghosts all over the place."
"Well, Ichigo, it IS called The Haunted Mansion," Rukia replied matter-of-factly, making his eye twitch. She then brightened, beaming at them both. "Wanna ride it again?"
"NO!" they shouted, and Peyton cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Erm, I mean...not tonight. It, uh...It's getting late. YEAH! It's getting real late! In fact, the park's bound to close any minute! SOOOO, I think we'll just end on a high note and come back to ride it again before we leave."
Ichigo nodded quickly in agreement, and they both practically dragged Rukia away from the mansion before she could even think about protesting.
They left before closing time, and Ichigo and Rukia were so tired that they didn't even realize Peyton wasn't on the bus with them.
She had slid out of line at the last second and snuck back into the park.
There were only a few people milling about here and there, but Peyton wasn't one of them. She was sitting on top of one of the Dumbos on the flying ride.
Peyton pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them; she had a perfect view of most of the park, thanks to her Dumbo being up in the air along with two other Dumbos.
It was so late that only a select few rides were still operating, and good old Dumbo wasn't one of them, so at least she didn't have to worry about it randomly springing to life and scaring the living hell out of her. She sighed, breathing in the Florida air deeply. It was different from Karakura Town, and more like Tennessee. Well, it was still different altogether, but it still made her think of her own sweaty, sweltering hometown.
It was strange being here, seeing all the characters and riding all the rides without mom. She had been her usual partner in crime; Seth and Dad used "male bonding time" as an excuse to get fast passes and speed through lines without them, and Lindsay was a huge fan of flirting away her boredom, so Peyton and her mom had always rode the rides together and passed the long waiting times making random observations and stupid jokes. ...And occasionally talking about various family members' stupidity, including her and mom's own.
So different...
"You think you're sooo sneaky," Ichigo commented from the very top of the ride, making her jump wiith a yelp.
"Ichigo! Don't do that, goddammit!" she hissed, regaining her balance at the last second after a good thirty seconds of spastic flailing.
He laughed and jumped down to the Dumbo she was sitting on, making her scowl.
"Why are you invisible?" he asked, scowling back at her.
"Why are YOU invisible?" Peyton shot back. How'd he know he'd find her if he went all Soul Reaper?
"I figured it wouldn't hurt. Didn't wanna get caught being in here after-hours."
Peyton grinned. "Urahara taught me. Apparently I can do more than that electricity stuff, I can sense and bend ultrasensitive auras. If I bend my aura just right, I can only be seen by...well, basically ghosts and Soul Reapers. I'm so using this in the other parks so I don't have to wait in lines."
Ichigo crossed his arms moodily. "I can't do that. I'd have to leave my body behind to avoid lines, and then Dad and Yuzu would chew me out for 'sleeping in' the whole time. Dammit."
Peyton laughed. "Sucks for you."
After a few moments of comfortable silence, she glanced at him. "You're quiet for once. It's nice...and scary."
He shrugged. "I'm tired and there's nothing to say."
"Then why don't you go back to the hotel?"
He shrugged again; that was becoming his trademark lately. "I dunno. Don't feel like it."
"But you just said you were tired," she pointed out.
He sighed in annoyance. "I know! I guess...hanging out with you's more fun at the moment. ...Plus, the last thing I need is you getting chased around by that Bride Ghost."
"Oh, Constance? She's over by Splash Mountain," Peyton replied, waving him off.
"...Constance. You know her name now?" he asked, eye twitching.
Peyton shrugged. "I was curious, it ain't a crime. They call her the Black Widow Bride, and the people in charge of the refurbishment had a member that saw her hangin' around, so they added her on. She's on the Disneyland version, too." She then secretively scooted closer to him, and Ichigo being Ichigo didn't notice, thank God.
"...Hey, Peyton?"
"Yo."
"Can I ask you something?"
God, she hated when people asked for her permission to ask her something. It always made her about five times more nervous. But all she said was, "Sure."
"It's about the mistletoe thing."
Great. This was going to get awkward real fast.
"...Okay, shoot."
He paused, starting to flush. "Why did you kiss me like that?" he finally asked in a rush.
Crap. Crap crap crap crap!
"...W-Well, why did you kiss me like that?" she retorted, forcing down the blush in her cheeks.
Yeah, Peyton. Turn the tables!
Ichigo sighed in annoyance, embarrassment completely forgotten. "Fine, I'm just not gonna answer that."
"Neither am I!"
"Good."
"Good!"
"Fine."
"Double fine."
"TRIPLE fine."
"QUADRUPLE fine!"
"And you know what?"
"What, Ichigo!"
"If you kissed me this very second, I would NOT kiss you like that!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, if you kissed me this very second, I wouldn't kiss you like that either!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Really?"
"REALLY, Ichigo."
"We'll see about that."
"Bring it!"
He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. "Prove it!" he fumed, temple throbbing.
"I will if you hurry up and kiss me, jackass," she snapped, grabbing him by the hair and hoping it hurt, but he seemed to like it more than anything.
They were just about to try and prove the other wrong when they heard a very shrill squeal. "OH! Look, it's Peyton and Ichigo!"
Me: (sly smile) Wow, Ichigo...are you just that competitive? 'Cause to me it seems you've got the hots for Peyton.
Ichigo: H-H-Hell no!
Me: (imitating his voice) W-what's with the s-s-stutter, then?
Rukia: Honestly, both you dumbasses shut the hell up!
Together: (look at shoes) sorrryyy, rukiaaaa..