Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait. I've been watching Cry play Corpse Party and it inspired me to continue the Black Velveteen! So that, of course, is where inspiration comes from. You'll all be glad to know that this chapter involves our favorite blonde! This chapter is important; remember what is said here. It may help you solve the puzzle!

Anyway, it's good to be back here. I really missed this story! I'm rambling a little too much, aren't I? Okay—enjoy!

:OO: Chapter 13 : Horror of the Traitor :OO:

"Naoki!" Takeshi gasped, shrinking into the rotting doorway, cowering from the dimming light of the candle Naoki sat by in the center of the charcoaled room.

Slowly, Naoki rose his head from a strange black book he had balanced on one knee and stared at Takeshi. His eyes widened and he grinned a malevolent, twisted sort of grin. "Ah, Takeshi! So you have seemed to escape reality, haven't you?" The hair on the back of Takeshi's neck stood. "So, how did you like my oni, Takeshit? I should think it had a lovely time feasting on your remains, didn't it?"

Takeshi thought back to what had first happened when he had been sitting on the steps with Satō, plugging camera cords into an outlet by the fourth step. The bastard had said some pretty horrible things to Takeshi, going as far as calling him the reason his mother died four years earlier when she'd hung herself. Takeshi had wanted to punch him, but a larger part of him hated conflict.

He couldn't bring himself to inflict any damage on Satō. And he hated himself for it, hated himself for being so weak. Satō was right; Takeshi was useless. He'd said so from the very beginning, but Takeshi believed he could redeem himself.

Deep inside, he still thought so.

But before any violence could begin, that god-awful creature had emerged from the left hallway. Takeshi and Satō hadn't noticed it at first as they were focused on each other. But that thing, the oni, began to drool and the faintest drip of it saliva hitting the tiled floor had caught Takeshi's attention. He looked up, and wished he hadn't.

The oni lunged from the doorway and went straight for Takeshi. He screamed and ran up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him, the bag of flashlights he'd brought from home still in his grasp. Satō had watched him leave in shock but one glance over his shoulder sent him racing down the sideway.

Takeshi rushed into the first room he saw and hid in the first thing he laid eyes on—the cabinet in the back left corner of the room. He scrambled in, shut the doors, and huddled with his hefty bag of flashlights.

That was where Hiroshi had found him ten minutes later. Takeshi hadn't the mind to form words; he was in shock. But some part of him, his sane part, had reached out to grab Hiroshi as he pulled away and Takeshi found enough sanity to mumble what he had seen. He hoped it would be enough to protect Hiroshi in the future, though being the intellect he was, Hiroshi had denied it at first.

After several moments had passed, Takeshi had heard something inside the closet with him: soft, raspy weeping. He bolted out of the closet, leaving the flashlights and his bag behind, and fled the room. But the moment he had stepped through the door, something had changed. He'd felt it, but there was nothing different besides that.

Suddenly, without even realizing what was happening, Takeshi had literally sunk through the floor and the moment his head passed through, he lost consciousness. Then he'd woken up and found Eve.

He hadn't been killed by the—or a—oni, had he? He couldn't remember ever seeing the oni after being chased up the stairs that first time. If it were feasting on anyone's remains, he'd think it would be Satō's.

"Uh, w-what d-d-do you mean?" Takeshi murmured.

Naoki scoffed with amusement. "You really don't think it would have let you escape, do you? If you're like that—a spirit, dead—then it must have caught up to you. Wouldn't you think it's obvious how you died?"

Takeshi's tongue seemed to swell in his throat. But Eve said he hadn't died! Naoki had to be messing with him. "But I-I'm not dead! I'm still a-alive—"

"Oh, please," Naoki growled. "How could you be? You're a spirit now, which means you're dead. The only other way you could have died is if your stupid wits got you stuck in between a wall and a very hard place."

Takeshi shuddered. "No. No, I'm not dead!"

Naoki began to chuckle. "Not dead, huh? You honestly believe you aren't dead, Takeshi? Typical spirit in denial. That's exactly what you are!"

"I'm not!" Takeshi shouted, desperate to believe his own words. "I-I can't be! Another ghost t-told me I'm not!"

Naoki laughed until his eyes were streaming with tears. His laughter was heavy and harsh to Takeshi's ears. If it were anyone—anyone but Naoki—Takeshi, possibly, could have stood his ground. But Naoki's dark eyes slowly blackened until they were just as charcoaled as the burnt wood around him. His pupils were narrow and soulless and they terrified Takeshi to no end.

"A ghost telling another ghost they aren't dead!" He laughed. Suddenly, he was on his feet. Takeshi couldn't even remember watching him stand. "That's priceless! You really cannot think you're alive when it's so obvious you're dead! My oni found you, I watched him. It was, as our dear friend Nikoru would say, better than cable!"

"Your oni?" Takeshi exclaimed, utterly confused. "What do you mean, your oni? And-and—what are you talking about?!"

Naoki's grin twisted until it reached both his ears and his pupils were without a single glimmer of light from the candle. "I mean exactly what I say, Takeshi. The oni is mine. There are many onis all throughout the nexuses."

"N-nexuses?" Takeshi stammered, overwhelmed with the knowledge there were more than one of those creatures, more than one hunter searching for his friends. And Naoki had the power to control them. "What is that?"

"Oh, Takeshi," Naoki sighed, taking a few steps forward. Every thud against the floor made Takeshi's teeth rattle. "A nexus is a dimension, like the one you're in and the one your friends in. Takuro has momentarily escaped his own lonesome parallel universe, but notice how I say momentarily. And your nemesis, Satō, you'll be glad to hear, is under possession as we speak. However, I seemed to have corrupted the spell, so he may be lost forever. Mika, the whiny bitch, is cowering in a corner and, well, here I am. You are just as stupid as you look. I always thought that, you know. Since I first laid eyes on you." With another laugh, Naoki continued: "You are not as handsome as Hiroshi-kun, to be sure! He is superior to all of you fools, especially that bitch Nikoru. She thinks she's so wonderful and lovely, but really she's an attention whore!"

Takeshi shuddered and his heart sank into his stomach when Naoki spoke about Hiroshi the way he did, the way he insulted Nikoru mercilessly. Takeshi honestly thought Hiroshi was a douche and Nikoru was a little too hyper and not very school smart, but they were both great people. And Mika was lovely, the most loveliest of them all! Takuro was a great guy, though he was Takeshi's secret rival for Mika's affections, which Takeshi would never obtain now. But the words Naoki had spoken about Hiroshi…they made Takeshi shiver. It almost sounded as if this black-haired psycho was in love with Hiroshi. Then, an epiphany washed over Takeshi: Naoki was in love with Hiroshi. It was so obvious! Why hadn't Takeshi seen that?

"You-you did all that?" Takeshi whimpered. Witness to Naoki's new and true behavior, Takeshi was positive Naoki could never love. He could only obsess. He couldn't actually love Hiroshi. The wall between himself and Hiroshi was Nikoru; she loved Hiroshi, and Takeshi was positive Hiroshi loved her the same.

"I did." Naoki sounded proud of the fact. "But don't worry. You'll witness Umber's return in the end. You won't have the option to miss it. Even if your friends die before the time arrives, I will stabilize their spirits long enough to celebrate the event. Of course, you're already dead. But no matter, no matter." Naoki smirked. "You'll still be invited."

"I-I don't get it," Takeshi blurted, confused and bewildered more than he ever had been in his entire life and in any past lives before or after. "So that means I-I'm in s-some other dimension from m-my friends. And then how-how do you control the demons? How do you—"

Without even blinking or averting his gaze, Takeshi realized Naoki was standing right in front of him, his fingers curled around Takeshi's chin.

"Don't run ahead of the story, Takeshi," he cooed. Takeshi yelped and jumped backward out of his grasp. Naoki laughed again with amusement and Takeshi couldn't help but note that Naoki laughed a little too much. "This is only the beginning, Takeshi. The story hasn't actually begun!"

Takeshi glanced at the black book grasped tightly in Naoki's right hand and had a wild thought to make a lunge for it. Without even realizing what he was saying, Takeshi yelled, "Back off, Naoki! You don't scare me anymore! You're not a demon—you're a human being!"

A new expression took over Naoki's face. It was something Takeshi had never seen before. Naoki suddenly looked shadowed, as if he were his own silhouette come to life, yet he was still colored with pale grays, like watercolor stains on a dry canvas. His eyes were black, soulless pits that looked as if they could suck the life from a living spirit. Takeshi thought that if he were still living, Naoki would have absorbed his own life. And the frown stretched across Naoki's perfectly sculptured lips was a reflection of his eyes. It was soulless, as if Naoki were already dead. And the longer they stood there, staring at each other, Naoki's eyes seemed to sink into his skull. Takeshi was rendered speechless and he was paralyzed with terror. He felt nauseous and faint. He thought that, for a dizzying moment, he would pass out.

"Don't presume I'm human because of the way I look or feel," Naoki hissed. The candlelight shrank, as if Naoki's dark aura was absorbing it. "You don't know what you have stumbled upon, Takeshi. You won't leave the manor…ever." Then, Naoki smirked again. It was more malevolent than before. "Dead or not, you're going to be stuck here. Forever. Mika and Takuro will die in a lover's embrace as they are consumed by the flames of hell, which they will feel. Forever. Satō will never recover his mind and he will be trapped within a universe of pure darkness. Forever. Nikoru will feel the flames of hell. Forever. And Hiroshi will be mine…Forever. They'll all die. I'll kill them myself. Then, I'll burn them all along with the rest of the city, and then the world."

"How cliché," Takeshi whispered, unable to stop himself. World domination. That was what everyone seemed to want these days.

It was silent for a moment. Then Naoki began to chuckle. He chuckled until he was sore and then he broke out into wild, deranged laughter. He laughed until he cried and then howled and screamed with evil. Takeshi almost pissed his pants and stumbled backward. The rumble that rippled through the floor woke Naoki from his trance. With an affixed gaze on Takeshi's heart, Naoki swayed drunkenly. "No," he seethed, starting forward. "I want to condemn you now."

Takeshi yelled something garbled and scooted back on his bottom, his nails digging into the rot of the floor as he clawed his way backward. "I didn't have to!" Naoki shouted as if he were on the verge of tears. "You made me! This is your fault, you know. You could have averted this." He grinned again, voice growing with horrific spite. "But you're going to lose your soul to hell. I'll burn your soul and expel you forever to hell!" Takeshi's back hit the wall and tears spilled from his stinging eyes, blurring his vision. "You're all going to die! All of you! Ahahahahahahahahahahah!"

"NO!" Takeshi shrieked, cowering against the wall as if would sprout hands and guns and shoot Naoki dead. He threw his arms out in front of his face and his knees pressed so sharply against his abdomen he thought he would squish his stomach. "NO, NAOKI! DON'T! STOP!"

Naoki's laughter was abruptly cut short. There was a thump and the floor by Takeshi's feet vibrated. He curled into himself, afraid to open his eyes.

"Takeshi!" A girl's voice said. "Are you all right?"

Takeshi lowered his arms and gasped when he discovered a papery pale face nose to nose with him. Then he heaved a tremendous sigh of relief when he realized it was Eve. She was holding a large rotten plank in one hand and Naoki was out cold by her feet. His hair brushed Takeshi's ankle and he quickly stood and stepped sideways down the wall. "E-Eve, I'm s-so happy to s-see you!"

Eve dropped the plank on Naoki's head and shivered. "He isn't one of your friends?"

Takeshi laughed like a madman and hugged himself. "Friend? No! He's not my friend at all! He tried to kill me. I-I-I-I thought Naoki was w-weird, but…He tried to kill me!" Takeshi grabbed his hair. "He's obsessed with Hiroshi! And he's gonna kill Mika! He was gonna kill me!"

Eve suddenly appeared before him and set a hand on his shoulder. "Listen well, Takeshi. You cannot let him scare you. Even if you must pretend, you have to ignore his threats. If you don't, the curse of the manor will take over your mind and you will wallow in depression and terror until the day you die—whether it be from natural causes, starvation, or you end your life yourself."

Takeshi paled. "D-don't say that! Don't say s-s-stuff like that!"

Eve blinked and, for a swift second, Takeshi thought he saw her lips twitch. "I'm sorry. But you must know how dire a situation this is. Here in this universe, the onis are incapable of attacking us. However, they can attack your friends."

"Naoki said he could control him," Takeshi said. "B-but did you kill him?"

Eve shook her head. "No. Spirits like me cannot kill the living."

"Why not?"

"Because I am not strong enough." Sighing, Eve slid her hand off of Takeshi's shoulder and walked back to Naoki. "I am not strong enough to inflict damage that extreme. Since my death I have been wandering about alone, and loneliness has done its toll on me. I don't mean to complain…I simply am not strong enough to kill a living spirit."

"W-well, how does Naoki control the-the onis?" Takeshi wondered. "Can-can-can we stop him?"

It was silent for a long while. Eve stood by Naoki's head as if she wanted to stomp on him, crush his skull. It concerned Takeshi and for a moment he was sure she would stomp on him. But she finally turned and murmured, "That black book."

Takeshi gaped and ran by Naoki's side. The book was still in his grip. Cautiously, Takeshi reached for it. His stomach dropped as his hands melted right through the book like water through a filter. "Nnn-it-it went right through!"

"Yes," Eve whispered. Her voice was grim and it sent tremors down Takeshi's spine. "We are not able to touch it. It is a force all of its own."

Takeshi turned to her, trying to keep his eyes away from the under side of her skirt. "What-what do you mean? You just hit him over the head with a floorboard!"

"The black book is not something that is in a spirit's power to touch," Eve explained. "It is a cursed book not even the onis can touch, nor any other human. It is one of the cursed volumes of the Black Velveteen."

"What's that?" Takeshi wondered skeptically.

"It belonged to the first resident of the manor," Eve explained. "She was a witch. The infamous witch of Shade Manor, Umber. She lived here before my family, the Faus, did. She was evil, they say. She had had a wretched life and preyed upon the living souls of the village that is now your city, Domino, Japan. She used the onis to capture mortals. They would eat their bodies and release their souls for her to absorb. I do not know how much of that is true, however I do know that Umber was a living person at one time. The Black Velveteen used to be a whole book, a spell book. However, the village people long ago finally found the courage to confront Umber and they burned down her house. A villager discovered the book and tore it into three separate parts.

Later, someone must have found the books and fixed them. I'm not sure how, or who found them first, but my brother found two of the volumes and, somehow, melded them together. It was the death of him. I'm sure you've heard the stories: Man kills family then burns the house down." Her head hung in anguished defeat. "I don't know what happened to him, and it hurts to know I may never know…"

Takeshi fidgeted. He was horrible at comforting people. He raised his hand and patted her foot with a few light taps. "I'm sure you will someday. I'll help you figure it out, I promise."

Eve stared down at him with a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Thank you, Takeshi. That means so much to me."

Takeshi grinned, proud he hadn't made a fool of himself. "No problem, Eve."

They were that way for some time until Eve finally looked away and continued; "Now, we have a problem. Any soul can wake the Black Velveteen, however only a truly unique soul can unleash its powers. I've never known anyone with the capability to wield the curse. Naoki cannot be normal, for no mortal could possibly wield that book the way he does. He is something different all together."

Takeshi couldn't think of words to reply. Eve was saying Naoki wasn't human. "Well, I-if he's not human…" He gulped. "What is he?"

Eve's features darkened until she resembled a shadow. "I don't know."