All right, next chapter! I've recently moved into a new house, and I've been extremely with the renovations.

Inspiration: The Original Game, Amnesia: The Great Work, and Schizophrenia.

Xxx

Horror of Your Worst Fear

Xxx

Hiroshi's heart front flipped into his throat.

He had thought for sure he'd find Nikoru nearby, on the top floor, but she wasn't there. She was gone. She'd wandered off, and now Hiroshi felt sick. Who knows where she could have gone; she had such a curious personality she could have discovered a secret passageway outside for all he knew.

But what if it had been her who'd been screaming? What if she'd been caught? What if he never saw her again?

Takuro was feet ahead of him, barreling down the stairs like a bat out of hell. He pointed from the third step down and shouted, "Hiroshi! There!"

Hiroshi rushed over to the railing and peered down. There was a large blue stain on the playroom's white door. Hiroshi felt as if the world were going to slip out from under him; Mika was in that room. And…hell, Takuro…

He was already at the door by the time Hiroshi had caught his bearings. Hiroshi ran down the stairs after him, though he wasn't sure how he kept on his feet. His head was numb, as if it were empty, and he suddenly felt over-exhausted, his strength totally exulted. He wasn't even sure if he was on the same planet anymore.

Takuro reached the door before he did and kicked it open. From behind, Hiroshi could see the top of a dark purple head and he hesitated. He felt as if he were treading on nails. His neck prickled and his stomach contracted painfully.

Takuro faltered before flying into the room, screaming, "NO! MIKA! GET OFF OF HER!"

Hiroshi almost passed out. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God, Mika.

She was sprawled on the floor, her neck torn at the base, and her left arm was twisted into an unnatural position. Her glazed brown eyes were still wide open, glazed, haunted with death. The oni was lying over her, its jaw caked with fresh blood. It looked up at Takuro, unfazed.

But that didn't fool Hiroshi; he saw the evident hunger in the monster's eyes. It's jaw slowly dropped as if it were tasting the air, revealing jagged teeth that pointed all different directions.

"Takuro, no!" Hiroshi screamed, sprinting forward, his stamina suddenly replenished.

Takuro either didn't hear him or was ignoring him. He pulled off his right shoe and chucked it at the oni. With a gurgling groan, the oni stood and glared down at Takuro, its souless eyes wide and challenging. Takuro back away, looking frantically for something helpful. The oni stomped closer, one step at a time, its eyes growing wider and wider, its jaw dangling like a broken limb. It was seething rotting death, a stench that occupied its own nasty category. Then it lunged and Takuro hadn't a second to brace.

Hiroshi was beside him in the same beat. He grabbed Takuro's arm and launched him to the side, propelling them both into a bed. Takuro groaned, momentarily disoriented from hitting his head so harshly and suddenly. Hiroshi jumped to his feet and pushed Takuro over the other side of the bed, hiding him. The oni whipped around, its agitation clearer than a wine glass, and it lurched towards Hiroshi.

Hiroshi dived out of the way as the oni's hand came down on the place he'd just been standing at. It swung it's bulky figure around to follow him. The small black book fell out of his pocket, and Hiroshi quickly snatched it back up and bolted to the door before the oni could catch him. Its massive palm whipped through the air right above his head.

It was getting faster. But it paused at the bed and sniffed.

"Come at me!" Hiroshi yelled, captivating the oni's attention once more. He was out and down the hall in a blur, heading for the back hallway closets. At the moment, it was the only place where he could think to hide. He only hoped Satō wouldn't be skulking back there. "Come at me, you stupid blue blob!"

The oni cried out angrily and sprung forward. Luckily, Hiroshi had already made it to the first step on the stairway. The oni narrowly missed him and whacked its forehead against the wall. The force of the vibrations rocked the stairs and Hiroshi slid down several more steps, nearly tripping on the way down. He skipped the last three, jumping over them, and braced himself before he fell sideways. The oni growled wildly as Hiroshi disappeared around the stairway corner and hurried down the flight after him. Hiroshi, panting and exhausted, slammed the back way door open and slammed it shut with his foot.

His head was pounding with the intense adrenaline as he jogged down the corridor. There was a door back there he was positive he hadn't seen before, but he suspected that was because he had been rushing through the last time he'd been there. He tried to focus on the closets instead, for he wasn't completely sure the door was even unlocked. If it weren't…well, he didn't want to think about that.

Finally, as he turned the corner into the matted room, he heard the oni's malicious hiss echoing from down the hallway. He gasped, trying to pull some air into his lungs, and slipped between the closet doors. He pulled them shut carefully, without a sound, and crept into the furthest corner back. Then, he crouched and waited.

The apprehension was nearly unbearable. He felt sick to his stomach. Would it be obvious he'd hidden there? Was it intelligent enough to discover him? What would he do if it did?

The upstairs wardrobe came back to him; the oni had clearly seen him through the crack in the doors, but it hadn't dragged him out. It had almost been as if it hadn't been hunting him, but someone else. Nikoru, perhaps? No, then the oni would have lost interest in him in the playroom—it would have targeted Takuro.

Where was Nikoru?

An abrupt clank came from the other side of the closet door. It was breathing heavily. Then, something occurred, something strange and disturbing.

"Lovely…" It whispered.

Hiroshi became as still as a plank. It was talking.

"Lovely…Hiroshi…" It breathed, its breath like a harsh gust of wind. Hiroshi couldn't breathe; he sat ridged against the wall in silent trepidation. His heart pounded erratically against his chest and he thought for sure the oni could hear it. "Lovely…"

Then Hiroshi heard the oni backing away, its voice still ringing in his ears like an air horn. It said something else, something Hiroshi didn't catch, and then the air was still. The atmosphere felt less clustered as it had before. Carefully, Hiroshi crawled forward until he could see through the crack of the doors. The oni was no where in sight. But Hiroshi hesitated; what if it were lying in wait just around the corner?

After taking several moments to calm himself and regain his breath (he was never much of an athlete), Takuro came to mind and Hiroshi was stunned with the sudden force of the memory—Mika's lifeless corpse lying on the ground in a light pool of her own blood, her neck torn and her eyes wide with the horror of her death. Was it painful? Had she bled to death, or was it instant? Hiroshi preferred not to know.

But then the realization of Takuro sitting alone in a room with his late sweetheart brought Hiroshi back to reality, and he hung his head at the thought of sitting there with him. He didn't want to stand in a corpse's presence. He didn't know if he could take it—knowing that body was once a living, vivacious girl who was one of his closest friends.

His sanity was slipping away with every moment. He wasn't sure how much more he could endure. It seemed this was the ultimate test. He'd always been the logical one—everything could be explained—and now…logic was a lie. It was empty, held no value or purpose. As long as the mansion existed, logic did not.

"Oh," he whispered wistfully, "What do I do? Where do we go from here?" Dizzily, he stood and slid the closet doors open. He stepped out slowly, testing his legs.

Takuro was there for me, he thought solemnly. When mother died, he was there. He rescued me from sitting alone. The least I can do is sit with him. I'll find Naoki, Takeshi and Nikoru later.

He started down the hallway, and the basement door he had been leaning against went unnoticed.

Xxx

Takeshi and Eve materialized on the opposite side of the basement door. They had some trouble with getting through. It was as Eve had said, the walls were shadowed, and apparently that also made them thicker and harder to ghost through. It had been like warping to a whole different dimension; the universe caved in on them and Takeshi swore the walls were smacking him. It had taken several minutes just to walk through. Eve had explained that, during an oni rampage, which happened quite often, the walls would cave inwards and create a barrier. Wherever the oni was, the barrier would become saturated with its aura, and no amount of spiritual energy could break through—unless you were alive.

As they raced down the hallway, Takeshi had tuck his chin. He hadn't been subjected to much light down in the basement and the bright ceiling lights in the back way proved to be too…bright. Eve, however, didn't seem to mind. She sped into the foyer and was already half way up the stairs by the time Takeshi had made it through the door.

He put his hands on his knees and took a moment to catch his breath. He'd never been much of an athlete.

"Takeshi, come on!" Eve shouted from further upstairs. "Hurry—now!"

Takeshi groaned and practically crawled up the stairs. He didn't really want to see what damage the oni had done. After all, he'd been stuck in the basement for the last hour or so, and the oni had teeth the size of orange juice cartons. He couldn't even imagine the things those pointers could rip through and he didn't want to think about it. How many people had died since they had first arrived?

The top level was tinted blue, Takeshi noticed. Once again, the walls were concave and parts of the floor were bulging up at him. A sudden thump caught his attention. He turned to look down the stairs and was met with a blast of warm air. It felt as if someone had punched him in the middle of his back. The shock of it distracted him for a moment; he hadn't felt so warm in so long. A cough brought him back and he turned again to see what had pounded him.

It was Hiroshi! He shivered and looked around suspiciously. Takeshi gaped; Hiroshi had walked right through him. He hadn't even heard him coming, nor had he seen him on the first floor and he had been buckled over for a short couple seconds there. It was really strange and, honestly, frightening. Eve had mentioned something about losing touch with the other side…was this the beginning of it?

"H-Hiroshi!" Takeshi exclaimed frantically. He reached for Hiroshi, but his hand disappeared into his forearm. Again, he was met with the same warmth, but it was weaker. Hiroshi gasped and jumped away. "Hiroshi, can—can you hear me?"

"What?" Hiroshi whispered, looking wildly around. "That was certainly cold…"

"He can't hear you," Eve murmured softly.

Takeshi slumped. "I just…I just thought that…maybe…"

"Takeshi…"

Takeshi pushed himself onto his tip toes to see over Hiroshi's shoulder. Eve was standing just outside the playroom, her glazed eyes filled with something heavy. Hiroshi slowly turned and started towards the room, walking right past Eve.

"Takuro, I lost it," he said.

Takeshi's heart sank; it was Takuro. He'd been hoping to reunite with Mika after—

"FUCK!" Takuro's cry ran in Takeshi's ears. Eve backed away from the door. "Hiroshi, she—she—dammit!" Takeshi shuddered. Takuro was the quarterback, for God's sake! He sounded as if his legs had been torn off. "I—fuck, Hiroshi, what do I do? What do I do?"

"I don't…" Hiroshi trailed off.

Takeshi was shaking like a leaf. He didn't want to know what was going on. He was terrified. From what he could register, someone was…well, it was a 'she,' and Takuro…shit, it was obvious he was crying. Which meant that—

"She didn't even—God, Hiroshi, it's not fair!" Takuro cried. Why can't—why wasn't it me? Why did it have to be her? I just…God, Mika, please don't…Oh, God, no!"

Takeshi's head spun. He collided against something, but it didn't register with his senses. He felt as if he were stuffed with emotion, so much emotion his head was bursting.

"I'm sorry, Takeshi," Eve murmured, "but this is only the beginning."

Naoki sauntered up the stairs, silently pleased with the distraught sob of pain that rang from the floor above. At the top, he almost ran right into Takeshi. Again, he was pleased; he knew Takeshi was in love with Mika. What a pain in the ass for him, to know what might have been could never be. Not that it could have been in the first place.

"Well, Takeshi," Naoki chuckled. Takeshi became rigid. "What a surprise seeing you here." He laughed as he walked through Takeshi's soul. Warmth swelled in his hands as he stole all the heat Takeshi had stored away to keep himself from fading into the floorboards.

Ghosts passed through the living to absorb heat and replaced the warmth with their cold aura. Without warmth, a spirit could not exist in the world of the living. They would simply fade away.

Takeshi wheezed and sank onto his knees. Eve jolted forward but stopped short. Naoki smirked; she was intimidated by him, as well she should be.

"You are repulsing," Eve sneered.

Naoki grinned. "And you are dead."

Eve flinched and rushed past him to assist Takeshi. She placed a hand on his collarbone an hummed. An incantation of sharing heat. Naoki found their positions laughable; Takeshi was stuck in that translucent body and Eve was forever dead. She was completely at Naoki's mercy. He could have 'misplaced' her long ago, but he had been kind enough to let her stay.

Naoki strolled into the playroom and raked his bangs out of his hair. If he was going to start acting, might as well look presentable while doing it. He watched the back of Hiroshi intently, the way he was slumped over slightly, his head hanging, his beautiful glasses tipped too far on one side. His hair was mussed, tangled, and Naoki realized his scarf was missing. Not much of a shame; Hiroshi's long neck was slender and very pale…

Takuro looked up from his mourning and noticed Naoki in the doorway. He mouthed something inaudible and Hiroshi whirled around, eyes wide. Naoki pretended to look horrified and covered his hand with his mouth.

"Oh, my," he whispered. "Oh, Mika. Oh, my."

Takuro cradled her in his arms, holding her close like a kitten. If Naoki were a cat, he'd be purring. Under his soft, aristocratic hand, he smiled happily. She looked like she'd been hit by a car, and there was a gaping wound at the base of her neck. She, too, was a figure of humility. To be dead and have your body looking like that—so twisted and broken and bloodied! Why, what would Mika think if she saw her body like that? Naoki would have been embarrassed, for sure.

"Where have you—" Hiroshi began.

"The fucking oni found her!" Takuro shouted. "The bastard got her!" He peered down at her face. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was still parted slightly, forever resounding a silent scream. "Why? Why wasn't it me? Why couldn't it have been me? Why her? Oh, God, why?!"

"Takuro, we must find a way out," Hiroshi said firmly, as if he'd been waiting to say it all night.

"FUCK YOU!" Takuro boomed. "You go find a way out! Mika's dead—don't you care?!"

Hiroshi's eyes darkened. "Takuro, you know I do. Mika was one of my best friends. I care very much, but, Takuro, there are several others—"

"Fuck them!" Takuro roared. "God, you go find them, you bastard! I can't—" A sob abruptly cut him off.

"Takuro, please!" Hiroshi yelled, suddenly vehement. "We can save Mika!" Instantly, he had Takuro's attention. Naoki even looked intrigued. Hiroshi gulped—where had that come from? Well, this was one of those go-with-the-flow times, like Nikoru always said. "W-well, if ao onis exist, then so must revival! This place is magical—I feel it. We can find a way, but first we have to rescue the others. I have to make sure they're safe. It's our responsibility to rescue them."

Takuro shook his head furiously. "No, no, she's dead. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving her. I'm not leaving!"

Hiroshi swallowed. What was he supposed to say after that? How was he supposed to reply to that? He'd never seen Takuro so…forlorn. There had to be a way to lighten the mood—before Takuro cracked.

"Say, Naoki," Hiroshi said, turning to him. "Where have you been?" Takuro began to reply when he realized Hiroshi hadn't been speaking to him. His jaw was dropped as he witnessed the flicker of apprehension in Naoki's expression. "We've been running around everywhere, and yet we've had no sign of you until now." He glanced at Takuro. "In fact, I've been running around for a few hours now, and I haven't really seen any of you around. Nikoru has gone off wandering, as she always does, and Takeshi was hiding in the closet. I can understand that, but now that he's nowhere to be found, I've also realized I haven't seen much of anyone."

Naoki frowned. "Come to think of it…I've been having the same problem." He smiled reassuringly, but Takuro was a little suspicious. Something was…false. "When we first arrived, I rushed straight upstairs. I suppose I was just interested in exploring my own area, so I took the liberty of searching the upstairs rooms. Unfortunately, I seemed to find myself in some other dimension when I walked through the—"

"I did, too," Takuro mumbled.

It was so quiet Hiroshi wasn't sure he'd heard him. "You said you also…"

Takuro shrugged, his shoulders tense. "Yeah. Yeah, I went into one of those rooms. After I…when…I distracted the oni and ran upstairs. There was a closet in the back of that room we were in upstairs. I opened it and hid in it, but then I was in some other place. I don't know where I was, but it wasn't here. Then there was a ticking and I fell into the closets in the hallway behind the foyer. I tried to get out, but it kept taking me back to the closet. I tried a couple times, and it finally worked, but I was…I heard you guys yelling and wanted to find you. Then, when we were…up there, it was—it was gone and there was just a door."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Hiroshi inquired, his voice barely above a whisper. Did Takuro not trust him enough? Then again, what had this to do with trust?

Takuro glared at him. "Well, aside from you talking, I didn't get a word in edgewise."

"That is rubbish!" Hiroshi exclaimed, his fire returning. "You had as much opportunity to talk as I did! You should have said something!"

"Well why didn't you tell me Mika was still in here?" Takuro countered instantly.

"Because we were discussing another topic," Hiroshi bit out. "And I didn't see how she could have been in danger—she was hiding beside the bed, in the corner! How was I supposed to—"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Takuro hissed.

"Why didn't you run here first?" Hiroshi snapped. Takuro cringed. "You could have gone straight to her, yet you came upstairs instead."

"I had to see," Takuro rasped. "I had to see if I had been crazy or not…" He hung his head. "I wanted to see you again because I felt like I was going insane. I didn't…I didn't know either. I didn't know. I thought that…I assumed she was safe. And I didn't know where anyone else was, so I was excited to see someone again."

"She wouldn't have left," Hiroshi said. "When I found her, I told her she should have come with me. She argued with me, strict that she wouldn't leave." Might as well leave out that she was waiting for you. "She was firm on her decision and she told me to go ahead. I also thought it would be all right, and I suppose I was careless. But I didn't see the point in her tagging along with me; I was searching for Nikoru—" Were Takuro's eyes failing him or did Naoki just scowl? "—and I thought it would be dangerous."

It seemed for a moment that both Hiroshi and Takuro had a mutual understanding. Takuro pondered this and his rage finally subsided. "Oh. Okay."

Hiroshi's gut wrenched. Oh, okay? That was it? "Takuro…when I find Takeshi and Nikoru—" Again, Naoki scowled. Takuro wasn't imagining it. "—I'll come straight here and we'll all escape together, okay? For now, however, I need you to lay low. Stay here with Mika. We'll find a way to save her."

Takuro shrugged again. "You…you're starting to sound like Nikoru."

Hiroshi frowned. "How so?"

"Well…" Takuro chuckled weakly. "You're always such a pessimist, I guess, and…you're suddenly sounding like the whole when-there's-a-will-there's-a-way thing. I think you're learning, HiroshiPEN."

Hiroshi stiffened. Learning? From Nikoru? He wasn't sure if he should have been happy or insulted. "Yes, well…I suppose I am, aren't I?" He puffed air from his cheeks. "Well, it would be that way, wouldn't it be? We've been together—what—since we were kids? I think you two are starting to rub off on me."

"Yeah," Takuro said, a hint of laughter subtle in his undertones. "Took long enough."

Hiroshi nodded. "I suppose so…Well, you stay here and I'll search for the others, all right? If you feel up to it, help would be appreciated."

"…Kay," Takuro whispered.

Hiroshi patted his shoulder, something he'd never actually done. "I'll be back soon, I swear," Hiroshi said. Then he started for the door. He paused beside Naoki. "Will you help me?"

Naoki nodded feebly. "Of course, Hiroshi-kun. But…you've said nothing of Satō. Why?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "Satō is a little out of sorts right now. I didn't want to worry any of you, but I suppose I should have said something. He's possessed, I believe. Just watch out for him."

Takruo clenched his jaw. "He was possessed and Mika was alone—no," he added when Hiroshi opened his mouth to speak, "it isn't…it's my fault."

"Also," Naoki said without pause, "Have you found anything of use yet? Say, a small black book?"

Hiroshi looked taken aback. The atmosphere expanded, swelling with apprehension, and Hiroshi shook his head. "No, actually, but I found a plate shard. It was in the kitchen. The noise we heard when we first arrived was a plate shattering against the ground." He withdrew it from his jacket pocket.

Naoki nodded bitterly. "I see."

But Takuro noticed Hiroshi running a finger over whatever was in the opposite pocket. It bulged out slightly, poking out from the dark material, but Naoki did not take notice.

Hiroshi and Naoki exchanged glances and Hiroshi departed. Takuro watched him close the door from under his bangs, a sense of loyalty beckoning him to follow. But he couldn't find the power to stand; he couldn't leave Mika yet. Her death was such a blow…Takuro's heart was crumbling inside his chest. He'd always hoped they'd be together. They'd lasted so long, since freshman year. Marriage was something for adults, but Takuro and Mika had decided that, once they'd finished collage, they'd exchange vows. That would give them time away, time to decide if they really and truly loved one another.

But now that Takuro was holding her, staring into her voided eyes…he couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to letting her go for several years while she completed collage. If he had known how limited their time was…he was a fool. A fool in love, and a fool in general. He'd really screwed up. He had thought for sure that Mika could protect herself. The playroom seemed safe enough; he told Mika to lock the door as he was running out. He thought he'd be gone for just a few minutes, but he hadn't been expecting the wardrobe.

"Why did he lie to me?"

Dazed by his self-loathing, Takuro didn't give the statement much thought. "Yeah, he's fine."

"No, he isn't," Naoki snapped sharply. "It's dangerous to go alone."

"Then why don't you go with him?" Takuro wondered quietly.

"Why don't you?" Naoki ground his teeth. "Mika's death should influence some sort of wrath within you. Don't you want to avenge her? Don't you want to kill the oni who did this?"

"Dammit, Naoki," Takuro slapped his palm against the ground. "Calm the hell down. Just leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?" Naoki barked a laugh. "You think those onis will leave you alone? You think you can hide here and—"

"Naoki, why are you being a dick right now?" Naoki's jaw clenched. "I'm not going anywhere right now, so piss off."

"Hiroshi could be in danger as we speak!" Naoki yelled.

"Yeah, well, I'd do the same for Mika."

Naoki seemed to fade into the background. His lashes lowered and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "What do you mean by that, Takuro?"

"I mean that I love Mika as much as he loves Nikoru," Takuro grunted. "Of course he's gonna wanna go looking for her—I would do the same thing because that's what you do when you're in love, but I'm really pissed off right now, so leave before I hit you."

Naoki had already fled from the room before Takuro had finished his sentence. "Hiroshi!" His shriek echoed around the house. "Hiroshi, don't look for her! Hiroshi, come back! Come back!"

Takuro, jolted out of his daze by the desperation booming in the tone of Naoki's anguished words, dropped Mika gently and raced to the door. He grabbed the knob and his eyes met Naoki's for a short instance. They struck a brand new fear within him—Naoki's dark eyes were merely pits, hollowed caverns of what once was there.

They were the epitome of insanity.

Takuro pulled the door shut and clung onto the knob, expecting Naoki to pull it his way like a madman. But he felt nothing. There was no struggle, no wiggle beneath his hand. He stood there at the door for another minute, waiting. Finally, he released the knob and pressed his ear against he door. It was silent—and then he heard soft murmuring.

"…why? I can't…what do I…how do I free myself, Eve? How…I can't stay this way…and she's dead, and I could have…I'm so scared."

"We will find a way…believe in me, please. I…those black books. They have to be…soon."

The corridor was silent once more. Takuro listened for a while longer, but he heard nothing.