#amekaga

[rainbowfey]

25 Haunted House

@flufftober

When they finally reached the house, Amane sighed in relief. While Kagaya was stoic and calm as ever, the kids had gotten increasingly excited and since there were five of them, Amane’s ears were now ringing from the hours of unrelenting questioning and enthusiastic chattering about how great the new house would be. And of course, the kids had turned to her with every single question, even though Kagaya would probably have been better prepared to answer them. At least they had already moved all of their furniture into the house already while the kids had been with a distant relative for a while. While all five of them were kind and helpful children indeed, Amane had not wanted them to run around and wreak havoc, maybe even hurting themselves while at it.

“Isn’t the house beautiful?” Kagaya asked with a smile and wrapped his arm around Amane’s waist. His warmth calmed her down and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t know,” Kanata said and tilted her little head, staring at the grey front of the house. “It looks kind of … old, don’t you think?”

That made Amane laugh and she ruffled her youngest daughter’s hair. “That’s because it is, dear,” she said with a smile. “This house has been here for centuries. At least that’s what they say about it.”

Kuina pulled a face and nodded to herself. “I can tell,” she murmured, clearly unimpressed with what lay before them. “And we bought this monstrosity because …?”

Kagaya smiled at her and gently wrapped his other arm around her. “Your mother and I got a really good deal on it, sweetheart. It’s very rare for a mansion like this to sell for such a humble price.”

Kuina looked up at her father, raising an eyebrow. “Well, then I just hope there is no disturbing reason for the low price.”

The following weeks were rather turbulent but all in all, Amane was relieved to see that her children settled in fairly well. While especially her youngest two daughters still did not seem very impressed with the house, all five of them had grown to love the enormous backyard and the potential for adventure it offered to them. While Kiriya had taken to reading at the pond almost every single day, Hinaki and Nichika had grown fond of playing with their ball for hours on end. And even her two littlest fusspots had started going on adventures in the forest that lay behind the mansion.

But even with this peace, Amane could not help but notice how little time the children spent inside. She had asked Kagaya about that but he had been very nonchalant about it, assuring her that this was only due to it being autumn where it was still warm enough to play outside for hours every day. And while it did not seem to bother him at all, Amane could not shake off the unnerving feeling that something was wrong.

“Kiriya,” she said when he passed by her, his current book in his hand. “Can you stay for a moment?”

Her son looked at her in surprise but then nodded with a smile. “Sure, how can I help you?”

Amane smiled to herself at his formal tone and for a moment, he looked just like her husband when he had been a child. While her daughters all looked a lot like her, Kiriya was the one child that took after Kagaya. “Tell me, do you feel comfortable in here? I know the house is still very new for all of us, but do you and your sisters like it here?”

Kiriya froze and stayed silent for a moment, making that adorable face he always showed when he was frantically contemplating how to veil the truth without lying. “Uh,” Kiriya stuttered which was rather unlike him. “The house is quite … impressive.”

Amane put her hands on her hips and smiled at him. “Come on, Kiriya, what are you really thinking?”

Her son sighed and his shoulders sank down in defeat when he sat down next to her. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “The mansion is a bit … weird. It’s almost like it has a life of its own.”

Amane paused and furled her brows. She had expected Kiriya to tell her that the children would have rather stayed at their old place or that they had not gotten used to the mansion with its long hallways and dark corners yet. This answer, however, she had not expected. “Why does it feel like that to you?” she asked carefully.

Kiriya stared at the book in his hands for a moment, then he shrugged. “Just some strange stuff that’s been happening,” he said. “Doors opening but nobody is behind them, things falling to the ground, and Kanata once said she heard someone whistling when everyone else was asleep.”

A shiver ran down Amane’s spine. “Why has none of you told me about that?”

Kiriya looked at her with big eyes. “Hinaki said it was probably just the wind as the mansion doesn’t seem to be isolated very well. I thought that was it, so I didn’t think it was necessary to make you worry about it.”

Amane sighed and pulled him into a hug. “That’s kind of you, but please tell me if it happens again, alright?”

And with a grin, Kiriya freed himself from her embrace. “Will do, I promise,” he said with a smile before he grabbed his book and headed for the pond for another reading session.

“Kagaya, I’ve heard it too, I’m sure,” Amane said, gently pushing Kanata and Kuina back into their room. “Don’t worry,” she said to her daughters, “your father and I will check it out. Stay in here and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Be careful,” Kuina whispered while clutching her sister’s hand when Kanata carefully closed the door to their room.

Amane looked up just in time to see Kagaya doing the same with Hinaki’s and Nichika’s room. They had both checked all of the children’s rooms, making sure there was nothing there, when Kiriya had alerted them to the footsteps in the hallway. While he had said that he and his sisters had heard them a few times already, this was the first time that Amane had heard them too. Her skin felt cold when she exchanged a glance with Kagaya who seemed as calm as always.

“Don’t worry, love,” he said and reached for her hand. “I’m sure it’s just the house settling.”

And once again, Amane wished that she had the same composure as her husband. Her heart was fluttering in her chest when she listened closely, trying to make out any sound that did not belong in the house. Now that all five children were in their rooms, Kiriya staying with his older sisters until they had made sure there was no one in the house, Amane felt at least slightly reassured.

“Let’s walk down this hallway first,” she said and Kagaya nodded.

Together, they walked along the narrow hallway, their feet making soft noises on the red carpet veiling the floorboards. While walking, Amane glanced at the horrible portrait of a young pale man with black hair that had been part of the mansion when they first bought it. She had felt creeped out by his hollow eyes since they moved in but somehow, she had not gotten around to removing it from the wall yet. And the one time she had asked Kagaya about it, he had suggested leaving it up in honor of the portrayed ancestor of the last owner of the mansion.

They made their way along the hallway, carefully checking each corner and every room for an intruder but as Kagaya had expected, they did not find any trace of someone other than their family being in the mansion. “Let’s check downstairs and the attic as well,” Amane said, even though she did not feel comfortable climbing up to the attic at night.

Kagaya looked at her and for a moment, she feared that he would insist that everything was fine. But then, a gentle smile appeared on his face and he squeezed her hand. “I’d do anything to make you and the kids feel better,” he said warmly. “How about I check on the attic while you make sure that nothing is amiss downstairs?”

Amane nodded, grateful that she was spared of climbing up to the attic in the dark. She watched Kagaya vanishing into the darkness before she descended down the stairs, listening intently. But all she heard was Kagaya’s familiar footsteps fading out, and her own breath that sounded unsettlingly loud in the silent mansion.

Amane slowly made her way around the downstairs and with each room she found empty and untouched, a bit of her tension left her body. She felt more tired than nervous when she reached last room and stepped into the kitchen that had been another room ages ago. She let her gaze wander over the counters and took notice of the empty glass standing at the edge of the kitchen isle. With a sigh, she walked over and was just about to reach for the glass – when it suddenly moved out of nowhere and fell over the edge, breaking with an earthshattering sound.

And for a split second, Amane heard a malicious chuckle in her back. But when she whirled around, the kitchen behind her was empty and as peaceful as it always was. Empty, except for the myriads of shards on the ground, glistening mysteriously in the moonlight.

Amane glanced over her shoulder, making sure that none of the children was listening. Then, she turned back to Kagaya and gave him a pointed look. “I really think we should leave,” she said urgently. “This is not safe.”

Kagaya avoided her gaze and instead kneeled down, carefully picking up the glass shards from the floor. When he was done, he got up again and finally looked at Amane, a pensive expression on his face. “My love, I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with the house,” he said carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. “So far we haven’t seen anything indicating that there’s something else amiss than a few leaky windows.”

Amane took a deep breath and shook her head. She had already thought that Kagaya would react like this and in some way, she even understood his position. Even though the price had been startingly low, they had still invested a lot of money in this mansion, hoping to make it their familial estate that would one day go to their children and later their grandchildren. It would be lunacy to jump the gun and leave just because the mansion had a few quirks.

“But …” she said hesitatingly. Now that they talked about it in broad daylight, her experience from last night did indeed seem less terrifying. She had not even seen anything except for the glass mysteriously falling down. But Kagaya was right, that could have been due to a sudden draft or maybe the table was slightly uneven where the glass had stood.

Kagaya smiled at her tenderly and set the dustpan with the shards aside. He sighed and said, “Maybe the house’s backstory is why it feels a bit unnerving to you. But I’m sure we’ll be just fine, we just have to give it some time.”

Amane looked at him askingly. “The backstory?” she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Did something happen to the previous owner?”

Kagaya laughed and raised his hands. “No, he’s perfectly fine,” he said with a grin. “I was talking about the man who built the mansion and lived here, many centuries ago. The young man from the portrait in the hallway upstairs.”

Amane shuddered and nodded. She indeed remembered the portrait fairly well as it always gave her shivers whenever she looked at the pale face looking down on her. “What about him?” she asked, slightly curious.

Kagaya’s smile vanished and he subconsciously lowered his voice when he said, “The previous owner’s family has passed down his story for generations. He was a sickly man, weak from fighting against the demons raging in his mind and body. One day, he asked a faith healer for help, but the healer turned out to be a charlatan. He promised the ancestor that his potion would make his body heal, that it would even prolong his life, allowing him to live for an eternity.”

Amane raised an eyebrow. “And he believed that?”

Kagaya smiled wistfully. “The ancestor had been sick for almost his whole life. I don’t think there’s anything he would not have been willing to believe if it meant getting his life back. And thus, he drank the potion, hoping it would release him from the nightmare his life was.”

Amane held her breath and the image of the pale man with dark hair danced in her mind, when she asked, “What happened to him?”

Kagaya sighed. “He died. Not instantly, apparently, but the potion weakened his already frail body and he eventually succumbed to his sickness. And since then, the family says, his spirit has never left the mansion where he was promised the chance of a second life.”

“Mom?”

Amane flinched when she was jolted awake, eyes wide as she stared at her daughter kneeling next to her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, before she smiled at Kuina. “What’s the matter, dear?” she asked quietly, hoping not to wake up Kagaya sleeping next to her.

Kanata, who sat next to her sister, crawled closer. “We’ve seen him,” she whispered.

Amane’s hair stood on end when she shot up. “Seen who?” she asked sharply, pulling her daughters closer to her.

“The young man,” Kuina said quietly, her eyes widened. “The one from the portrait.”

Amane’s heart stopped and she stared at her daughter for a moment, thoughts racing through her mind. Then, she clenched her fists and nodded. “Kanata, Kuina, you stay with your father. I’ll go check on your siblings.”

Her daughters both nodded and when Amane got up, they crawled under her blanket, clinging to each other. Amane smiled at them softly and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

She carefully closed the door behind her and hurried to the other room, her heart hammering in her chest. Only when she saw Hinaki, Nichika and Kiriya sleeping peacefully in their beds, she calmed down again. Hinaki opened one eye and yawned softly. “What’s going on, mom?” she asked quietly and Amane walked over and gently ruffled her hair.

“Hinaki, please do me a favor,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “When I leave your room, lock the door behind me and keep it locked until either your father or I tell you to open it. Will you do that for me?”

Her heart ached when Hinaki stared at her with big eyes, but then her eldest daughter nodded, a determined expression on her face. “You can count on me,” she said and slipped out of bed, following Amane to the door.

And when Amane left the room, she heard the reassuring click of the lock behind her. She nodded to herself and took a deep breath, staring down the long, dark hallway. Kagaya listened to reason and reason said there was nothing wrong with the house. Amane’s gut instinct however told her that there was something lurking in the shadows. And if they could not leave the mansion, she would sure as hell not allow anyone or anything to harm her family.

“I’m coming for you,” she said through her teeth, glaring at the portrait of the ancestor a few steps away. And when she looked at the young man, it almost felt like he was staring back at her.

Slowly, Amane made her way through the mansion, searching the upstairs first. And while she could feel a dark presence, it did not seem close at the moment. She even took a look at the attic and to her relief, the presence was weaker there. When she walked downstairs, however, she felt the air getting colder and she knew, she was on the right track. She followed the cold, empty feeling that grew with each step she took towards the kitchen that had once been the infirmary of the ancestor. And when she had gotten to the kitchen, she felt the presence reaching for her heart with its icy claws.

“You are here,” Amane said, looking around in the empty kitchen. “I can feel you.”

For a moment, everything stayed quiet but then, a door of a kitchen cabinet slowly opened, creaking loudly. Amane nodded grimly. “I knew it. What do you want?”

The door creaked again and then, she heard faint footsteps coming closer. It took her every last bit of her courage to stand still. She raised her chin, determined not to back down even a single step. And when the footsteps reached her, she felt a cold breeze grazing her skin.

“I … can … show … you,” a voice whispered right next to her ear.

And when Amane felt an icy hand grip the back of her neck, she closed her eyes. Images flashed through her mind and her body started shaking when endless despair and agony drove their claws into her soul. She saw the garden behind the window that looked way older. She looked down at her pale, frail hands and when she looked up, she saw an old man offering a potion in a clay bowl to her. Hope surged through her body when she drank it. And then, a fire started burning in her, agonizing, never-ending, slowly turning her body to ashes until there was nothing left of her. Nothing but a faint echo of the man she could have been.

“You can come downstairs,” Amane called out and she carefully checked one last time that the box was hidden behind her back. “Quiet now,” she whispered to the box and the rustling from inside stopped immediately.

Not a moment too late as now, she heard several sets of footsteps running down the stairs. Kanata was the first to pop her head in the kitchen, followed quickly by Kiriya and Kuina. And one by one, her elder daughters and finally Kagaya also walked into the kitchen. Six faces looked at her curiously and even Kagaya seemed entirely clueless as to what surprise she had prepared for them.

Kiriya was the first to speak up.  He looked at her, his small face full of anticipation. “You said you had a surprise for us?”

Amane smiled at him and nodded. “I do. As you know, I have promised to take care of our little mansion problem. And I’ve found the perfect solution to it.”

Kanata’s eyes widened and she whispered something to her sister excitedly. Kagaya smiled at Amane, raising one eyebrow. After the night where he had woken up to his youngest two daughters clinging to him, telling him a wild story about a pale man wandering through the hallways, it had taken Amane quite a bit of convincing until he had agreed to let her handle the situation all on her own. Amane returned his smile with a grin and took a step to the side, revealing the box behind her.

“You know, rumor has it that certain creatures are very good at protecting a house from evil spirits,” she said and smiled when five sets of eyes went wide as saucers. “And therefore … meet the new protector of our home!”

And with a grand gesture, she opened the box and carefully lifted a black kitten out of it, holding it in her arms. “Meet Kibutsuji Meowzan, head of the home for now and always.”

And when the kitten lifted its head and meowed proudly, her kids erupted in excited screams and stormed towards her, gently taking the kitten from her arms. Smiling, Amane watched them gush over the kitten and its perfectly black, silky fur and its beautiful eyes that almost looked plum red in the right lighting.

“I see you’ve decided to honor the owner’s ancestor with the name,” Kagaya said while he tenderly wrapped an arm around her. “I didn’t think you’d want any connection to the past of the mansion.”

And when Amane leaned in, resting her head against his chest, she quietly said, “Everyone deserves a second chance.”