| The Haunting Nakuru looked both ways of the hallway and then waddled forth from the room, trusty whip in hand. Spinel Sun had escaped her yet again. But she would find him. She had a lesson to teach him. From a darkened corner there was the slightest movement and she paused, looking there for a moment but then trying to play it off like she hadn't heard anything. She rose to her full height, turning to go down the opposite way and then she spun around and snapped the whip at the movement, grinning evilly. "HEY!" came in indignant voice that did not sound like Spinel Sun. Nakuru stared, jaw dropping open as Meilin's figure formed from the shadow and, oooh, her eyes were RED with anger. Nakuru pointed at her, suddenly smiling. "You're that girl that I don't really know." She said cheerfully, winding the whip to lie at her feet. Out from behind Meilin came Eriol. Nakuru's cheerfulness popped like a balloon. "ERIOL!" she gasped, hand lifting to her chest in utter disbelief. "Meilin was helping me adjust my robes-" he began, eyes innocent as he motioned toward the Chinese girl with the red eyes. "They came loose and-" Nakuru giggled suddenly, turned and ran down the hallway, maroon hair flying behind her. "I'm telling Daidouji-san! I'm telling Daidouji-san!" she sang as she fled. Meilin frowned after her. "Telling Tomoyo-chan what?" she inquired, glancing back at Eriol. He shrugged at her in confusion before looking back down at the hem of his robes. "Are you done?" he asked, examining the material. Meilin nodded. "Yup. Nothing a good pin or two can't handle." She replied and she wandered off, leaving Eriol to himself. "Where are we?" Syaoran asked as Tomoyo led him down yet another hallway. "And how big is your house, exactly?" There was a strange smile on Tomoyo's face. "Big enough that I got lost for a whole day when I was younger." She said sweetly and they walked up another staircase, winding towards yet another floor. "And you're going to show me what?" He asked her, hands pressing to large stone bricks as the walked. She had done a damn good job doing this place up for the party. There was definitely an eerie feeling all around. Even the torches in the corridor seemed awfully real. "This room I keep all my junk in." she replied. Syaoran glanced over his shoulder, looking back down toward the way they had come. "Um...why?" he inquired. "Because my stuff will play a pivotal role in bringing you and Sakura-chan together." She sighed and he was blinded in the darkness by the stars that suddenly came into her eyes. "I...see..." was all he muttered. They finally reached another landing and there was a single door all the way at the bottom, against the far wall. Windows lined the entire corridor on their left side, admitting moonlight. Syaoran peeked out for all of a second and then frowned, realizing the ground was pretty far down. Tomoyo's house didn't look this big from outside. And why hadn't he ever noticed a part of the house that had windows lining the entire hallway? It would have been visible from outside. "You know, a long time ago," Tomoyo began, as they reached the door. She pulled out an old-looking set of keys and inserted one of them into the lock of the door, "my mother told me a ghost story about this young man who fell in love with this girl. And he would do anything for her, even brave the girl's haunted house to see her." Syaoran felt a strange squirming in his stomach as he looked out the windows once more. "And one day the boy came to see her and he was led by one of the girl's sisters to this exact room which at the time was the girl's bedroom..." Syaoran gulped, feeling panic begin to take over. "Oh, really? This is the exact same house?" he asked, voice squeaking. He cleared his throat and tried to put up a front. "Hai. The sister led him to the room and he walked in to find his true love dead, hanging from the ceiling." Tomoyo explained, still fiddling with the lock. It finally sprang and she shoved with what seemed to be all her might. The door swung open with a creak, leading into blackness. Tomoyo turned to look at him. And she smiled, showing off perfect white teeth. "Come on." She invited, taking a step into the room. Syaoran followed, suddenly realizing he was scared out of his mind. He stuck close to her as she paused right inside the room and suddenly his vision adjusted to the blackness and he saw a beautiful bedroom, a long bed with satin sheets and a canopy overhead, misty curtains framing it. Wooden closets and drawers completed the bedroom along with an old oval portrait hanging on the opposite wall. "Daidouji-san, who is that woman-" he asked, pointing at the portrait. It resembled Sakura the slightest bit in the reddish hair and sweet looking expression. He turned to look at Tomoyo as his question was left hanging in the air. He was alone in the room. He frowned, cocking his head and peeking back out the door. "Daidouji-san?" he asked slowly. The door suddenly moved, swinging shut and missing his nose by centimeters. He recoiled, stiffening, and caught sight of a misty figure before him. "My love, you've come for me at last!" the figure cried and she came forth, red-brown hair flowing around her face, long slender arms reaching for him. Her feet didn't touch the ground, he realized a moment later. He took a step back as she lunged at him and then started shrieking as her face melted away, leaving behind a grinning skull. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sakura lifted her head. She could have sworn she had heard a scream echo throughout the house. She glanced at Keroberos but he was lapping up punch out of her cup... "HEY!" she shouted indignantly, pulling her cup away. "Gross! Who KNOWS where your tongue has been!" He threw her a glare. "In my mouth, where else?" With a look she held out the cup once more. Better to just let him finish it than finish it herself. But as he leaned forward once more, tongue unrolling, she swiped it back and stuck her tongue out at him. "Let's hear you beg..." she sang. And she began to back away, luring him toward one of the punch tables. At the table already, Yue was scooping up the last bit of punch. He frowned when he couldn't get the last bit at the bottom before finally lifting the whole bowl to his lips. "Y-Yue-san!" Sakura gasped, catching sight of him. He lowered the bowl and then delicately wiped a small drop of red punch from the lip. "Yes?" Sakura blinked at him wordlessly before shrugging. "Forget it. I'll just get some more elsewhere..." "But that's the only table where the punch was spiked." Keroberos said, sounding very much like he was about to whine. "Hooooeeeeeeeeeee?" Sakura asked, gaping at him. Beside her Yue also gave him the same look of surprise. And then he set down the bowl and backed up a step. "I will find another one." He stated, floating off. Sakura stared after him and then looked back at the empty bowl. Tomoyo floated up, comforting Helen, the poor woman who had originally been working the punch table. "Oh, Helen, it's all right." She comforted the woman. "I WARNED you to stop the devil worshipping. Now you're paranoid around everyone." "But his eyes..." Helen sobbed. "They were so cold and he kept STARING at me..." Tomoyo nodded as if she understood, reached into her shirt and pulled a tissue out of her bra. "It's ok..." she said, handing the tissue to the distraught woman. Helen blew her nose loudly, still weeping. "And then he didn't say a WORD, just STARED at me more...and he kept coming BACK!" "For punch, I know..." Sakura took a step forward and peered at her friend. "Tomoyo-chan? Sumimasen..." she murmured to Helen and looked at Tomoyo. "Have you seen Syaoran?" "Li-kun?" Tomoyo asked. "He arrived already?" Sakura frowned at her. "Yes, you said he was here already." She replied, staring at her strangely. Tomoyo gave her the same look right back, not flinching in the least when a whip sounded in the background followed by a flash of ruby red light. "No, I didn't. I was helping my mother in the back the whole time. I ran into poor Helen trying to drown herself in un-spiked punch and I've been with her the rest of the time." And she paused. "In fact, when did YOU get here?" |
| All images and works done/altered by ShiNoFuriko and TasogareBan. Please do not steal and always give credit to where it is due. |