Confusion

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was a blur, hard to interpret, completely illegible… for the first few seconds, she felt blind, almost entirely. The ceiling glared down at her, blaring blackness and rotten wood that spat down uncomfortable rains of debris and splinters. Her back ached, and she could only wonder—had she fell on it? In all of her time, she had never felt pain this noticeable, and it made her cringe in agony when she tried to pull herself straight. Her brown eyes looked around sluggishly, big, curious, and nothing short of terrified as red gunge painted the walls, and limp people laid strewn across the floor. Instinctively, she covered her eyes, whimpering softly and wondering where she was, if Momma was here, or Mr. Sonic…

She swallowed the fear with a small gulp, then moved her hands to peek out again, dreading doing so but finding it the only way to progress. Her gloved hands—once white and clean—were now more murky and dusty than they had ever been. Something undiscernible had settled on the gold cuff keeping it together, and the child flicked it off, once again wincing at what it might have been.

Pushing her palms into the floor, she applied her weight to the floor in order to stand up, and, after a few stumbles and moments of being wobbly, she managed to do so. Her legs wobbled slightly as she straightened; they felt dead, like they had not been used for a very long time, but most of all, they hurt. She had no idea how she had strained the muscles, but she knew they would need tending to soon. She hoped someone here had a first aid kit, but she somehow knew she might not be getting help in a place like this…

Dusting herself off carefully and examining herself, the youngster sighed lowly, her breath shuddering and unable to truly figure out what was happening. Her dress was now a dark shade of orange, the backs ridden with a murky substances. She attempted to clean it up, but it was to no avail; once she got home, she would have to ask Momma to wash it again… this was her favourite.

Moving her attention away from the impending thought that something other than mud was lathered all over her back, she took a small step forward, staring quietly at her surroundings for a small duration of time, observing every crack, every bit of board, and every deceased creature that housed the hall. She regretted this immediately, but held in her fright, her breath hitching as she clasped her hands tightly.

Momma had always said if she was lost, she should wait where she was for someone to find her, but such an option was not viable here, so she could not take it, and she had no strength to call out, at least not yet. If she called out, what if someone else came? Someone she didn't know? Someone scary? She hoped that wouldn't happen… and so, for now, kept herself silent. She knew, anyway, that any words she spoke would most probably come out as a stuttering wreck; she was so terrified that speaking coherently might be a problem. She might have been able to speak clearly later, but for now, she was far too shaken.

Composing herself, she dismissed her feelings towards the place, and strode down the hall, attempting to be brave and act like this was not bothering her. A chill fell down her spine, however, and she shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself, cold and frightened no matter how much she tried to hide it. Her face portrayed terror, and would not change whilst she was here.

She stopped at a cross-section, and looked in all directions; her own path excluded, one path led to a door, one to another long hall, and the other was blocked off by a hole in the floor. She bit her lip as she glanced between these choices, unsure of where to go. The blocked path could be an option… if she flew, but she could not rely on those skills when she was in such a state; her legs were shaking. The big slide-screen at the bottom did look awfully convincing, but if it was a room, she did not want to get trapped… She would probably feel more confident in doing something like that if someone was with her, and currently, no one was, apart from the odd dust bunnies. Those made the halls more lonely and terrifying and did not aid her in the slightest.

She turned her head to the right, then looked at the misshapen floorboards for a few seconds before making her decision. She steadily made her way to the path leading down the hall, clenching her fists and hoping that no scary monster lurked at the end of it. She minded the holes in the floor, the big dilapidated ditches, and the odd droplets leaking from the ceiling, and navigated the barren corridor, watching her step every time she went and treading slowly. As she walked by the last hole, her ears pricked, and she stiffened as she prevented herself from squealing out of fear.

"…Kishinuma-kun, w-we can't just wait around for Ms. Yui!"

"I know, I know… but... ergh… All I'm saying is it would've been safer to wait for her there. You know, like she asked…"

"In a place like this? Something terrible might have happened, an-and, sh-she might not have co-come back at all!"

She glanced around quickly, then spotted a loose piece of wood sitting against the wall. She shot to it as quickly as she could, and then hid behind it, hiding her cream body from sight and watching on through the convenient hole in the middle of the board.

"Quit being pessimistic… It's a big place… she was gone for ten minutes, and—"

"That isn't my po-point!"

"Well, that's mine… but there's a note now. If she comes back, we'll know, but don't get yourself worked up, Shinozaki... we'll… we'll find her, okay?"

The footsteps and voices seemed to be coming from the stairway… clearly someone descending to the first floor. She kept silent, staring through her eyehole as she saw two humans.

"We better… I hate being on my ow-own like th-this…"

"…Y-you're not on your own, you know…"

"…Hm?"

"…Never mind."

Finally, the speakers emerged from the door, looking around briefly before stepping out into the corridor. There was a teenage girl, approximately seventeen years old, with blue, pig-tailed hair and eyes; she seemed on edge, and was constantly looking around at every sound and display made. She was wearing some sort of uniform, and was hugging herself, looking slightly insecure. At this very moment, the unease seemed definite, but was supported by something else…

Next to the girl was a tall boy, about the same age, and he sported blonde, short, messy hair with suspicious grey eyes. He wore a black uniform with a white, buttoned shirt, that of a scholar, and a red undershirt. The fear wasn't as obvious with him, but he was clearly not overjoyed nor comfortable with the situation, and seemed to be eyeing the girl next to him with concern, not that she noticed.

The pair stayed where they were for a moment, then turned to make their way down the hall, the young rabbit watching them from her hiding spot. She thought they looked slightly approachable… perhaps she could ask them for help? They seemed nice enough... And they seemed really worried about their friends, and maybe their teacher, from what she guessed.

She stood, thinking about this briefly, wondering if her actions would be safe…

"…?!"

…then froze.

Something cold drifted down her spine. And that cold was only behind her, not in front of her. Her stiffened face stared ahead, and her fearful eyes perceived a blue glow visually travelling across the floor, only her shadow blocking the inner area of it out.

Slowly, she swallowed yet again, and moved her gaze cautiously, giving a fleeting look over her shoulder.

"…Gilgggghhh…"

Every nerve in her body seized up almost instantaneously, for in front of her was a human child, but yet, not just that… It shed a blue light, and everything above its jawline was missing, exposing the innards still remaining in its head. The stump that was assumed to be its tongue was lapping about weakly, over and over again, and its head was facing down. It didn't seem to be looking directly at her…

It made gurgling sounds, its speech almost completely incoherent.

"…Gilggghhh… mllgge… bahllggg…"

She did not give it time to finish its request, bolting out from behind the floorboard and running down the hall, crying and screaming loudly,

"MOMMA! CHEESE! MISS AMY! P-PLEASE! I DON'T LIKE THIS!"

All that rushed through her mind was terror. She sobbed so much that her vision blurred; she could not see clearly, and so, as she turned to the corner, she had no idea where she was going.

"…? Huh?"

"…What's up?"

"I thought I heard—"

"MOMMA!"

…The young rabbit latched onto the stiff form of a boy, and he looked down, yelping suddenly and almost jumping out of his skin.

"…The Hell…?!" he yelled, looking down at the creature hugging him. She was sobbing into his clothes, getting them wet, and was wailing almost indefinitely for her mother.

"…Is… is that a rabbit…?"

"Momma… Mooooooommmaaa…" she whined, its voice echoing and sniffling every few seconds.

"…I have no idea what…" the boy blinked, then tried to back up. Unfortunately, the creature's grip on him was tight. Did she even realize what she was doing? "…Hey… uh… could you get off?"

The boy was inwardly awkward and freaked out by the sudden appearance of a talking animal, and wished greatly she would stop hugging him to death. The place was unnerving as it was…

"Why does this have to be so scary…?!"

He blinked.

"…I dunno, rabbit thing, but could you—"

He was interrupted.

"Kishinuma…" the girl sighed lowly.

He shrugged. "What?"

"It's clearly a child."

"…So…?"

"…" She sighed lowly, then knelt down to the rabbit's level, watching her for a moment before tapping her shoulder.

She stiffened ever so slightly, but halted in her sobbing.

"…Hi there… I'm Ayumi," the girl told her in a calming tone.

"…H-hello, Ayumi-san…" the rabbit whimpered, quietly, looking at her with a distraught expression. "I-I'm C-Cream…"

"I'm seventeen. How old are you?"

"Umm… I'm… six…"

Ayumi frowned. So young… place was probably more of a nightmare for her than Ayumi herself.

"Oh… Are you all right, Cream-chan?" Ayumi asked, furrowing her brow with a look of concern.

"…I th-think so…"

"O-okay, good… So… I know you're a little scared, but… could you let go of Kishinuma-kun, please?"

"…? Huh…?" She blinked, almost innocently for a second, then looked up at the boy. He seemed… taken by surprise, and she gasped softly, before pulling herself away and twiddling her fingers. "...I'm sorry…"

"…It's all right…"

"What the Hell is—?"

The girl shushed the boy, especially so since he'd swore.

Kishinuma looked awkwardly silent at this, and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering why random bunnies were appearing.

The child glanced back, half-expecting the spectral spirit to have followed her, but… no one was there to greet her gaze. It simply wasn't there, gone. Had it spared her…? Maybe it just thought it was a funny prank to scare her and left her alone…

Sheepishly, she looked back at the pair of humans, uncertain of what to say.

After a moment of silence, the girl named Ayumi spoke up, biting her lip as she looked at Cream.

"..Where did you come from?" she asked quietly. "We… haven't seen any of you around…"

"…Huh?" The rabbit blinked, pointing at herself. After a second, she stared at Ayumi, then answered, "Umm, Ayumi-san… that's strange, because my friends and I have seen lots of you!"

"…Eh?" Kishinuma looked a tad freaked out at this statement. "Have you hybrid animals been watching us or something?"

"…?! Oh, no, no, no! Definitely not!" Cream frowned, waving her palms in a denying manner. "We… live alongside yo-you all, ri-right?"

"…Huh?" The boy looked clueless.

Ayumi sighed quietly, looking at the ceiling. Although, upon closer inspection, she decided not to when she noticed a blue light. She shuddered, then looked back at the boy.

"I think... maybe… we're dealing with a different reality, here…"

"You think that's it?" he blinked at her, looking a bit sceptical. "Some whacko video game?"

Ayumi rolled her eyes slightly at her companion's description. "Yeah, something like that… do we normally come across talking animals…?"

"Do we normally come across haunted schools, looking like they're out to kill us?" he asked in return, furrowing his brow.

"Kishinuma, this is no time for smart-alec replies," Ayumi mumbled quietly, folding her arms and looking at the boy with a stern face.

"Okay, fine, fine…" he grumbled, "But given the circumstances right now, I'm not that surprised. This place is fu—"

Glare again.

"…Messed up." He glanced at Cream, seeming a little off about the whole ordeal. Ghosts, sure, seemed… somehow realistic, but talking animals, that could walk and do what other living people did? He wasn't so sure he could go on like it was a normal thing… "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this is our mind playing tricks on us."

"She just hugged you," Ayumi told him bluntly. "That's proof enough she's solid."

"Yeah, but…"

"Umm… excuse me?" Cream spoke up, very uncomfortable about the conversation.

"Oh, sorry…" Ayumi apologized to her, straightening and frowning at her. "We shouldn't be talking about you like this, especially in front of you."

"It's okay…" Cream mumbled softly, but was inwardly worried. If these people didn't know about her, about Mobians, then… what happened?

"At any rate, we gotta' get going," Kishinuma cut in, rubbing the back of his neck. "We've stuck around here long enough. Let's see if we can find the others and get the Hell out of here."

"Alright then. Let's go, Cream."

"…Eh?"

"What?"

"She's coming?"

"Yes. Problem?"

"Uh… n-no, but I was thinking maybe we should take her back to Classroom 1A…"

"By herself?" Ayumi stared at him disapprovingly. "Kishinuma-kun."

"W-what? She'd be safe there, right? Plus, more so if someone got our message… Maybe Ms. Yui came back, and she could—"

"What if she hasn't yet?" Ayumi asked him, furrowing her brow. "This is like leaving Yuka on her own! We could never do that!"

"We don't have to! You could stay with her whilst I find Ms. Yui! I could—!"

"No."

"But wandering around might get people killed…"

Cream shuffled to Ayumi a little bit, frightened at the notion.

The girl stood tall and stubborn.

"…And sitting around might do the same! She stays with us, Kishinuma!"

Cream felt so guilty for them fretting over her, but felt so honoured at the same time.

"I'll be okay, Ayumi-san, Kishinuma-san! Miss Amy or Cheese might not be with me… bu-but I'll be brave until the very end!"

The faces Cream received looked very worried.

"Okay…" Kishinuma shrugged. He glanced at Ayumi, frowning. "But it can't be helped since everything's out to kill us anyway…"

"Stop saying things like that…" Ayumi grumbled.

"…" Kishinuma was silent for a moment, before he glanced elsewhere, and turned around, rubbing the back of his neck impishly. "…We should get going, Shinozaki."

"Yes, we should."

Well, she's definitely more assertive…

Kishinuma sighed. She was in a bad mood now… He was meant to be there to keep her calm, so why was he saying all that stuff? He reckoned he was being honest, but… that wasn't really helping the situation…

Walking forward, the boy heard the footsteps of the people behind him as he made his way to the back of the corridor, trying his hardest to ignore the horrid surroundings. It wasn't long, however, before he halted upon a gasp from Ayumi…

"H-hnggg….!"

"Shinozaki?"

He turned around, blinking blankly to see the girl kneeling, covering her face with the cream rabbit by her side. She was whimpering, not looking around, and only swiping a look up at Kishinuma. Her eyes temporarily passed over him, and then the bleached and murky bones around them.

Cream glanced around, then froze, her fur standing on end.

"…The Hell…?!" the male student yelped, looking around in shock, then walked towards his companions.

"Bodies… Kishinuma-kun… bodies…!" Ayumi whimpered, sounding terrified.

"…Are they re-real…?" Cream asked, backing up a little to Ayumi and looking slightly scared.

"They… don't look fake…" Kishinuma cringed, staring at one for a little while. "…Th-these are genuine…"

"God…!" Ayumi let out a strangled yelp, unable to even properly respond.

"Shinozaki…" Kishunma frowned. "…Come on. Let's get going…"

Cream turned around, and covered her face, shaking her head erratically. Kishinuma glanced at Cream for a mere moment, unable to decipher how terrified she was; she wasn't as freaked out as Shinozaki, but the Kisaragi student had a slightly more worn interior… Of Cream, he was not aware, but she was just a child, and there was no telling how bad this was…

"…Both of you."

Ayumi looked up shakily, nodding, before standing up slowly and walking towards Kishinuma, a bit off balance, with Cream clinging to her as she did so.

Kishinuma glanced at this, then began walking ahead, his thoughts no longer on escape but the terrified mind of Ayumi Shinozaki. He kept glancing at them from the corner of his eye just to check they were still there, following, and at least physically well. He eyed Ayumi the most, however; he felt more inclined to be concerned for her…

As they neared the top of the corridor, Cream called out quietly, "There's a door over there…" she stated, swallowing. Inside, she could scarcely see a faint blue light, and at that, she shuddered. "M-maybe there's a fire exit…"

"Yeah… come to think of it, we haven't been in any classrooms downstairs. Maybe there are fire exits and we just haven't seen them…" Yoshiki mused, nodding at the young rabbit. Ayumi seemed to be in deep thought as the trio neared the door.

As soon as Yoshiki's hand rested on the handle of the sliding door, however, she suddenly felt a great deal of unease and fear.

"…Eh?" Noticing this, the blonde-haired boy turned to look at her, blinking blankly. "Sh-Shinozaki?"

"…It's nothing," she mumbled quietly, hoping she was right. "L-let's go see if there's an exit."

Not quite believing her, the teenager eyed her suspiciously with alarm, then turned to open the door. Peeking inside, he glanced around, until he mumbled, "Clear…"

Stepping forward, he guided the pair through the entrance of the room, and looked towards the back. Then, instantly, his pupils shrunk.

At the end of the room, there was a small child. It was staring blankly at the wall ahead of it, its eyes void of emotion, and its mouth barely open. It was a boy. He had messy hair, ragged clothes, and was sat, hugging his legs as he stared almost endlessly at the wall. However, while this only seemed a little normal, he yielded a blue glow, and there was no tongue to be seen in his mouth.

"Wh-what the hell kind of room is this?! It's not like any classroom I've ever seen…"

"My head is splitting…" Ayumi cringed, holding her head and wincing.

"…Shinozaki? You alright…?"

"We… shouldn't be here, Kishinuma-kun… we really shouldn't be here…"

The room was long, a very oddly-shaped classroom, full of rotting and missing floorboards, thick with darkness, but Yoshiki could still see at the end of it. The end unnerved him the most…

"Kishinuma-kun!" Ayumi yelped suddenly as the boy stepped forward, grabbing his shoulder.

The boy stiffened and glanced at her.

"Ack! Wh-what the Hell?!"

"You mustn't!"

"D-don't scare me like that! Geez…"

"D-don't go over there!"

"S-Shinozaki, we need to find a way out!"

"There's nothing here! Let's just leave! Please, Kishinuma!"

"…" The boy stared at her, then looked ahead. Something glinted on a table at the back. "…there is. Just sit tight, okay, Shinozaki? Relax. I'll be fine."

I hope. I fucking hope. Because if I won't, then Shinozaki will be on her own… and I sure as Hell don't want that to happen…

"Ummm…" Cream mumbled something inaudible.

"You won't! You—!"

He turned to look at her sharply. "Trust me, Shinozaki! I'll get back here alive! No dead kid's going to put me in a grave when you're still here!"

"…?" Ayumi looked at him meekly, then down. "…f-fine. But you mustn't look at his eyes! No matter what you do, don't look at his eyes!"

"I got it. Now stop worrying, okay?" Yoshiki sighed. Ayumi pouted, then stared at him with a concentrated expression. She stood closer to Cream.

The teenaged male exhaled, then walked towards the end of the room, creeping across the floorboards slowly.

"Ayumi-san…?"

Ayumi was shaking visibly as she watched Yoshiki cross the side of the classroom. She looked down at Cream, who was frowning and tugging on her shirt.

"…I-I'm fine, Cream-chan."

"Are you sure…?" the rabbit asked, frowning more concernedly. "If Kishinuma-san says he'll be okay, he'll be okay, right?"

Like Mr. Sonic would be!

"…Yeah… he will…" Ayumi grumbled. It was incredibly inaudible, though. Luckily, Cream caught it and smiled a tiny bit.

"Then don't worry, Ayumi-san!"

The girl looked elsewhere, silent at that.

Yoshiki glanced over his shoulder, seeing the two talking, then closing his eyes and sighing gently.

Their talking was making him nervous. Would he really be okay…?

He was worried about Shinozaki… Hell, he was worried about leaving her right now. Cream, too, even though they hadn't known eachother long. She seemed like a good kid…

"…No. I'll be okay."

He stopped at the boy, who was staring at the wall opposite him.

"'Don't look at his eyes'," Yoshiki repeated to himself, breathing in heavily.

Slowly, cautiously, he walked past the ghost child, moving towards the table of where an object had been gleaming earlier. Now at the back, he did certainly notice there was no exit here. To that, he grimaced, but continued his plight in grabbing the object.

Upon closer inspection, it looked to be a crowbar… a nail puller, basically. Yoshiki paused, then muttered something inaudible. Oh, well… he might as well have taken it.

He picked up the nail puller, then looked back at Ayumi and Cream, waving it about to show he was okay.

The two just stared, one smiling meekly and one having a worried frown on her face.

Moving back towards the girls swiftly and carefully, the boy sauntered around the spirit, walking down the classroom. As he did, he couldn't help but stare back at the youngster.

He was just… staring vacantly at the wall. He was staring as if no one had walked past him, and Yoshiki found that both odd and unnerving.

"Are you okay, Kishinuma-san?" Cream asked, tilting her head.

"I'm fine." He looked at Ayumi with a concerned expression. "See?"

"Whatever…" Ayumi grumbled, not looking at him and still initially angry he risked his life for… what even was that? A nail puller…?

"… Let's leave. I don't want to stick around in this room longer than we have to."

"Y-yeah…" Ayumi mumbled, then grabbed Cream's hand. She gently tugged her along as she led Yoshiki out of the room.

As Cream walked, she glanced back, and, briefly, she caught a glimpse of the ghost boy's head twitching slowly towards their direction. She glanced away before he properly stared though, and shivered.

"What's up?" Yoshiki asked the rabbit, raising an eyebrow.

"…U-um… nothing, Kishinuma-san…" She knew there was, but she didn't want her friend to turn around like she did… She remembered clearly what Ayumi had said…

"..Okay…" Yoshiki responded, disbelieving her.

Now outside the room, the group made their way down the corridors, to the cross-section they had visited before. But half-way there… something had changed.

Ayumi's hand slipped from Cream's, to which the rabbit looked up in confusion.

"Ayumi-san…? Are you okay…?"

"…"

"Shinozaki?"

Ayumi didn't answer. She was staring intently at nothing, her eyes void of emotion.

"…Hey! Shinozaki!"

Yoshiki walked around, in front of the girl, squinting worriedly.

Cream looked up at her, then whimpered and back-stepped a bit when a horrible noise made itself known from Ayumi's throat. Yoshiki step-backed a bit too.

"Ooooouuuuuuuuuuughhh…"

Ayumi was groaning, but it sounded almost nothing like her… at least, that's what was thought. No one had ever heard her make such a horrible, cringey noise…

"Ayumi-san?"

"Shinozaki?! Wh-what's wrong?! Are you-?"

THUD!

With an odd amount of strength, Ayumi pushed Yoshiki aside. He almost fell over, but kept his balance. Even so, it was a shock.

"H-HEY! SHINOZAKI!"

The girl ran south, not looking back, and seeming in quite a rush to get to where she was going.

"Where are you going?!" Yoshiki yelled.

He received no answer. A door slammed, and Ayumi left through the door to the school's entrance.

"What the hell…?"

"…Mrmmmm…"

Yoshiki glanced down at Cream, and he frowned.

"…What's wrong with Ayumi-san, Kishinuma-san?" Cream asked, her bottom lip quivering in fear as she clasped her hands. Body language clearly meant she was scared and worried, Mobian or not.

"… I don't know…" Yoshiki answered truthfully, then sighed. "…Let's go see what's wrong. Stay behind me, okay?"

"O-okay…" Cream nodded, then stepped close to Yoshiki, walking behind him as he walked quickly down to the entranceway.

Cream looked down at the floor, noticing the amount of children's shoes on the floor.

"…So many shoes…" she mumbled quietly. So many shoes… but where were their owners?

"Try not to think about it, kid."

Yoshiki opened the door, then peeked inside. He glanced around the room, then froze upon seeing the person he was looking for. She was stood in the corner of the room, staring at the wall.

"…Shinozaki! There you are! Jeez, what the hell are you doi—…"

Yoshiki stopped as he stepped in, as he moved closer to the girl.

Cream glanced out of the door before shutting it, then looked at Ayumi.

"Ayumi-san…? We found you… Tell us what's wrong, okay? We're really worrie—"

"NO ONE IS SAYING THAT!"

"…H-huh…?!"

Ayumi was staring at the wall, her mouth forming a small smile. This smile gradually grew wide, almost ear to ear, and her pupils shrank as she continued her words.

"Shinozaki…?"

"Today is my daughter's birthday. She's turning seven. We're going out together to celebrate."

Cream looked seriously confused, as did Yoshiki.

"He—!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THAT'S DISGUSTING!" Ayumi screeched in a hoarse voice. "AAAAAHH! WHY ARE YOU BOTH LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?!"

"Because—!"

"Ummm! Kishinuma-san…"

Ayumi said nothing, her expression stuck on anger, until it warped, slowly becoming placid and calm.

"…"

Yoshiki sighed, then took a step closer to Ayumi.

"…Sh-Shinozaki… Hey…" he muttered, holding his hand out.

"…Hmmm?" Ayumi blinked, then looked at Yoshiki blankly. "Kishinuma! What's wrong?"

"Kishinuma-san…" Cream repeated again, eyeing the door worriedly.

"Uhhhh… well… you were saying some pretty weird stuff just now…" he muttered quietly.

"Weird stuff?" Ayumi blinked.

"Yeah, you, uh, started saying…"

"…?"

Ayumi looked perplexed at what he was saying.

"…Forget it."

Was she not aware…? Must be the pressure… probably… Nerves are probably shot to all hell by now… God…

"Just me and my imagination. Don't worry too much, Shinozaki."

"Kishinuma—"

"It's fine."

"…?" Ayumi frowned. "If you say so…" She sounded sceptical.

She glanced at Cream, who was glancing at the entrance door with fear.

"…Cream-chan? What's wrong?"

"There's… there's…"

"What?" Yoshiki asked, folding his arms.

Great, more trouble…

"G-ghost…!" Cream gasped quietly.

"Ghost?" Yoshiki asked, then lowered an eyebrow. "That was back in the classroom…"

"Y-yes, but…" Cream squeaked, "I-it looked at us! I-it l-left!"

"Left? What do you mea—?"

Yoshiki gave up on the question. He walked towards the door, then opened it, and was greeted immediately by a young boy looking down at the floor.

"Ack?!"

Jumping back, Yoshiki slammed the door, then leaned against it.

"Kishinuma-kun?!"

"It d-did leave… sh-she was right!" Yoshiki breathed. "It's that ghost from before! It left the classroom!"

"Left it?! But…!"

"No time for buts, Shinozaki; it's out there!"

"Nghh…"

Ayumi held her head again. Her head was splitting once again…

Cream swallowed, then looked up at Yoshiki.

"What do we do, Kishinuma-san?"

"We can't just stay here! We need to get out!"

"And find the others…" Ayumi mumbled, cringing. She panted slightly.

"Ayumi-san?"

"I'm f-fine…"

Cream frowned. "That isn't true! You've not been okay at all!"

"How would y-you know…?" Ayumi asked, staring at her with a gentle expression.

"I just know! This isn't yourself, is it? I bet you're really a happy person! A lot better than this!"

"…y-you're…" Ayumi glanced elsewhere, "…right, I guess…"

"Shinozaki!"

"Alright, Kishinuma-kun…" the class rep responded weakly. "J-just… don't… Don't let it touch you. Any of you."

She looked at Cream just as worriedly.

"Okay… you two ready?" Yoshiki asked with a serious expression.

"Y-yeah…" Ayumi nodded.

"Y-yes," Cream replied, expression terrified.

"…Stay close, okay? We don't want to lose anyone."

The two nodded.

"If you have to scatter, well… we'll get to that part. Just don't die—"

"Kishinuma…!"

"…fine, don't get 'lost'…"

This wasn't helping Cream's or Ayumi's mindset…

Yoshiki took a deep breath, then opened the door.

"Run!"

In an instant, the trio took off, and as they did, Yoshiki kept a close eye on Ayumi.

"…!"

He froze, seeing that Ayumi wasn't fast enough to move out of the way of the child's hand which was now stalking them across the corridor. Surging forwards, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her away.

"Ow!"

"Better than what could've happened!" Yoshiki exclaimed. "Where's the rabbit girl?"

"Cllmmmeee…. Wiiiifffff…"

"No-nooo!" Cream yelped.

She was at the floorless side of the cross-section, and the spirit was walking towards her, his hands reaching out for the rabbit as if she were a toy to play with.

"Dammit!"

"Cream-chan!"

Cream backstepped, her heel hitting the edge. She teared up as the boy neared her.

"I don't like this!"

Closer.

"Why do I have to be here…?!"

Closer.

"I want Momma!"

"Kishinuma!" Ayumi spat. "D-do something!"

"I c-can't! N-not without touching hi—"

"YOU SELFISH COWARD!"

"…Huh?!"

"SHE'S A KID, KISHINUMA! DO SOMETHING!"

"…"

Dammit… I just want to protect you…!

The boy looked at her, then his face grew stern.

"That classroom. Now."

"Wh-wha—?"

Yoshiki shoved his blazer into her hands.

"NOW, DAMMIT!"

He ran towards the boy.

"KISHINUMA! ST-STO—!" Ayumi screamed.

No.

Cream whimpered on the spot, her other heel directly in front of the ledge. The boy was getting far too close.

"N-no…!"

"HEY! YOU! YOU LITTLE BASTARD! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Yoshiki yelled, picking up a piece of wood. He threw it at the child. It went right through him.

Sweat ran down his face.

Figures.

"Kishinuma-san!" she sobbed. "I'm so—!"

The wood slid right in front of Cream, and that was just enough to budge her off. She lost balance.

Yoshiki froze. "CREAM!"

The child fell back, flapping her arms in attempt to stop the fall. It failed, however, and Kishinuma heard a 'THUD' down below…

"Wh-wha…" he trailed. "…DAMMIT! NO! Wh-why…? Why the hell would that happen to a KID?! SHE WAS A KID, YOU BRAT! You… you little…"

The spirit stared blankly at this, then stayed still. Then…

The child turned around, staring at Yoshiki.

"CLMMMEEE WIIIFFFFFF MEEEEEEE…"

He started walking towards Yoshiki, attention drawn away from Cream.

"…! CRAP!" he cursed, then growled at the boy. He shot off towards where he had directed Ayumi, Classroom 1A.

Ayumi better have moved!

Yoshiki shot off towards the stairs, glancing back at the boy and where Cream had fallen.

He couldn't believe this. And he hated it.

He was going to hate telling Ayumi just as much…

He failed her… He failed both of them…

Why? Why would this place do that?! To a six-year-old?!

This was messed up…

Reaching the top of the stairway, with no sign of the ghost following, Yoshiki made his way to the classroom.

Opening the door, he saw Ayumi at the podium, staring at the wood fixedly.

"Shinozaki, I'm sorry, I couldn't—…?"

"Kishinuma," Ayumi replied, then stared at him with an anxious expression. "Someone replied. And it wasn't Ms. Yui…"

"Wha…"

-S-

Whoooooa, been ages since I've updated this fic! Sorry! This ain't dead just yet. I has many plans for this. :3

If you didn't guess, this leads on to the intro in Chapter 2. Due to Cream being able to fly, I'd say she isn't dead by the end of this chappie.

Anyways, loved writing this. Ayumi and Yoshiki, mah gerd. X3 I won't rant. I just love writing their dialogue because OTP.

Hope you guys liked it! :3

Until next time…

-Toxic : )