To be lost in the Forest of Magic was a terrible thing. With so many youkai lurking in the bushes, who knew what could pop out and begin nibbling on your limbs? Who knew just how voracious they could be?

This insignificant human had a vague idea as he stumbled around, paranoid with fear. The dark-haired young man, let's call him Daisuke, was quite obviously terrified. He had a run-in with some troublesome fairies earlier, which had left him disoriented after he attempted to chase them off. Now alone and lost, he could only hope he reached safety before something found him.

Something found him.

At first, he thought it was a little girl, whom he steps towards with relief. Relief quickly substituted with fear as he recognised this figure. Blonde hair, red ribbon, black dress… this was the darkness youkai. She who fed on humans. She was also a bit of an idiot when it came to her powers, but she was still a predator. Far more dangerous than one such as he.

Rumia turns her head, glancing over a shoulder attached to an outstretched arm. She grins, a small fang protruding cutely, but only emphasising her nature to the human.

"Yum yum, fresh meat.~" Rumia comments in a sing-song voice, turning fully to face her meal. Daisuke steps back, too afraid to turn his back to run. The small youkai may very well be faster, he may very well have that small fang tearing his head from his neck…

Rumia skips forward, arms still stretched to either side. She smiles playfully. "Meat, meat, juicy, chewy meat~ Ah! Human, how tasty are you~?"

Daisuke doesn't answer immediately. Even if he knew, why would he say? Perhaps he should just lie?

"I-I am not tasty! I'm… putrid!" He gasps in fear.

Rumia's eyes widen along with hr smile. "Is that so~? Well, I'm not too picky!"

Rumia skips forward, again and again. Daisuke's retreat is slow. He can't outpace her playful movements, even though he surely could. He knew Rumia was toying with him, playing with her food. To make any attempt to run would be met with his demise in the end, unless he could hide behind the trees…

"OM NOM NOM~" Rumia yelps, suddenly pressing her face to his body. Having closed the gap in an instant, Daisuke stumbles to the ground in terror, his end having come sooner than he expected.

With a weak attempt at scrambling backwards, Daisuke stammers, "P-please, don't k-kill me!"

Rumia tilts her pretty head, looking innocently confused. "Kill? I won't kill you, silly~!" Rumia giggles, pinning the human to the ground by placing her knees on either side of him.

Clearly not reassured, Daisuke replies, "Y-you won't?"

Again, Rumia giggles, her eyes alight with joy. "No, no! I'm gonna swallow you whole!"

Rumia licks her lips, her teeth looking especially pointy to Daisuke, who merely quivers at the knowledge of his impending demise. He wishes there was a way to escape, but he is overpowered by this youkai. Daisuke can only hope he won't suffer too long.

As he feels teeth caress his neck, a miracle occurs. A small, blue blur slams into the girl in black, knocking her away. Blinking, Daisuke sees what appears to be a fairy with a light blue dress and red hair. Its back to him, the fairy hovers in place, watching the darkness youkai.

Rumia quickly leaps to her feet, giving the fairy a somewhat annoyed glare. "Heeeeey! I wanna nibble my food~!"

The fairy doesn't move.

"You dare defy me~!" Rumia gasps in what Daisuke could only describe as overly theatrical. Almost like a terribly acted play. "Well~! Perhaps I shall-"

Rumia freezes, her crimson gaze directed to a spot in the trees beyond the fairy and Daisuke. While afraid to remove his gaze from the predator's location, his curiosity wins in the end and he twists his body slowly.

There. Within the shadows of a tree was another blonde girl, this one taller and dressed in blue and white. Her gaze is sharp and piercing, directed at the darkness youkai. Tucked away in one arm is a book, tightly bound by a leather strap. Two more fairies hover by her side.

Rumia tilts her head, a look of innocent curiosity on her young-looking face. "…Ah. Is that so? Well, I think it time for me to go beddy-byes~!"

And with that, Rumia of the Darkness turned tail and skipped away, arms outstretched once more as a ball of darkness enveloped her. It didn't take her too long to start bouncing off of trees like a pinball, but Daisuke was far too relieved and grateful to find any humour in the youkai's antics.

Climbing to his feet, Daisuke faces the shadowed woman as the fairy joined her sisters. "T-thank you, miss, I owe you my life!" He exclaims. "I hate to trouble you more, but I'm lost…"

The blonde seems to regard him briefly, before turning and walking. Daisuke is somewhat confused. Why would she leave without a word? And after he had told her he was lost?

With only a moment's hesitation, Daisuke hurries after her. He doesn't want to be left alone, lest he run into Rumia or another youkai again. He is able to keep up with her casual stroll, but keeps his distance, feeling wary. The blonde gives no indication she is aware of his presence, but Daisuke suspects she knows, if only because of the sounds made underfoot. Saving his life might have also tipped her off to his presence.

For ten minutes she walks on, without once acknowledging the trailing human. The fairies seem to take more notice of him, their expressions off and fixed as they occasionally glance at him. Daisuke wonders why the woman is silent, and considers calling for her…

Eventually, they reach a clearing. A clearing which contains a well-maintained house. The woman simply walks to it and enters, leaving the door wide open. Two of the fairies follow after her, with a third hovering by the house's entrance.

Daisuke pauses, feeling unsure. Is he invited inside? Does he want to be invited? Is this a trap? A gesture of kindness? It is difficult to tell, but he eventually decides that, inside this house or outside, he is a vulnerable target.

Passing the fairy as he slowly enters, he glances towards it, seeing its disconcerting smile and blank eyes. They looked lifeless to him. He hoped this was a mistake on his part.

Once inside, Daisuke glances around. Dolls. Dolls lined every wall. All wearing identical clothing, differing only in colour, and wearing the same general expression. They sat limp and lifeless, their visage so strongly reminiscent of fairies Daisuke had to do a double take. So that meant the creatures following that woman were dolls? That… seemed to make more sense to him than obedient fairies, but…

The door behind him closes. Startled, he glances over his shoulder. The fairy - doll - smiles emotionlessly at him, almost giving a sense that it were barring him from leaving. Hoping the terror wasn't shown on his face, Daisuke instead stepped inward.

The silent blonde wasn't in the sitting room, but in the adjacent workshop. Peering through the doorway anxiously, he saw her already seated by her bench, fiddling with whatever lay on it. Another doll?

"…Hello?" Daisuke nervously greets. No response. "I… I hope it's not a bother for me to be here?"

Again, no response. Why? Could she even hear him? Perhaps he should tap her shoulder? Something tells him he shouldn't be stupid. He should escape. He felt as if he were trapped.

A noise from behind makes him flinch and wheel around in fright. The coffee table situated between two armchairs now had a small tray placed upon it by four equally quiet and creepy dolls, laden with a tea pot and two cups.

As the dolls begin to pour what was presumably his tea, Daisuke glances at the woman in blue. Still no response from her. It bothered him, made Daisuke feel like some sort of ghost. Why save him, only to pretend he wasn't there.

However, the doll still hovering by the door seemed to indicate he was not permitted to leave, and now another one tugged lightly at his clothing, trying to guide him to a seat. Reluctantly, he obliged, although he avoided making eye contact with it. The lifeless stare and fixed grin would only freak him out more than he already was.

The cup was passed to his hands, but Daisuke didn't particularly feel in the mood for tea. He leaned back into the armchair, his gaze drifting upwards. More dolls. On the ceiling. This time, they were hung from their elbows and knees. Same clothing, same expressions… every single inanimate doll on the walls and ceiling seemed to have him in their gaze.

…Were they inanimate? This girl clearly knew how to make them move. Who was to say they were completely lifeless? What if they were waiting for him to drop his guard? Hell, why wait if he was outnumbered by what appeared to be a thousand to one? Just what was that girl's purpose in taking him to her home?

As Daisuke worried over his predicament, the dolls set about filling the other cup. One of the near-identical dolls hovers before his face, and begins raising hand to its mouth, lowering, then raising once more. It takes the on-edge human a few moments to realise its miming a drinking motion. He glances down at the normal looking tea with a grimace. What if was poisoned or drugged? Would that woman arrange such a thing for some random person like him?

Was she even a human?

Eyes flicking nervously towards the open doorway in which Alice was located, Daisuke tries to think of anyone known to live in the forest. There was the (funnily enough, also blonde) witch with a penchant for blowing crap up, and a few known youkai and fairies… none of which matched her description. Not that Daisuke was knowledgeable on everything within the forest, but he felt this woman was someone he should be aware of.

Daisuke couldn't help but flinch when that woman suddenly appeared from the other room, accepting the now-filled cup lifted by her dolls. As she sipped from it, her gaze finally fell to Daisuke, who seemed to shrink in her presence.

He couldn't read any emotion n her eyes and neutral expression. She looked at him as he were an insignificant part of the background.

And, with nary a word, the woman handed the cup back to a doll and disappeared into another doorway. The kitchen, specifically. For several minutes there was the sound of something opening, being carried and placed heavily, something alighting… she eventually emerged, wiping her hands clean on a dish towel. To Daisuke's surprise, she seated herself on the other armchair, opposite of him. He was regarded with another fierce gaze, and despite Daisuke's worry, had to speak.

"W-who are you?"

Still no answer. Was she mute? The woman's hands were flattened on her lap. A finger twitched, something clattered. Daisuke glanced up. There was no movement… another clattering sound, and he saw a doll twitch.

It jerked wildly, as if strings were pulled. Daisuke watched, wondering exactly what was happening.

Bucking and swinging at random, a doll finally fell from the ceiling, directly above Daisuke. He gasps and raises his arms, unintentionally throwing his cup's contents all over the wall and floor behind him.

The doll stops short of landing on the human. Slowly, Daisuke moves his arms aside to peek, finding the doll floating, its posture limp and inhuman. A hand seems to lunge for Daisuke's face. He lunges his head back into the armchair, but the doll only loosely extends a finger. The hand wiggles back and forth, almost like an admonishing gesture, before it seems to leap towards the blonde woman, resting upon an armrest.

The woman in blue herself doesn't seem to change expression throughout this odd exchange, despite the fresh tea stains on her walls. Dolls have already set to work on the cleaning, leaving Daisuke to fearfully watch this silent doll-lover.

"D-did you do that?" Daisuke asks with a quaver in his voice. "Why?"

As usual, no response. Well, no verbal one anyway. Her finger twitches, and a doll from a wall joins her. Daisuke eyes the three of them warily, ready to make a break for the front door or, failing that, a window.

The woman raises her hands, and the dolls shift forward slightly. The one on the left turns to face away from both Daisuke and the silent woman, whilst the other drifts far to the right.

The human watches as the right doll 'walks' towards the other, the slight clicking of doll joints bumping together the only noise filling the house. Aside from whatever was cooking in that kitchen.

The right-most doll stops as the other slowly turns around. Its head lolls to the side, and suddenly pounces. As the rightward doll is sprawled on the 'ground', Daisuke realises that this is supposed to be a re-enactment of what had happened earlier. Why was she showing him this?

The head of the pinning ghost bumped against the head of its 'victim'. Was this supposed to be him getting eaten? What was this weird woman playing at?

"What are you doing?" Daisuke demands to know.

Her eyes flicker towards him briefly, no emotion evident. The dolls come to a stop, remaining frozen in place. Nervously, the human eyes them, wondering what the will do next.

More clicking and clacking sounds. From all around. Turning his head, Daisuke watches as each and every doll suddenly rise from their seated positions along the wall's shelves, one by one. Each of them, their lifeless eyes trained upon the lone human.

The dolls hanging from the ceiling also began to descend slowly, leaving Daisuke feeling pinned down by the sheer numbers encroaching upon him. What was going to happen to him? Would this woman allow her dolls to smother him or something?

And she still made no movements. With the exception of her hands, she was completely still, her cold gaze upon Daisuke. He had to get out of here, couldn't stay any longer…

The human gulps, trying to think how quickly he could run for the door before the dolls caught up. He'd be lucky to make it three steps, but perhaps he should try?

Suddenly, the woman rises from her seat, catching Daisuke by surprise. Once more seemingly forgetting he was even there she walked to her kitchen, disappearing inside. The dolls remained, though one or two seemed to be inching ever closer towards him.

Daisuke wonders if this is his chance. She wasn't watching, so he could leave right now, right? Maybe this was her way of telling him to go? She sure had an insane way of acknowledging him, after all. Maybe she just had a warped way of expressing herself?

Daisuke slowly climbs to his feet. Nothing moves to stop him, but the incessant staring isn't exactly soothing his nerves. He took one nervous step, then another, and another…

He was met with no resistance, which was a relief, but the smell of cooking meat had gotten stronger now. What was she cooking, exactly? He hoped it wasn't for him, he wasn't sure if he could eat a strange woman's food.

"Yum yum, juicy meat~! Ya cooking the other one too?"

Dsaisuke froze, hearing that terribly familiar voice. Playful, light, tinged with blood-thirst.

"Hello~? Do you mean yes? We can eat 'im too?"

Daisuke is horrified. Rumia was in that kitchen? Why? That woman fended her off, right? Was it all a trap to lure him into this home? No, no it couldn't be!

"Oh, fine~! But when can I eat that, at least?" Rumia's playful, childish voice queried. Daisuke, deciding that he had far outstayed his welcome, proceeding to hurry for the now-unguarded front door. Then the doll's attacked.

One by one, they flew for him, lightly brushing past while Daisuke desperately evaded, trying not to yelp. Unfortunately, the noise that the dolls were making must have tipped the two in the kitchen off.

"Eh~? I can hear stuff!" Rumia gasps in astonishment and childish excitement. "I think the human's trying to get away~!"

Daisuke curses as another dolls lightly brushes by his head, and lunges for the front door. The doll army does little to outright block him. They seemed to be focusing more on grazing past him, occasionally grabbing at the human's clothes. One suddenly clutched onto his back, and Daisuke nearly falls to the ground in an attempt to wriggle free.

Eventually, he reaches the door. Desperately, he grabs the handle and flings it open. Behind him, he can hear the giggles of the darkness youkai. Was she directly behind him? He wasn't going to check.

Daisuke rushed from the house as dolls pour from the open doorway. With a slight stumble, Daisuke heads for the trees, changing direction whenever a platoon of lifeless dolls suddenly barred his way. Eventually, he reached the tree line and shot forward, while the dolls suddenly stopped, watching.

Inside the kitchen, Alice shows no reaction the chaos as she continues cooking the meat. Rumia re-enters, looking incredibly amused, her wide grin showing off a small, glinting fang.

"Haha, human totally wet his panties!" Rumia laughed, hopping onto a chair she had previously occupied.

For the first time, Alice speaks. "Men don't wear panties."

Rumia's eyes widened in horror. "He doesn't wear anything under that?"

"You're an idiot." Alice sighs.

As Rumia frets over the newly gained knowledge, Alice continues cooking. Her stoic expression tinged with disdain. She was happy with her nature as a youkai magician. It was what she had decided to become, after all. And she had been well aware of what came with that. She may have once been human, but even that wasn't enough to stave off the need to inflict fear on other humans. To relish in their terror, and sustain herself in a way food simply couldn't.

Treating Rumia to the meat for so kindly participating, Alice steps into her sitting room. The dolls were still re-arranging themselves back to their previous positions. If the doll master had her way, the figures that lines her walls and ceiling wouldn't be used for such a purpose.

…But there was no need to bemoan her nature. After all, fear was simply that. She had directed the human straight to the path that led back to the human village. He would be sure to bring company next time he decided to take a stroll through this forest…

And it would be a long time before she needed to feed on fear again.

It had been a few days since Daisuke had gotten lost in that forest, and he would make sure it would be the last. As he walks the street of his village, he still struggles to understand exactly what that blonde woman had been doing. At first he suspected she merely wanted to eat him or something, but the more thought, the less sense that made…

If she had been a youkai, she would have just consumed him right away. Why go to the effort of saving him, only to give him the silent treatment and sic those dolls on him? And why was that darkness youkai in her house anyway?

Two children pass by Daisuke, both of them chuckling and discussing something between them. He almost pays them no heed, but the words 'doll show' catch his interest. He turns to watch them leaving, and wonders exactly what they meant. He begins to think of that youkai woman again, but no… it couldn't be.

Daisuke turns the corner, and on the other end, at the village centre, is the very youkai he suspected. Next to her is some sort of picture… no, a backdrop, and two dolls floating above her head. There is still a crowd of children and a few parents, but it looked like a show had just concluded.

The human was left even more confused now. He stepped closer, slowly. Was that… a smile on the blonde's face. Nah, it couldn't be. He didn't think her face could even twitch a muscle, so what was with the smile. And now she was patting the head of a young girl who said something to her. One of the dolls seemed to be interacting with other children as well… it was like she was completely different.

For the next few minutes, Daisuke stands and watches from afar as the children slowly drift away and the woman enchants her backdrop, forcing it to shrink.

Daisuke seems to freeze as the woman's eyes briefly flicker in his direction. Time slows to a near halt as her icy blue stare washes over him…

A small smile accompanies her gaze, Daisuke notices. Her head seems to dip ever so slightly, and suddenly, she has turned and walked away.

Daisuke blinked, wondering what just happened. Could that have been the same person…?

He shakes his head in wonder. He would never understand youkai, it seemed.

Silly idea that wouldn't go away, so I got it out of the way. I'm aware that Alice doesn't really come across as scary at all, so that's that part failed already. Still, I figured I might as well finish it, especially since it's just a one shot.