Snippet #1465663

Saiyu knew it was a bad choice from the start. Sneaking out of her own home, getting on a public bus to the Himuro Mountain area, and walking the rest of the way to the mansion. Late at night too. But when did she ever listen to herself, in fact, people in general? She never listened. She never heeded anyone's instructions or warnings, the small girl just went off and did things by herself. This was one of those nights where she had finally proved that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Finally, Saiyu had proven to everyone that she really could do things on her own.

The dim moonlight poured down onto the path in front of her, as if it was trying to show her the way towards the mansion. But she already knew, and she could even see it from her spot on the old dirt pathway. Maybe the light was just illuminating everything for her so she was less afraid. The moon could do wonderful things, even make an old mansion appear beautiful. The slanted roof had shingles missing, probably torn away by strong winds. The wooden boards on the side were rotting away slowly, while most of the windows were either shattered, or blocked off by a paper screen. Saiyu could see approximately 3 floors of the large home. There was a set of double doors at the front, wood, with carvings of delicate cherry blossoms and birds in it. The moonlight made the mansion glow, and instead of looking like an old dump, it looked like a still painting. An ancient building, with an eerie beauty to it. She felt slightly more comfortable after thinking everything through. She had brought some first aid if she was to hurt herself on the broken staircase or something. She had a strong flashlight, that could illuminate more than ten feet of the path in front of her.

Yet she still had an odd feeling gnawing at the back of her mind, something that was telling her to go back. A little voice inside her head. Instead of listening to it, Saiyu brushed away a piece of her mousy brown hair out of her vision, tucking it behind one ear. Her grip tightened on the flashlight until her knuckles turned white. And with a deep breath, she continued down the pathway, her feet making almost no noise on the dirt. Surrounded by tall grass and too many weeds, she actually felt at piece. It was like she was taking a walk through the forest, at the most relaxing time of the day. Night.

The young girl hesitated for a moment before continuing her walk over a small bridge. It ran over a small stream of water with a strong current. She could assume that the fresh-water flowed down from the mountains in the distance, and that it was probably ice cold. Every step she took on the rickety old bridge made her feel nervous. It creaked underneath her weight, and just the thought of plunging into the freezing water made her shiver in her loose clothing. Saiyu had made it across the short bridge in just a few steps, and now, was facing a tall Shinto gate. The wood, she could tell, had originally been painted red, but it was chipping off and rotting away like the house. She passed underneath the tall gate, her anxiousness and uneasiness growing with every step she took towards the mansion. Eventually she was standing right in front of the home, faced with a set of stairs, merely three steps, leading up to the tall double doors.

She took a quick glance over her shoulder, checking for anyone behind her. She didn't want to go in alone. Hopefully the report in the newspaper this week had caught the attention of other people besides her. More than anything, she wanted to find Tomoe, her aunt. But Saiyu was almost shivering, not because of the cold, but the fear. The house had an odd feeling to it, like something was there, hiding inside. Walking the corridors of the home, waiting for someone to come inside. Saiyu felt like she was in more danger than just getting a sliver from the split wood of the walls inside the home.

"Might as well...look through my things." She mumbled quietly, tearing her gaze away from the home and slipping her dark leather messenger bag off of her shoulder. Almost unaware that she was talking to herself, Saiyu began to rummage through her bag, saying the name of each item she brought.

"First aid, camera, note book, pen..." She had brought everything she needed. Now just to...wait. And see if anyone else would accompany her inside.