Fateless

Hana had been tossing and turning within her rollout futon for hours now, yet sleep evaded her. The muffled sounds of the staff moving about the busy household had long since died off, leaving a still silence in its stead.

The thick makeup she had been forced to wear had been wiped away, and Hana was now clothed in comfortable pajamas. But still, she felt restless. After all, this room was not very homely. It consisted of a small wardrobe, which kept the futon she was occupying during the day hours, and a lone wooden chest to store her belongings. And that was all.

As part of the matchmaking event, the ladies were to remain for seven days so the lord could observe them. There had been no hesitancy from Asuna to leave Hana at the Hirano Villa for that expected period of time.

There was a feeling of relief as her mother’s nagging went home along with her. Yet, with her presence gone, Hana still felt abandoned and alone.

Hana stared at the vaguely transparent panels of the imitation shoji doors that led out onto her balcony. The lanterns lit sporadically within the garden it overlooked reflected the softest of light. But suddenly a different light darted across the window. It looked far off, moving in jerking, swift motions. But then suddenly it wasn’t.

Hana froze as the distorted amber orb of light lingered just outside her room. It hovered for a moment, swaying hypnotically and glowing with an iridescent sheen, before suddenly passing on.

Frightened, but her curiosity getting the best of her, Hana crawled over to the balcony, carefully prying the sliding doors open enough to peek through. The light was like a little ball of fire. It floated like a ghostly wisp and encircled the shadowy figure of someone standing in the garden.

Hana, straining to see who this figure belonged to, pushed her door open further and emerged out onto the ground-level balcony. But whoever had been out there was now obscured further into the garden, following the beckoning glowy flame.

Hana took a breath of the crisp night air and watched the remaining flickers of light protruding through the winter vegetation, her curiosity only increasing. She strangely had no second thoughts as she hiked her leg up over the railing and landed with a soft thud on a soft layer of snow.

Her feet moved determinedly in the same direction that took her through the garden, following the cobbled path for a short time before heading off the footpath, towards the shine staircase, and then where the Hirano residence ended and the forest began.

Hana tried to increase her pace to keep up with the light. She followed the indentations of footsteps left in the snow when the light was not visible enough. But eventually, after many winding turns, the light seemed to disappear completely and Hana was left blinking disorientated in the looming wilderness at the base of the mountains.

She looked down again at the footfalls trail she had been following only to find there was suddenly none. The snow before her was untampered like nothing had disturbed it. Glancing back were her own footprints against the white. And much further back was the second pair that had just simply stopped where she had continued.

At that moment a fear crept into Hana’s mind. The eerie feeling of being watched unsettled her nerves. The forest was unnaturally quiet, devoid of the usual sounds of nightlife. She peered into the shadowy, dense woodland, trying to detect any kind of movement. But it was far too dark to see anything and the landscape remained still.

She glanced upwards at the dark treetops that towered high into the sky, making her feel tiny and insignificant. Much of the trees’ fullness had receded with the cold of the season. But the visibly bald wintery branches still appeared empty of any wildlife or suspicious figures.

Hana folded her arms over her body, suddenly feeling the cold chill of the night through the fabric of her pajamas. Snow bit harshly at her bare feet and she realised her teeth were chattering.

She had no idea where she was going. She knew she was in the forest, of course. And that she was following someone. But she could not fathom why she had simply flown off a balcony in the middle of the night, barefoot and dressed in sleepwear, to do so.

In a sudden panic, Hana began to backtrack her snow-steps. She followed her trail back through the forest and let out a chilly sigh of relief as she eventually reached the familiar shine staircase.

The komainu statues sitting at the foot of the stairs were a welcome reception and she patted the cold stone of the closest rocky guardian with gratitude.

The corroding stone felt abrasive in texture under the layer of snow which Hana wiped off of the lion-canine-resembling creature. The facial details and the mane of the mythical beast were beginning to lose its definition.

The other sitting komainu statue, which mimicked this one on the opposite side of the staircase, did not look any better off. Its teeth had worn down and it had a large crack on one of its thick legs.

The third, standing much further away, was impressively the largest of the lion-dog statues and looked the most well-preserved. Its large eyes glowed an intense shade of ultramarine against the light of the fading lanterns that trailed up the staircase. They seemed to peer straight down at Hana, which caused her heart to beat anxiously.

Although partially hazed in the dark cloak of night, its fur appeared to be so detailed that it even seemed to move as a short gust of wind flitted past.

Hana froze and her eyes widened as her brain registered what she was seeing. She felt the back of her neck prickle as her heart then dropped with a heavy thud.

Lion-dogs normally came in pairs. And the details of a stone statue did not rustle in the breeze.

When the standing komainu’s ears flopped forward and it blinked, Hana suddenly loudly slapped her face as her hands quickly came up over her mouth to hold in a scream. A squeak instead escaped through her fingers.

The creature seemed to initially flinch at the reaction. But then a throaty, smooth laugh chuckled out from its huge jaws. It had intimidatingly big teeth that looked like tusks jotting out from both the top and bottom layers. Its warm breath visually escaped into the cold air and it leaned closer to where Hana stood, who was stunned speechless.

She felt giddy from a soft tingling pressure its presence seemed to emit. And was horrified by the nagging feeling that attempted to beckon her closer to the beast.

Suddenly Hana was bolting up the stairs. She’d never climbed a staircase so fast in her life and her adrenaline pushed her through the searing pain in her thighs. She ignored her nagging thoughts that recognised that same laugh as the same one she had heard earlier in the day. Instead, she just kept running.

She sped over the cobblestone path, through the garden, and then launched herself over the balcony railing of her room. She slammed the sliding doors shut and then dived into her duvet cover.

Hana trembled from a combination of cold and shock, as she willed the morning to swiftly arrive. Hoping that this had all been just a nightmare. And praying that the master of the Hirano residence was not actually a monster.