Hey you guys. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Well at least for me.
It's Halloween~!
I don't know about any of you guys but I LIVE for Halloween and all it's dark and weird horrors. It's also the time of the year where I can draw, sing, dress, and listen to spooky and f****ed up music stuff without anyone questioning my sanity. Like the song above and the one here -> ->
So for the sake of Halloween I wanted to do something different. Since in the actual story it's close to the summer times I won't be able to another Halloween chapter for them, so I chose to bend the frictions of rules for a little bit and create a chapter revolving around the Occult Club and why and how the club was created in such a...peaceful lil school.
So without further adou(? who says words like this???), dim your lights, get some candy if you're allowed to eat some if not then maybe some popcorn or something, grab a blanket to shield your eyes if you're scared to look ahead of the unimaginable horrors and ugly truths, along with your favorite object in the world to keep you safe from the fears... And rest your sweet little heads in my coffin of the night and sit back and relax as you read the tale of demons and ghouls~
It was Japan, Fall of the 1800's, so much of the quiet and beautiful island as we know of today. However, life in Japan between 1860 and 1900 was marked by drastic social, political, and infrastructural changes which opened up Japan to the rest of the world. All, but a small small village by the mountains that much people pay any mind to.
The village was called Cherītsurītaun(チェリーツリータウン), or Cherry Tree Town. This town may not have been notice quiet a lot at this time but whenever to come to travel up the mountain they can get to the unbelievably beautiful Cherry Trees all covered in pink flowers that never age like the unforgettable sweet smell of the flowers when the wind blow. But not just the cherry trees is this town proud of, but one of the people living in this small village. A young woman with only one name you can't forget once you see her...Hana Himari(花丸 Circle Flower).
Though her name is beautiful on it's own, her figure and face along with her kind hearted spirit beats it with a single blink of a eye.
She was not someone you'd see of a daily basis at a town like this but still she stays which makes her someone you should never forget. Skin as pale and smooth as ivory and marble, eyes as narrowed and large as anyone else's, yes, but hold a odd spark within them behind those onyx black eyes, her nose straight but small like a cute little button as well as her jawline and chin small as well but suits her well, her lips small but plump with a forever fitting shade of cherry blossom pink since her birth, her oval smooth round head covered in long dark midnight hair when she turns her head to the sunlight it looks like star dust on the night sky. Though not much men see her pass her face, they could tell her body figure is small and lean like a paper crane, long frail looking legs that are always covered along with the rest of her body from the silky smooth yet feathery soft fabrics of her kimono.
Many people argue that she deserves a kimono of patters that fit her beauty well but she never once complained about her average colored and styled clothing. She was always selfless and kind towards everyone, even to those who no one in the village would trust. She was indeed someone completely new for everyone. A rare one indeed.
Of course, many men and sometimes women beg for Hana's hand in marriage. Lots of them bug the entire family of Himari for such a wish, but not one got a blessing to marry the family's beautiful flower.
Today, on this cold yet calming autumn day, was one of those days...
"Please! I beg of you, I promise I'll treat her kindly and with care!" A village man begged on his knees with hands against palms in front of his face with plea in his eyes. Before another word to leave his lips, the Himari's home door slid shut on the man. Riku, Hana's large and powerful father with so much fear he gives to many people, folding his strong arms over his broad chest as he walks away from the entrance door of their home deep in the forest, anger in his eyes and on his throbbing vein that's popping up and down from his forehead.
((Their house...
))
"The nerves of this people. Thinking they can have my daughter as if she's merely a object of birthing children!" He roared, slamming his large fist on the table, luckly not enough to break the strong sturdy table on the floor.
Hana's kind and gentle mother, Akkiko, places her hands on her beloved husband's back to sooth him. "Please calm yourself my love. You'll make your illness worse." She whispered, but after all the years of being together her husband heard her soft whispers. Riku breathed in and out of his nose to loosen the tense muscles and his unsettled nerves until he was fully calm.
Not much people know about this family, just about as much as anyone knows anyone in town. They're just being noticed because of Hana and her beauty. Riku is, sadly and shockingly, ill of some odd illness. It makes him sleep less and his chest to tighten when he does tries to. But though the family lives away from most people and in a large home, they don't have much money to get any medical help for the large and wise man.
The only help they could get is if their daughter could be able to marry a rich man, but Riku is far too stubborn and overly protected of Hana to let her go and marry some man she's not happy with.
"She has to marry one day, Riku, or else this is all she's going to have." Akkiko said as she stroked her husband's back and muscles to ease him more as she speak the truth of reality. They both knew this fact, of course, but Riku only wants the best of his daughter and not a life as bad as marrying a stranger for their money.
Hana, on the other hand, while hearing everything from her thin walled room, knew her faith all too well. She care and love her family though it might be small, so she is able to give up so much to help them even if it's only a little bit.
But there is not much people in this village that can truly fit Hana well like her soft yet strong parents.
She turned to her open wall(Those weird but cool sliding doors things), looking out to the trees as she dips her small feet in the koi pond of their home. She giggled softly when the koi softly brushed against her feet and toes as they swam in their home, her only friends besides her parents.
Her black eyes glanced up to the trees once again when she heard the soft rhythm of a Shamisen being played somewhere, turning her heard to hear where it is from. The town? She thought, taking her feet out of the water and slipping her slippers on before walking towards the direction of the village. Upon her arrival, many people stopped to look at her but most are crowding around somewhere of the clearing of the town's two houses. That's where the source of the sound.
Hana walked her way through the thick crowd to see who is making such beautiful music. And what she saw made her stop at her tracks and stare in awe.
It was a man. A young man of ivory skin and long black hair done in a tight bun, all dressed in a dark blue kimono to opens to show his bare chest and some his black pants under and around the flesh of his legs. The handsome stranger was the one holding the three stringed instrument, and he was amazing at it. Ever stroke he did, ever sound it made, and even ever small story within the music was beautifully done.
Hana's heart began to throb softly within her breast, her cheeks began to grow warm of shades of red, and her ears began to ear nothing but this man's music as her eyes could only see nothing but this handsome stranger.
Before she could figure out this odd feeling, the man's music stopped playing and everyone departed leaving her alone with this man.
The man looked up at Hana as he gathered his things, giving a warm smile upon her.
"Hello." He spoke, his voice deep but also kind and gentle like the koi within the pond by her room. Hana opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Why am I unable to speak around this man? She thought in pure panic as she tried again to say a simple hello, only this time it came out in a complete stutter, "H-H-Hel-Hello!" Hana's face grew ever warmer in more deeper shades of red when she heard her own voice as if it was the first time. The man let out a chuckle and stood from the ground, revealing his oddly tall height compared to everyone here. Even her father could maybe question his height by him.
"...Aishi." "Eh!?" Hana's heart began to beat loudly, almost as loud for the entire village could hear it from miles away. "That's my name, Aishi." The man said once again, which Hana nodded in responds.
(Quick A/N: Aishi, in Japanese, means I Love You so thus that responds was suitable)
Aishi smiled at her again and tilted his head some to the side. "And you are?" He said, trailing the are part to ask her more of her name. Hana quickly stumbled with her words until she finally managed to do such that, "H-Hana! M-My...My name is Hana." "Hana? That means flower, right?" Aishi asked as he finished packing his things.
Hana could do nothing but simply nod and say "Mhm" in fear that she might mess up her words again.
~
The two began to walk towards the cherry trees, admiring the pink flowers that flutter down around them and the sweet scent that follows. "I've traveled to many places, but I never once had seen such amazing beauty such as this." Aishi said as his eyes admired the trees more and his straight nose sniffing the addicting sweet smell around them. Hana smiled more to the point her cheeks began to hurt along the warmth that covered them but she couldn't care less of the painful smile she has as long as he finds it charming. "Where are you from Aishi?" She asked finally when they walked along side each other. Aishi took a pause for a moment to pluck a flully bloomed cherry blossom and placed it in Hana's long dark hair by her ear.
Hana's face grew as pink as the flowers around them and the autumn sun setting sky above them. Aishi smiled down at her before answering her question, "Honestly, I do not know. The only thing I do know much about myself is just my name. Aishi. No first name and no family with a name like mine." "You must be pretty lonely. Traveling by yourself." "Yeah it is, but nothing I can't handle. In fact, being alone can be a nice thing. But," He stopped ahead of the beautiful flower and turned to her with that dashing smile of his and said, "I'm glad I met you, Hana-San."
Hana's heart leaped. She couldn't believe her ears...
Soon enough, Aishi jogged away from the tress to seek shelter, leaving Hana there to watch him leave her view like the stars from the sun.
After a while of her standing there, face pink and burning, heart pounding and palms sweaty and warm to the touch, a wide and beaming smile spread her lips as she ran home. Joy was spreading around her body, effecting her nerves and fibers one by one as she finally figured out what she was feeling.
)( ~ )(
It's been a few days since Hana first met Aishi, and he could never get out of her head. Many people even noticed her odd behavior.
She was acting kinder but a tad bit ditzy, she was giggling and humming at random times along with spacing out, she was a little...odd let's just say since the new traveler came to their once quiet and normal town.
Many people had ideas of what was happening, "Maybe she liked the music a lot?" "Maybe something happened?" "Or many her father is finally letting her marry someone??" But none of them is as close as what Riku and Akkiko knew what was happening to their daughter. She was indeed deeply in love.
But, like any other family, they knew it was onesided...And they also know Hana has no knowing of it at all. Rumors were spreading of this Aishi man falling in love of the daughter of the house he's been staying at for his travel. But it was just a rumor... Right?
Hana walked around town, a hand-weaved basket of peaches in her hands as she hummed and swayed, getting lost in her own little world of love and dreams of marrying her beloved.
She let out yet another sweet heartfelt sigh as she made her way to the home Aishi had been staying at for these few days since he arrived, to deliver the peaches she had pluck hours ago. With her standing by the entrance, she heard some mumbles and whispers from the side of the house, where no one would see at all unless you look hard.
Curious about the whispers, Hana lead herself to the side of the house to take a peek. Who knows, it could be her Aishi.
...It was...but not how she wanted to see him.
He was standing with the owner of the house's daughter, a average girl with not much beauty compared to Hana herself, but his lips were on her's and their hands holding each others'.
The very sight made Hana extremely sick to her stomach and her heart, she couldn't dare see it any more so she ran off.
Many people of the village stopped to look, some tried to ask their beautiful flower what was wrong but all was giving a harsh cold shower as she ran right past them.
She ran and ran until she was far away from everyone. All alone with only the trees by her sides and a broken heart that ach with each breath she takes.
It burns...Please...Someone..Anyone...Stop this! Her mind screamed at her for not seeing the signs. No, she can't blame herself...They are who to blame.
Aishi was to blame for this pain...
Hana uncovered her face when her sobs stopped, her hands shaking still as her mind went blank of emotions and pain. "So...This...This is what it feels like..." She mumbled to herself with a soft giggling in the end her statement, which slowly turned to loud howls of hallowed laughs that can cause the very bravest warrior get chills.
"Don't you worry too far, dear Aishi, I have a wedding gift just for you and your pig of a bride! You'll soon see how much you had a chance but THREW IT ALL AWAY!" She cried out before grabbing a sharp stone and cutting both her wrists.
No, not cutting, hacking. Hacking away at her flesh, no longer caring if piecing of her blood and flesh flew to the air as the stone turned crimson of her blood with some of the white pieces being her tissue.
But she did not scream, she did not cry, she didn't even stop for a breath as she began hacking away at her feet and legs...slowly moving her way up to her torso and chest.
But still she did not scream, nor did she cry, nor did she stop until her entire body was red from blood, many many scars and stabs from the sharp stone everyone on her flesh as it it was a blade to a leaf, the smell of rotting decaying filling the area along with her wicked laugh mixed with her odd deformed sound of breathing since at one point of her hacking her left lung got pierced. And deep too.
Hana breathed slowly, actually enjoying the blood filling that hole in her lungs as the rest dripped all over. "E..E...Each c-cu-cut I did...It means how much my love for you was painful. A-All th-the pain y-y-y-yo-you-you put me through will bite you in the end! You can bet you're child on it!" She laughed out, or tried to from her wounds as her eyes slowly dimmed out of life and her heart slowly stopped beating.
Her corpse lye there, her beauty all gone all from a little sharp stone, but a smile was forever on her face as she died but her eyes truly state what she last thought of. Insane.
~
Soon after the odd disappearance of Hana Himari the town became dark and cold that winter, which finally took Riku Himari's life slowly his wife Akkiko soon after. But Aishi still married the woman he loved and stayed in the small village through it all.
They gave birth to a baby girl who they named after the beautiful flower who they were such good friends with, Hana. Hana Aishi.
But, something was... off about this Hana...
For one, she never cries, nor does she smile, or laugh, or even stomp her feet when she's angry. She can't feel anything.
But her parents didn't care, they hope she will feel something one day. And she did! When she fell in love with a rice farmer out of town. And then they got married and had a daughter or two as well. They were the same as Hana Aishi. And they fell in love and married and had children as well...both the same as Hana Aishi.
Many people of the village started to grow worry of this odd pattern and blamed the very first Aishi for this, even all the husbands of his daughter and grand daughters.
But what he couldn've done?
He raised Hana to be treated nicely even if she didn't feel anything, and so he always says the same thing to the newest addition until he died and thus someone else of his blood would pass on, "You will feel emotions someday. You'll find someone who'll make you feel alive."
Years passed and the small village was sadly no more as the world and Japan evolved to something more. It went through wars, it went through builds, and it went through many storms but it remained the same.
Sure the houses changed and the home of Himari was long since demolished and a school was build on top of it's ruins in the late 60's to mid 70's but was open in the late 70's to early 80's. It was a good private school with hand picked students who would attend. Like a private magic academy. Thus giving it the Akademi High School.
Akademi had many clubs created since it's opening, some still used today and others long forgotten.
One club is a weird group to say the least always having no lights, very antisocial unless you'll stay in the club until it ended, they even do rituals. Well, not actual rituals. Yet. But they do simple small ones like protections of spirits, learning about ghosts and other otherwordly things.
But one ritual stands out among them, a secret ritual some might call sad or stranger than them and it's a small ritual most people fear to do even when they hear about the tale of Hana Himari...When you love someone so deeply, close your eyes and think of the person as you drag the sharp blade on your wrist or where ever you feel like you should have it. Each cut you put will be showing how much you love that person. If they stay, they will never return your love which some people who do this end their lived in horrible ways instead of moving on. But if they healed, that means your love is true and they'll be with you forever.
All the members of the Occult Club have cuts somewhere, hidden behind fabric or gloves, or bandages, or long sleeves of their uniforms. But none are healed yet, some even do the ritual when they know deep down they are just onesided love while other have faith that they'll heal and be happy and in love.
Okay, that's the Halloween special of My Senpai. I hoped you guys like it and please, don't be like Hana!
This is loosely based off a urban legend I learned when I had a Japanese penpal about a beautiful woman who killed herself after a rejection and her name was the brief translation of Cherry Tree.
I'm going to go now to get dressed in my Freddy Kruger costume, trick or treat get sick on candy, eat some pizza while watching some anime now. Any ideas of what anime I should watch on Halloween night?
Stay creepy guys and have sweet nightmares and be safe this Halloween.