Chapter Text
All that could be heard was the creature humming in a soft yet creepy melody. It was a sound that sent chills down Katsuki’s spine as he stood in the kitchen doorway.
There she was, hovering over the stove, wearing an apron, humming as she stirred rice in a pot. Not bothering to acknowledge Katsuki at first.
The boy took a breath, closing his eyes, reminding himself to stay calm, “Be strong, Katsuki, you got this…”
Very cautiously, the boy sat at the table, listening to the Onibaba’s humming. The sound of her cracking eggs and the sizzling of meat strips. On the table were a few small sides of ketchup, soy sauce, and hot sauce, a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream, and, at the center, was the box with the black buttons meant for him.
Seeing that gift box again made Katsuki’s stomach churn from anxiety for what he was about to do…
Red eyes darting back and forth from the box to the Onibaba cooking…
Her humming only made him even more unnerved.
He remembers what the cat said about her love for games and challenges. If he plays his cards right, he can earn his parents' and the ghost children’s freedom.
“Why don’t we play a game?” Katsuki spoke up, causing the hag to pause mid-hum, perking up a little. “I’ve heard that you like them…” He gripped his pant legs, steadying himself so as not to become very nervous.
“Well, of course, everybody loves games.” The Onibaba responded, sounding a little intrigued. At the same time, whisk the eggs in a bowl, then pour them into a pan. “What kind of game is it, dear?” She asked, the sound of the eggs cooking in the pan filling the air.
“An exploring kind of game, a find and collect kind of game,” Katsuki responded, asserting the type of game he was laying out. Noting how the other mother’s right hand’s fingers wiggled, and sharp nails tapped the counter…
“And what is it you’ll be finding, Katsuki?” A question that reminded Katsuki of the huge risk he was taking.
“My real parents…” Katsuki admitted, “And…And the eyes of the ghost children…”
The Onibaba’s body stiffened, her fingers wriggling even quicker. She was definitely interested now. She composed herself, holding out a plate of tamagoyaki, meat strips, and rice. “What if you don’t find them?” She asked, slowly placing the plate on the table in front of Katsuki, her creepy face inches from his.
Katsuki remained composed, refusing to give this hag the satisfaction of making him unnerved. Avoiding making eye contact at first, “If I lose, I’ll stay here and let you love me. I’ll be an obedient son forever.” He answered, then looked down at the gift box.
The black buttons…
He turned to the other mother, sternness in his expression. Showing how serious he was, and nailing the final straw of convincing.
“And I’ll let you sew buttons into my eyes.”
The entity grinned now, showing her crooked teeth, “And if you somehow WIN this game?” She asked. Now feeling a little brave, Katsuki spoke sternly, “The let you let me go,” He stated, “Let everyone go; my real parents, the dead children, everyone you’ve trapped here in this hell.” He added.
The other mother snickered. She loved this little challenge now. “Okay, I accept.” She said, her tone sadistically enthusiastic. “We have a deal.” She said, outstretching her right claw hand to Katsuki.
Though Katsuki wasn’t convinced, he didn't believe the thing would hold to her word, at least not without one more condition.
“Not until you give me a clue.” He stated sternly.
Her face morphed into a frown. “Oh, right,” a little annoyed by such a request. However, she clearly had an idea and wasn’t going to make it too easy for the boy.
“In each of all wonders I’ve made just for you, a ghost eye is lost in plain sight.” She said, leaving her clue deliberately cryptic.
However, it was still a clue, enough to satisfy the blonde teen.
“And for my parents?” He asked, hoping for more hints.
The Onibaba just chuckled, tapping her button eye with her sharp nails, creating a distinctive clinking sound.
Infuriated, Katsuki growled, “Fine! Don’t tell me!” He snapped, turning away from her. Calming himself down a little, he turned back around, his hand out for her to shake, “It’s a deal.”
She was gone…
All silence, except for the sound of the kitchen sink’s faucet dripping water…
Katsuki stood there, feeling unnerved now. He’d prefer to know where the hag was at all times rather than her disappearing.
He uncomfortably sat back in his seat, staring down at his breakfast, reluctantly picking up his chopsticks and eating his meal since he hadn’t had any food in a while.
As he ate, he thought about the clue he got. ‘In each of all wonders I made just for you, a ghost eye is lost in plain sight.’ What does that even mean?
While Katsuki dipped his meat strip into hot sauce, he thought about it harder. The only word that stood out to him was ‘Wonders’. What did she mean by that?
Katsuki looked down at his now-empty plate. Getting up, he immediately began searching the house, not bothering to look outside at first. While searching the dining room, it hit him how he didn’t know what these souls or eyes even looked like…
Frustrated, he stormed upstairs. Stomping all the way to the other version of his bedroom and having some hope that there might be something inside.
Upon opening the door, however, his bedroom was completely different. Everything was twisted and distorted; the wallpaper's skull patterns were green and melted, the little action figures that would’ve been moving around and talking were now in the trunk, broken into pieces with some of them still twitching now and then, and the books that once had moving pictures were now blank and showed nothing but pure darkness.
No time to dwell on that, he had to look around.
Under the bed, nothing. The bookshelf? Nope.
Katsuki checked the trunks and boxes. Emptied the broken figurines and books.
Nothing…
Now, even more upset, Katsuki sat on the bed, running his hands through his hair.
“Sir?”
The boy perked up when he heard a very faint voice. Soft and quiet, yet audible…
Looking around, he desperately looked for the source of the voice.
“Sir!”
There it was again! But now he had a clear idea where it was coming from.
From the wall…
He felt around the dark-colored structure, hoping to find something, anything at all. It was weird; it felt like he was touching slime. It was disgusting…
But then he paused when he felt something different…
He looked at the wall and noticed how three skulls seemed…Closer to each other…
The three skulls had more detail and design; they were plastic…
He pulled at them and realized a thick string attached them. Kind of like those charms you’d hang on holidays. Katsuki yanked as hard as he could, pulling all three from the wall. As soon as he did, he heard it again—three voices, speaking one at a time.
“Thank you, Sir!” The girl with sharp canines spoke.
“You heard my voice!” The girl with the scrunchy called out.
“Find the others now!” The boy with long hair said.
All coming from the skull charms. This must be where their eyes were, and they were talking to him, glowing ever so slightly…
Katsuki huffed, nodding. He found three out of six so far. Very lucky. But where else could he look? That’s what got Katsuki stumped.
He still remembers the clue the demon lady gave him, yet something tells him she didn’t intend to hint that three skull charms were hidden in the house. She tried to throw him off in such a subtle, deceiving way.
That’s when something clicked…
Wonders she made just for him? Could that mean…?
Katsukit turned to the bedroom window. Although the view wasn't great, he could still see the garden area…