Chapter Text
“Have any of you heard the legend of the Tsugikuni Manor…?”
“Takeo, can you maybe not tell ghost stories about the place we’re going to visit right now?”
“Let him have his fun, Nezuko.”
“Mom-”
Unfortunately for Nezuko, her plea went ignored. “Once, over four hundred years ago, there was a mansion that was home to two twin brothers. The twins lived their entire lives in that mansion, never once leaving its grounds, for their father forbade it. The twins only had each other, and they both thought it would be that way until they died.”
“What happened to them?”
“I’m getting there, Shigeru! Don’t interrupt me!” Takeo grumbled. “Anyway, one day, the younger twin met a woman from outside the mansion. He fell in love, and decided he would run away to be with her. The older twin found out and tried to stop him, even challenging him in a samurai’s duel. But the younger twin defeated the older twin, and left the mansion behind in the dead of night.”
Takeo paused for dramatic effect, observing his siblings’ reactions. Nezuko sighed and leaned back in the car seat. “Fine, I’ll bite. What happened next?”
“After the younger twin left, terrible things began to happen. The betrayal of his brother drove the older twin mad. He killed everyone in the mansion, before finally hanging himself deep within its walls. Ever since, that cursed mansion has laid abandoned, slowly falling to the ravages of time. And yet, even after hundreds of years, it still stands to this day. But no one knows what lies inside, because no one who goes in… ever comes out again!”
As Takeo ended his tale, he was met with a mix of reactions from his younger siblings. Shigeru bounced up and down in his seat excitedly, demanding to know more, while Hanako clung to her older sister in fear.
“No! That’s too scary! I don’t wanna go there anymore!” As she yelled, the commotion caused baby Rokuta, nestled in Nezuko’s arms, to wake up and start crying. Nezuko scrambled to comfort both of them while glaring at her brother.
“Now look at what you’ve done, Takeo! Don’t cry, Rokuta, it’s okay…” she whispered soothing words to the toddler before turning to her little sister. “Don’t let Takeo scare you, Hanako. It’s just a story; it’s not real.”
“Oh yeah? How do you know?” Takeo asked.
“Well for one, that last part isn’t even true. Plenty of people have gone inside the Tsugikuni Manor and come out just fine. There’s photos and videos to prove it.”
“Ugh… okay, fine, I may have made up that last part…” Takeo admitted sheepishly. “…But, that’s not all! People have reported strange things happening inside the mansion; thick fog in the middle of the day, whispering voices, and objects moving on their own! It is cursed; cursed by the spirit of the older twin, and all those who were killed inside the manor!”
“Geez…” Nezuko sighed. “Tanjiro, can’t you… Tanjiro?”
She turned to her older brother, staring out the car window at the passing trees with a distracted look on his face. “Tanjiro? Are you okay?”
Nezuko placed a hand on his shoulder, and Tanjiro snapped out of his daze, turning to her with a confused look. “Huh?”
“Did you hear any of what Takeo said?”
“Um, something about the manor being haunted?” Tanjiro supplied. Admittedly, he’d only really caught snippets of his younger brother’s story.
“Yeah, but… you don’t actually believe that, do you?” Nezuko asked.
“Nah, it’s probably just locals making up rumors about the abandoned mansion outside of town.” He smiled to reassure her, but as he looked back out the window, his smile slipped. “But, this place has an interesting feel to it, don’t you think?”
“You think so? I don’t know, but… it’s really foggy, isn't it?” Indeed, outside the window, a thick white fog blanketed their surroundings. One could hardly tell it was supposed to be a warm summer evening. “Mom, can you see where you’re going?”
“It’s fine, dear,” their mother, Kie, smiled in the rear view mirror’s reflection. “The manor’s not too far now. We’ll be there soon.”
Hanako squirmed in her seat. “Mmm… I don’t wanna go anywhere that’s haunted…”
“I told you, Hanako, don’t let Takeo’s story scare you. Ghosts aren’t real…” But even Nezuko didn’t sound totally sure, looking out at the fog-covered forest with clear discomfort.
Tanjiro turned to all his siblings with a big, reassuring grin. “Don’t worry, everyone! It’ll be fine! Even if there are ghosts, I’ll keep you all safe!”
“Really? You’re gonna fight ghosts for us?” Nezuko’s words were skeptical, but she said them with a smile, her body a little more relaxed now.
"You bet!"
"Yeah, if any ghosts try to attack us, Nii-chan will give 'em one of his headbutts!" Shigeru yelled. Takeo and Hanako burst into laughter at the thought, and Nezuko held back a chuckle of her own. Their previous fear was forgotten, the younger children at ease knowing their big brother would keep them safe.
Tanjiro laughed with them, then turned back to look out the window. There was something strange about this place, a weird feeling that grew stronger with each passing moment. What was it?
It’s almost as if… something is calling out from the fog…
“Everyone, we’re here,” Kie called out. Tanjiro looked ahead, and as the car slowed to a stop, he saw a large tori gate looming out of the white mist. And just beyond it, deep within the fog, was the faint, towering silhouette of their destination.
The Tsugikuni Manor.
—
As the family reached the manor at last, their arrival did not go unnoticed.
Inside the manor's walls, mist gathered behind a window on the second floor. Two silhouettes formed within, and two pairs of turquoise lights peered down upon the courtyard and the car outside its gates.
“Look, Nii-san, it’s a car! We have new visitors!” One of the silhouettes called out in a boyish, youthful voice filled with excitement.
“Great, more intruders,” a second voice, similar to the first but with a rougher pitch, answered back. “I wonder what kind they are this time? Real estate contractors? Stupid teenagers on a dare? Or maybe some burglars, trying to steal the manor’s valuables?” A smirk edged his tone. “I hope it’s burglars; those are always fun to scare off!”
The first boy continued to look out the window, watching the car as its door opened and its occupants climbed out. “No, it’s a woman, and a bunch of kids, too. I think they’re a family!”
“Oh, so it’s some prospective homeowners, then,” the second boy scoffed. The dangerous edge returned to his voice. “That’s fine, too; I’ll give them a proper welcome…”
A sigh came as the first turned to face his brother. “Nii-san, please, you always go too far!”
“Not far enough if they keep coming back,” the other retorted.
“But these are the first people to come by in over a year! Please, just stay back this time? I want to have some fun with them first!” He clapped his hands together, staring imploringly.
His plea was met with a glare, and then a groan of resignation. “Ugh… fine. You can have one night with them. But if they’re not gone by morning, I’m chasing them out myself.”
“Yay! Thanks, Nii-san!” The fog swirled around the first silhouette as he turned to leave. But his brother’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Muichiro?”
The former turned back. “Yeah, Yui-Nii?”
“Make sure you keep them away from him.”
Muichiro frowned, his previous excitement evaporating like mist beneath the sunlight. He nodded solemnly. “…I will.”
And then he was gone, the other soon vanishing as well. The mist faded away as if it had never been there at all.
—
The instant his foot passed beyond the gate, Tanjiro felt a shudder run through him. He looked up, and gasped at the sight of the Tsugikuni Manor looming above, blanketed in the white fog like something straight out of myth.
Shigeru and Hanako clung to the back of his jacket, shivering. Whether it was from fear or cold, he didn’t know. Even though it was late summer, the mist chilled them down to their bones.
“Did you know?” Takeo spoke in a hushed voice. “They say you should never go inside the manor on a misty day, lest you meet-”
“Takeo, how many of these stories have you read?” Nezuko asked. She had little Rokuta strapped in a baby carrier on her back as they walked up to the manor.
“They’re not stories, they’re real! I read them on the Internet!”
“Mom, I think you need to have a talk with Takeo…”
Tanjiro left his family to their antics as he walked around, taking in the sight of everything around them. The courtyard itself seemed normal, if rather overgrown. The trees were gnarled and untended, and mossy stone lanterns and statues littered the area. A pathway half covered in grass and weeds split into two, one leading up to the manor’s front doors and the other curving around to the side of the building.
The manor itself was big; really big. Tanjiro craned his head up to take it all in. It seemed surprisingly well-kept for a building that had supposedly stood since the Sengoku Era. Perhaps it had seen some restorations over the years? But the picturesque, antiquated appearance, as if frozen in time, only made the manor feel even more foreboding.
As he looked up, something caught his eye. In one of the windows on the second floor, he could just make out what seemed to be two silhouettes. They looked like people.
Was there someone inside?
“Tanjiro, dear, could you help me with these bags?” his mother called.
Tanjiro tore his gaze from the window and nodded hastily. “Sure!” He ran over and grabbed two of her bags, adding them to his own load with ease. Once they were secure, he looked back up at the window, only to let out a gasp. The silhouettes were gone.
“Tanjiro? What are you looking at?” Kie asked him. He turned back to her, returning her confused look with one of his own. It didn’t seem like she had seen the shadows in the window.
Had he just imagined them, then…?
“…It’s nothing, really!” Tanjiro laughed awkwardly. He struggled to keep his face straight; Nezuko had always told him he was a terrible liar. “Just… taking it all in, you know? This place is really something!”
“Something creepy, that’s for sure,” Nezuko shivered. “I can’t believe Dad actually owned a place like this…”
Tanjiro and his other siblings turned to their mother, the mention of their late father drawing a somber shade over their heads. But Kie wasn’t listening; she too was looking up at the manor, a concerned expression on her face.
“Um, Mom?” Tanjiro called out. It seemed to work; Kie blinked and shook her head, then turned to her children with a soft smile.
“It certainly is strange, isn’t it? Inheriting such an old house; your father’s family has such a storied history.” She chuckled lightly. “But let’s keep an open mind. There must be a reason he left it to us, don’t you think?”
Nezuko and their other siblings still looked worried; even Takeo looked at the manor with hesitation. But Tanjiro simply nodded. "That's right! Come on, everyone, let's get inside before it gets dark!"
With that, they all finally made their way inside the Tsugikuni Manor. Getting in was easy; the doors didn’t have a lock, and opened with a creaking shudder that sent shivers down their spines. Still, Tanjiro did his best to keep a strong face for the sake of his family.
Beyond the doors, a large foyer greeted them. Just a glance clearly showed that this place had not seen human habitation in a long, long time. Everything, from the wooden flooring to the hanging scrolls and decorations, was covered in a fine layer of dust. The only light came from outside, leaving the interior dark and gloomy. A large set of stairs stretched up to the second floor, while two doors led to the east and west parts of the manor.
“It looks… homely?” Tanjiro struggled to say something positive to ease the fear on his siblings' faces. The manor must have looked impressive in its prime, hundreds of years ago, but now the lifeless grandeur only served to emphasize its decline.
“Mom, are we really staying here?” Nezuko whispered. She help Hanako’s hand in an effort to calm the younger girl.
“It’s only for tonight. Tomorrow the hotel room will be ready and we’ll be able to stay there,” Kie explained. She turned to Hanako. “Don’t be scared, Hanako. Just think of it like a sleepover, okay?”
“O…Okay…”
“Good girl. But this is an old house, and a lot of it has fallen into disrepair over the years. This part of the manor is the most intact, so we’ll all stay here tonight, understood?”
“Yes, Mom,” they all echoed.
Soon it was decided that they’d set up their futons in this main hall, close to the exit in case something were to happen. Tanjiro wasn’t sure what that “something” might be, but it seemed to assure his younger siblings. Hanako and Shigeru in particular were starting to feel excited, embracing the idea of a sleepover in a new place.
But it wasn’t long before a problem arose.
“Huh? Where’d it go?” Shigeru looked around, confused.
“Where did what go?” Hanako asked.
“My blanket. Takeo, did you take it?”
“Why would I take your blanket? I have mine right here.”
“Maybe you left it at home?” Nezuko suggested.
“No, I just had it! It was right here and now it’s gone!” Shigeru sounded on the verge of tears as he continued to search fruitlessly for the lost blanket.
“Don’t worry, Shigeru; if you brought it, then it's gotta be around here! We’ll find it!” Tanjiro quickly spoke up. “In the meantime, you can use my blanket!”
“Really? Thanks, Nii-san!” Shigeru brightened up for a moment, then frowned. “But, what will you use?”
“I’ll find another one. This mansion's gotta have some blankets stored away somewhere, right?”
“What? You can’t be serious! You’re actually gonna explore this creepy place?” Nezuko balked at the thought.
“Tanjiro-” Kie began.
“Don’t worry, you guys! I’ll stay close by, and if I see anything dangerous, I’ll come right back!” Tanjiro smiled reassuringly. But despite his confidence, the two still looked unsure.
“Well… at least let me come with you!” Nezuko handed Rokuta to Hanako and got to her feet. “It’s always good to have a second pair of eyes, right?”
Tanjiro nodded, having no problems with that. If anything, he welcomed her company. “Sure! Thanks for watching my back, Nezuko!”
“Someone has to…” she sighed.
“Hey,” Takeo spoke up, suddenly looking serious. “If you two are going further in, you should take this.”
He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Tanjiro. Tanjiro looked down to see a little vial full of a clear liquid sitting in his palm. “What is it?”
“It’s holy water.”
“Why do you have holy water?” Nezuko asked.
“That’s not important. If you splash a ghost with this, it’ll burn them and give you a chance to escape.”
“Takeo, that’s-”
“Thanks, Takeo,” Tanjiro interrupted, placing it in his jacket pocket. He wasn’t sure he would need it, or if it had any real power in the first place, but he appreciated his brother’s concern. “Come on, Nezuko, let’s get going. We’ll be right back, everyone!”
“Wait, Tanjiro,” Kie stopped him. “The map showed a storeroom in the west hall. Check there first.”
“Will do!” he nodded.
Despite the manor’s eeriness, Tanjiro was admittedly growing excited. Him and Nezuko, exploring an old, abandoned house together. It kind of sounded like an adventure; he felt a little less scared thinking about it like that.
Behind the door to the west hall, a wisp of white mist retreated into the darkness.
—
The west hall was even darker than the entrance. Tanjiro held up his phone and turned the flashlight on, illuminating the path a few feet ahead. The darkness beyond almost seemed to swallow up the tiny white light.
“Stay close to me, Nezuko,” he said as he slowly walked forward. The floor creaked with each step.
“Don’t talk like that, Tanjiro,” Nezuko responded nervously. “We're just looking for a blanket, aren’t we? It’s not like something’s actually gonna come out at us…”
Tanjiro grinned. “Do you believe Takeo’s stories?”
“Huh? No way! Ghosts aren’t actually real… right?”
“You never know,” Tanjiro shrugged. “Didn’t you tell Hanako and Shigeru that Dad’s spirit was watching over us?”
“That’s different and you know it,” Nezuko shook her head. She pulled out her own phone and turned the flashlight on, adding its glow to his own. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Tanjiro nodded and led the way. Echoing creaks continued to fill the hall with each step. When he looked out the windows, he couldn’t see anything; had night fallen already? Nezuko followed just a step behind him, their hands clasped together to assure that the other was still there. Every time a sound echoed, he felt his little sister jump and grow tense.
“…Hey, what’s this?” Tanjiro looked ahead and spotted a door to the right. But upon shining his light on it, he felt a cold shudder run through him. Plastered upon the door were dozens upon dozens of paper seals. They practically covered the entire surface, the ones on top creased and peeling. It was as if someone had applied them in a frantic hurry.
“What the…” Nezuko echoed his confusion.
Tanjiro wanted to say something, but he couldn’t. Just standing here in front of this door was filling him with a dread he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like whatever was beyond it was something he was not meant to see. It was something that needed to stay behind that door.
Finally, he tightened his grip on Nezuko’s hand and pulled her along. “I don’t think what we’re looking for is in there. Let’s keep going, okay?”
Nezuko nodded, and together they hurried down the hall, leaving the sealed door behind. The feeling of dread faded away, replaced with the manor’s usual haunting atmosphere. It wasn’t exactly an improvement, but it was better than staying there.
Soon, they came across a staircase leading up to the second floor, while another door marked the end of the hallway. But when Tanjiro tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. He considered applying more force, then decided against it; even if they did own this place, he didn’t want to break anything.
“Guess we’re going up, then,” he decided, shining his flashlight up the stairs.
Nezuko clung tighter to his hand, but followed along without a word. The stairs creaked and shuddered with each step; there were multiple times when Tanjiro worried it might just collapse beneath their feet. But no such thing happened, and they made it to the second floor shaken but no worse for wear.
There was still very natural little light to see by here, their flashlights their only guidance as they moved forward. Old and faded paintings lined the walls, with some being noticeably ripped and torn. There were two doors on this side, but like the one downstairs, the door on the right didn’t open. Next to the door on the left was a dresser with a mirror on it.
Tanjiro couldn’t help but feel drawn to the mirror, approaching and wiping away the layer of dust from the surface to see his reflection looking back. Brown hair, red eyes… he blinked; were those eyebags? He really needed to stop staying up so late playing video games.
Nezuko tried the left door, which slid open with little resistance. “Hey, this one opens!”
“Really? Great, let’s look inside!” Tanjiro glanced away for a moment. As Nezuko slid the door open fully, he looked at the mirror again, still concerned about his eyebags; he’d feel bad if they caused his mom to worry about him. Teal eyes peered back-
“Aah!”
“What’s wrong?” Tanjiro turned and hurried over. Peeking into the room, though, he saw immediately what was wrong.
The room was filled with dolls. Shelves of porcelain dolls filled the room, clad in various colorful kimonos. Their frozen faces and glassy eyes were unnerving in the dim lighting, but more unnerving still was that their heads were all turned towards the door, empty gazes looking right at the two siblings.
“…Well, that’s interesting!” Tanjiro laughed nervously as he stepped in. He approached a large altar at the back of the room, filled with even more rows of dolls. Sitting right in the center of the altar, he found two identical-looking dolls, girls with long black hair tipped in turquoise and clad in contrasting light and dark kimonos.
As he inspected the dolls, Nezuko came up to his side, looking at them with unease. “I think I know why Dad never told us about this place.”
“Come on, Nezuko, think more positively,” Tanjiro tried to encourage her. “This mansion is over four hundred years old! Everything here is a part of history!” He bent down and picked up the doll in the lighter kimono. “Who knows what this doll has seen!”
“Tanjiro, I know you’re trying to help, but you’re really not.”
Suddenly, a sound like a high-pitched giggle filled the air, seeming to come from the doll itself. Both siblings jumped and looked at it. Nezuko spoke first.
“Did… Did that just-”
The doll’s head snapped towards her. Nezuko screamed, stumbling back and almost tripping over herself. Tanjiro shouted as well and dropped the doll; it hit the ground and shattered to pieces with a loud crash.
A tense silence fell as both tried to get their racing heartbeats under control.
Well, so much for not breaking anything…
A sound came from outside the room, startling them both. Nezuko looked one more scare away from a heart attack. Tanjiro glanced behind himself, and froze at the sight of the other altar dolls looking his way; they almost seemed angry at him. He decided against pointing them out, grabbing Nezuko’s hand to pull her away before she could notice. “C-Come on, let’s look somewhere else!”
As they stepped out of the doll room, they both saw the reason for the sound; the previously shut door by the stairs had opened. Nezuko was practically white now, and Tanjiro couldn’t find any positive way to spin this. Was Takeo right? Was this place really haunted…?
“…Stay here. I’ll take a look inside.”
“Wait, Tanjiro!” Nezuko grabbed his arm as he started to walk away. “Forget this! It’s just a blanket! I’ll share mine with Shigeru, so let’s just get back to Mom and the others!”
“It’ll just be a quick peek, Nezuko, I promise,” Tanjiro tried to assure her. Truthfully, he couldn’t help but be curious about what laid beyond that door. It had to be something important if it was only opening now, right?
Nezuko frowned and reluctantly let go. Tanjiro cautiously walked to the open door and peered inside. It was… a bedroom? There was a large futon on the floor, as well as a dresser, screens, and potted plants against the walls. But as he shined his phone’s light inside, he spotted something familiar sitting on top of the dresser.
“Huh? Is that…?” He walked in, heedless of Nezuko’s plea for him to wait. As he came closer, he saw it was indeed what he suspected: a green blanket patterned with cute cartoon frogs. It was Shigeru’s blanket; how did it get up here? He reached out his hand and-
The door slammed shut behind him.
Tanjiro turned, a choked sound escaping him as his stomach dropped. The blanket was forgotten as he ran to the door. He pulled at the sliding door frame, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as if something was holding it shut.
“Tanjiro!” On the other side, Nezuko pounded frantically on the door, screaming his name.
“Nezuko!” Tanjiro shouted back. “I’m okay, don’t worry! Go get-!”
He stopped, noticing the white mist that had suddenly formed where it hadn’t been seconds ago. It covered the floor, rising higher and higher. He heard shaking and clattering, and watched as the objects in the bedroom started to float, a wind picking up from nowhere.
Finally, he turned around, his heart catching in his throat. There was something there, in the center of the room. A humanoid figure floated above the mist, covered in a thick black miasma that obscured its features. The only thing he could make out was its glowing turquoise eyes piercing through the darkness.
Tanjiro backed up against the door; he couldn’t believe it, but there was no denying what was right before his eyes. A ghost, an evil spirit, stared back at him. His phone light began to flicker, and he felt a jolt of fear. No, not now!
But as the light went out, so did the light from the spirit’s eyes. For a moment, Tanjiro was trapped in an all-consuming darkness. Shaking, his other hand moved towards his jacket pocket, closing around something solid. That’s right, he still had the holy water Takeo had given him!
His phone light turned back on. And suddenly the ghost was right in his face, grinning at him with a wide smile.
Tanjiro acted without thinking. He gripped the vial in his hand and pulled out the cork.
Please work!
His arm shot out and splashed the holy water directly in the spirit’s face.
The effect was instant; the liquid hissed and burned as it made contact with the spirit's form. Immediately, the ghost shrieked and recoiled, hands flying to its eyes and face where the liquid touched it. As it stumbled back, curling in on itself in pain, the spirit opened its mouth and-
“Ow! What did you do that for?!”
That was not the reaction Tanjiro had expected. In fact, the sheer hurt and bewilderment in the ghost’s voice was so genuine that, for a moment, he forgot that it was an evil spirit in the first place. He dropped the empty vial and held up his hands.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! You just startled me, and-!”
“Tanjiro!” Nezuko shoved the sliding door open, no longer bound by whatever had held it closed. “Are you okay?! What’s- Who’s that?!”
The spirit uncurled, lifting its head. The black miasma surrounding it faded, its appearance becoming clearer. A child, no older than them, with long black hair ending in turquoise tips. Its face was pale and burned where the holy water touched it. Through the gaps in its fingers, wide teal eyes looked back; he glow had left them, revealing the full extent of its shock.
The objects floating around them fell to the ground with an echoing thump. A silence fell over the room, one that was only broken by the ghost’s next words.
“You can… see me?”