/!\WARNING SPOILER ALERT/!\

Volume concerned: Vol 2, Mutsuki postface

Shiki : 9 years old

Shiki turned around in his futon, hiding his body under the blanket. The noise made by the summer's wind that usually didn't bother him was tonight scarifying him. It was like harmful words whispered in his ears by an old, crocked voice. Shivering, Shiki throw an eye out of his white blanket and looked at the shadows in the darkness of his room. They were like long hair locks moving through the obscurity of his room, ready to pull off a knife.

An anxious noise slipped from Shiki's tightened teeth and he snuggled his pillow, closing his eyes. He mentally cursed Hibika for having the idea of sharing horror stories earlier in the day, his father to have took him at Ayame's house and he finally cursed Chizuru for telling them this ghost story.

Hey, do you know Okiku-san? A long time ago, when the Tokugawa were governing the entire country, there were a cruel man called Shuzen. Working for this terrible man was the young maid, Okiku-san. One day, Okiku-san while cleaning the dishes broke a plate from a set of ten. Knowing his master cruel heart, instead of hiding the broken plate, Okiku-san decided to tell him the truth. Shuzen threw a tantrum and he tied the poor girl and locked her in his closet. Every day, Shuzen would come to cut one finger. After a few days, Okiku-san succeed to untie herself. Out of agony and in pain, the young maid threw herself into the well of his master. Since then, every night, her spirit would come to haunt Shuzen. With her long black hair and her used white kimono, she would count the dishes for her master, and cry when she would count the ninth. She has continued this until the day Shuzen threw himself in the well like Okiku-san did.

Hibika did scream at Chizuru after, telling him that this story was unrealistic 'Really, who would cut somebody fingers just because of a broken plate!'

'Hey, you were the one asking for a horror story, not me' he argued, annoyed 'Huh, Shiki, are you alright?'

'Y-yes, just a little tired…' he lied 'I guess it's the heat…'

They stopped telling horror story after that and Hibika called for Shigure. He brought him back to the main Sohma's house. If his father had noticed Shiki's white face, he had said nothing about it. Shiki had thought that this bad feeling growing in his guts would have disappeared at night, but he was wrong. The shadows in his room made him feel like a prey in the middle of a pack of wolves. A toddler surrounded by people looking at him being defenseless against a woman with a crooked smile.

Shiki closed his eyes even tighter, chasing away those thoughts, but the more he tried, the more real the shadows seemed to be. Shiki tried to rationalize himself. He was a big boy, in three years he will enter in middle school. Being scared wasn't for his age anymore. It's not real he repeated himself in his head, ignoring the tears which were forming in the corner of his closed eyes.

A sound provoked by the roaring trees outside in the garden made Shiki bounce out of his bed. He exited of his room, shivering from the head to the toes. Now, he was even in a darker place. Holding his pillow against his little body, he made his way toward his parent's bedroom door. He called through the shogi door with a broken voice. "Mom… Dad?"

No answer. He tried again, feeling a sob coming through his throat. He reluctantly looked back to dark corridor he walked in before opening slowly the shogi door when he heard no responses coming from the room.

The wind was still noisy here as well but the shadows have been retreated to let the moonlight lighting the futon were his parents were sleeping. He walked toward it without making a sound. Pillow under his arm, Shiki softly shook his father naked shoulder. "Da-dad…"

Shigure frowned his brow before opening one eye sleepily "Shiki? What are you doing here? Uh… what time is it?" he groaned, moving his free arm to search his watch, waking up Akito who had rested her head on his chest. Mumbling curses to his husband until Shiki's sniffing totally awoke them up. "What happened?" Asked Akito to her husband, taking her son in her arm. Shigure just shook his head as a reply "I-I can't sleep, I'm scared mom…" Shiki answered between the sobs, clinging to his mother's slight yukata "I'm scared she might come out from the shadow…" Stroking his hair, she threw a meaningful glance at Shigure. He looked at his crying son, he sighed and walked out of the bed. "I'll deal with it, be right back" In an instant, Shiki was left alone in his mother comforting embrace.

"What wrong? Shadows don't scare you, so why are you afraid now?"

"I-it's because of Okiku-san"

"Okiku-san?" she repeated softly "Yes, she is going to stab me…" He sniffed, stroking his face against her neck. His mother held him tighter and looked up at her husband who came back from Shiki's room. Shiki's head risen up from Akito's shoulder. "Da-dad" he sputtered "I-I don't want to go back…"

"He's scared that Okiku might come to stab him" His mother explained quietly at Shigure who replaced himself in the futon. He pondered, his hand under his chin "Banchou Sarayashiki?" he mumbled "But Okiku don't stab people Shiki, she only counts plate, don't be scared" he said sleepily, trying to reassure his son.

"Bu-but Chizuru told me that she has long black hair so I…I-" he sobbed again and put his head back in his mother neck where her soft scent was easing him. Akito cradled him to soothe him but she shared a worried gaze with her husband. They understood. He wasn't afraid of Okiku nor the shadows, he was afraid of her.

"Ca-can I sleep here, please?" he begged, his eyes full of tears. Shigure sighed, as if he could had said no to his frightened son. He knew it was unusual and that tonight he just needed to feel secure between in his parent's warm embrace. "Of course Shiki, but only for tonight okay"

This said, Shiki sneaked between his mother and father's bodies under the blanket. Akito continued to stroke his hair until he stopped to cry. She kissed his forehead when Shiki breath signaled her that he was sleeping. Resting her face on Shigure's arm, she cursed her mother's action for making her son broke down in tears at 2a.m.

Banchou Sarayashiki is the story of Okiku-san. I've modified the story to make it fit well. I hope you liked this first ficlet