She didn't know what had summoned her to this place. It had been so long since she smelled the faint musk of the air, or felt the subtle breeze fan against her cheeks. She didn't think she would ever return to this world; this plane of existence that only served to hurt her. But there she was, standing before the broken home that waited for her patiently.

She never wanted to return, not with everything that befell her. But she couldn't stop herself from moving towards it. It was almost as if she were trapped in a spell that kept her from listening to her common sense.

Sakura.

There it was, the decadent voice calling for her to enter; the same voice that resounded through her consciousness as her parents were murdered.

Sakura.

She wanted to slap her hands to her ears in order to avoid it for a little longer, but her limbs refused to move. She only kept moving steadily towards the abandoned home; her heart beating so fast she feared it would burst from her chest.

Tears fell steadily from her eyes as the cracks on the windows became easier to note. She hated what this house had done to her. She thought she had left everything behind her when she had left many years ago, but everything was exactly as it was. Both windows at the entrance were cracked, and the door was still missing. She felt a sob ready to slip from her lips as her feet landed on the wooden porch.

"Please," she felt herself cry as her hand reached to press on the wooden railing by the porches opening. Nothing had changed since she'd left. She was still the weak little girl that had screamed at the sight of her parent's mutilated corpses.

Come here.

She shut her eyes tightly as she pushed herself towards the door; fearing what lay waiting for her in the darkness. Moving from place to place had brought her a deep calm many years ago, but she had never dreamt that she would be returning to where everything began. I never thought that he would find me again.

She was just a child when she first met him; he said that they could be friends. He was such a nice grown up, always there for her when her parents were out working. He filled the void steadily forming from her parent's neglect; playing hide and seek and telling her funny stories. He was always there, even when her mother and father couldn't see him.

She never thought too much of it then, but what little girl would? She was tired of being alone and he was there to play with her. She couldn't understand why her parents would brush her off when she would mention her friend's name or laugh when she said that he was in the room with them too. They called him imaginary, and she accepted it. Her parents were always right back then.

But she was so wrong, and Sakura wished till this day that she could change it all back. She didn't want to go to sleep with her parents unseeing eyes seared into her memory. She didn't want to cry to sleep every night fearing that he would find her again and hurt her as he did her parents. She was tired of running and fearing for her life. The moment she had decided to settle somewhere more permanently was when everything went downhill all over again.

Don't make me wait.

She trembled when the voice sounded louder to her ears, forcing her to immerse herself in the darkness of the old home. She couldn't see anything before her, but she knew he was there. He was always there. Waiting.

She trembled when a cold touch pressed against her cheek, biting her lip in order to stop herself from whimpering. It was just like the day he put her to sleep the night her parents died; coaxing her towards oblivion so he could complete the deed.

"Sakura," she refused to open her eyes despite the almost amused tone in his voice. He didn't sound any different than before, but everything about his presence felt alien and inhuman. "Did you think I wouldn't find you?" his warm breath fanned across her face, but it did not tempt her to open her eyes. She refused to look. She was so afraid to see. "Did you think you could run from me forever, little girl?"

She was shaking so hard, but she refused to break. She didn't want to stare at death in the face; not with the knowledge of what he had done to her. "Leave me alone," her voice shook but she was grateful that she managed to let the words slip. She was always afraid to make him mad when she was a little girl, but now she wasn't so small anymore. She was still weaker than the thing before her, but she wasn't the sweet little flower that would come apart at the lightest touch.

"You think your newfound confidence can save you?" His hands took hold of her shoulders in the darkness, his grip tight but gentle. "You can fight me, but the end result will be the same." Sakura didn't want to listen to him anymore, but she could not avoid the truth. She had invited this demon into her home when she was too naïve to understand. She had sealed the deal with her own blood and now she was bonded to a monster.

He had robbed her of her innocence; murdering her family and forcing her to run from the presence that haunted all those she cared about. What could stop him from killing anyone else I came in contact with? She knew the answer and quickly departed from her childhood in hopes that he would never lay a finger on her again. And here she was again, willingly stepping through the broken doorway and into the awaiting arms of a devil.

"Peter Peter pumpkin eater," Sakura froze at the familiar lyrics. The voice a mockery of the innocence she had shared with the creature that held her hostage in the home. She wished she could drown out the soft voice singing to her; his touch light on her cold cheeks. "Had a wife and couldn't keep her," his fingers were like ice as they traced every contour of her cheek as he continued to sing. Sakura could feel something feral coiling within her belly as his touch drifted away and his voice seemed to grow louder. "He put her in a pumpkin shell," she didn't want to listen anymore but she was forced to remain complacent for the monster. She knew how the tale would end; he had sung this lovely tune long ago. "And there he kept her very well," she was trembling by the end of the song, lax as he closed the space between them and embraced her.

"I'm glad you came back, Sakura-chan," she wasn't deceived by the childlike softness of his voice or of the gentle strokes he rubbed into her back. She would never have returned if he hadn't trapped her in his spell like the trusting fool she was. "Now we can play for all eternity; how does that sound?" She opened her eyes finally and glimpsed into the familiar honey hue. He hadn't aged a day since she had left, and that seemed to unnerve her all the more.

"We can play with dolls, the way things used to be," his voice grew nostalgic with remembrance and Sakura didn't have the nerve to glower into his eyes. She had no free reign over her own body. "But with better dolls, you'll see," he released her momentarily and crouched below her to swing her into his arms. She wanted to scream and shout obscenities, but her mouth was oddly upturned into a tight smile.

He took her deeper into the darkness of the home, maneuvering through each corner easily while Sakura stared on into the shadows. She was the helpless girl of this story again, and Sakura felt her own self-loathing flare as he continued to walk.

He suddenly paused before a dark door; Sakura felt her control seep into her limbs once more and turned to gaze at the man's visage. He was staring at her with a look akin to mischief and amusement; his honey gaze making her squirm in his arms as he twisted the knob to the doorway. She was frozen once more when the sight of two pairs of unseeing met her own. "Say hello to your parents, little girl—they've missed you so much." He stepped through the doorway with the girl trembling in his arms, and quietly shut the door behind him.

Author's Note: This is just a little something I whipped up. I hope you enjoy the piece! :)

If you catch any spelling or grammatical errors, it would be great if you pointed them out for me.