Yours to Hold (An OHSHC fanfic) [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Three

A/N: Prepare yourself for fluff. I wasn't prepared and actually squee-ed while writing it. I probably shouldn't have, but I did. 

“Nao-senpai, come on, we’re going to go explore a cave!”

I blinked, glancing away from the sand piled all around me to where Hikaru and Kaoru had gathered a group of girls around them. Haruhi was talking with a few of them and I could easily guess that she was included in the exploration. Pursing my lips, I turned my eyes back to sea-urchin covered beach. Would it really be worth abandoning this activity to join in on something the twins had going on?

“Come on~”

“Come on~”

“C-”

“Fine!” I snapped, climbing to my feet and dropping my shovel in the nearby bucket. Mori had disappeared at some point with Honey, leaving me alone to hunt clams. “Just stop talking!”

Grinning triumphantly, the twins didn’t say a word as I joined them. Instead they began leading the way towards the cave in question. Once we’d arrived, I looked around with a slight bit of curiosity.

“Hikaru, Kaoru…” one of the girls began, pausing outside the entrance. Her eyes were full of fear. “Are you really gonna go in there?”

Another one paused next to her, the girl’s eyes just as wide.

“It’s scary…” she muttered quietly.

The twins grinned.

“It’s okay, according to the map, it says that the cave in the cat rock leads to a regular road,” Hikaru began.

Hesitating, the two girls trailed behind the group in the cave. Seemingly pleased, the two boys decided to continue their story.

“Although the townspeople seldom come here, because whatever anyone might say, the cursed members of the Nekozawa family are buried in the cave walls in here.”

Eyes wide, I turned my attention to the walls of the cave. Where there really people buried in here? A shudder ran through me at the thought. As much as I disbelieved in the existence of ghosts and the like, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about being around dead bodies. It felt too… eerie.

“Night after night, a bony, bloody skeleton hand will grab anyone passing by and drag them into the walls.”

As the story was finished, I found myself covering my mouth to hide a snicker. The only thing the dramatic finish to their story did was sweep away any uneasiness I’d been feeling. The image that popped into my head following their description was just too much. The amusement was probably the main reason that when something entirely too similar to a hand settled on my shoulder, I just looked at it and rolled my eyes.

“Was that supposed to be scary?”

 

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“Nao-chan~ Look how high up you guys are!”

“...It’s really high,” Haruhi observed. “Would you die if you fell from here?”

I peered over the edge curiously.

“You might.”

Honey’s face fell and Mori stepped around us and picked me up as if I weighed nothing, holding me higher in the air. My cheeks turned bright red as he regarded me with an expectant expression.