[SPIRIT] Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi the spirit has existed since the dawn of the mansion's completion. The man that built the building was a retired, successful entrepeneur. Many questioned his decision to choose Seaside out of everywhere else, considering the strict 'no-strangers' policy back then. As stuboorn as a mule, he ignored all of the wary comments and went as far as to bribe the mayor back then for permission to set everything up. While he is someone who wouldn't take no for an answer, he gave the mansion the affection he saved for a child he never had.

Using his savings to construct his retirement home, the mansion boasts eight bedrooms (each with their own personal bathroom attached), a fully furnished kitchen, formal living and dining rooms, a large library and a billard room to complete it all. Tucked beside the main mansion would be the living quaters of the servants, dormitary-styled and furnished with a small kitchen and lounge area that doubled as a place for eating. As the mansion was located a short distance off from one of the roads leading to Seaside, it was a prime target of envy from many of the local town-dwellers. Most looked at it with bitter disgust, but even they could not deny the beauty of it all.

Back then, the mansion and its grounds were a sight to behold. Today, it's a decreipt reminder of a past, more prosperous chapter of Kiyoshi's life. Unable to maintain the outside walls, roofs and lawns by herself, she left it adorned with the scars of passing time and resigned to take care of what she could – the interior of the mansion and the servant's quarters. If one were to step through the mansion's doors, they would have taken a trip through time to find an environment reminiscent of how it all used to be. The saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover' can't be more suitable for the mansion today.

However many decades later (Kiyoshi had stopped counting the years as they pass by), we come to this present day. Often looking back to the past with nostalgic grief, she ends up feeling down when she wakes from the fantasy and pleasant memories of the past. Her goal during these past years had been to bring back the glory that the mansion once held. The first step for that is to save up enough money to refurnish the exterior of the building, and she'll just have to run these poker tourneys and rent out rooms till then.

Back in the day, Kiyoshi settled herself into the role of a passive observer. Often in the form of her golden butterfly, rumors about the spirit of the mansion soon spread within the servants. Eventually revealing herself to them, she took on the self-assigned role of head maid. The servants below her look up with respect, and are more than pleased to have an extra helping hand. This however, was kept as a secret to the Master of the mansion. If she could help it, Kiyoshi would rather be a myth to him than something grounded in reality.

Years had passed with things being as pleasant as ever, and Kiyoshi had grown more fond of her position within the mansion. Little did she know, something else down in Seaside had been growing silently during all these years as well. That night, a few of the more violent men had came into the mansion with bladed instruments mirroring their ill intent. It seems like the mayor of the town had enough of the overbearing presence of the mansion, and decided to go down this crooked path to get his own grubby hands on the building.

Three unsightly, burly men smashed a window to enter the building. The breaking glass sent shivers down Kiyoshi's spine, and her grip on the chef's knife tightened. It looks like her Master's dinner would have to wait. With dread lurking in her heart, she headed off to investigate. This whole thing gave her a more sinister vibe than a simple meddling kid throwing rocks, so just what in the world was going on?

Each step she took quickened her pace, anxiety seeping in through growing cracks in the back of her mind. Turning around a corner, she came upon broken glass scattered around the floor. Muddy footprints stained the floor, illuminated by the regal light from the pale moon outside. Clicking her teeth, she set off to follow the prints left by those vile animals. Who the hell were they, and what did the want from this place?

Dashing down the hallway, the sight that welcomed her stopped Kiyoshi dead in her tracks. A crackling laugh. The sound of a gunshot, piercing through the solemn night. The deep wail of pain which followed. One of the beasts had the audacity to scream into the night, 'Die for your sins, warlock! You can't hide here any longer!' Gritting her teeth, seething rage boiled inside her heart. Her grip on the blade grew as tight as ever, and she charged towards the group of three.

Cold steel met the neck of a man whose back was turned, and a gush of blood sprayed out as the blade slashed through his flesh. His body hit the floor with a thud, but not before Kiyoshi had pushed at the handle of knife to plunged it into the chest of another. These fowl animals deserved no compassion, for they have committed vile putrid sins in her abode. Death was the only thing waiting.

The sack of meat grasping the gun went wide-eyed with fright, forgetting about the 'warlock' which scrambled away. 'Who the hell are you, you bitch?' it yelled, turning to aim the gun at her. With the knife still plunged, she held the wailing pig in front and charged towards the gunlugger. Gunpowder and bullets mingled with pieces of flesh and clothes, hitting her meatshield's body and staining her clothes crimson. Closing the gap, she pushed the now-dead corpse onto her attacker. Making use of his fright, she kicked up at his wrist and slammed it against the wall. Now it was his turn to scream, clutching at his broken hand as the gun clattered down to the floor.

The silence in the night filled the mansion once more, only intruded upon by the incessant sobs from the last surviving sinner. Letting go of his pinned hand, she brought her leg down and glared at the animal with ice in her eyes. “Explain yourself at once!” yelled Kiyoshi, slamming his head against the concrete wall. He let out another yelp of pain, sinking to his knees with tears streaming down his face. “T-the mayor, he set us up for this!” he sobbed, raising his hands to dissuade her from any further attacks. “The warlock of thi-”

His sentence was cut short, a result of his poor choice of words. Clutching at his greasy, tangled hair, she pulled him up off his feet and glared at him with their faces mere inches apart. “You. Do. Not speak about my Master with such demeaning language!” screamed Kiyoshi, punching him in the bridge of his fat nose and kneeing him in the chest. It was when her leg was brought down that she came to a startling realization. Her.. her Master. Where was he? Letting go of the fiend, she gazed at the direction her Master last ran off. A bloodied trail led the way. Her detest for those fools clouded her mind – she should have checked on him much earlier. Leaving the pitiful vermin behind, she changed into the form of her golden butterfly and went off into the night.

For the second time that night, this new reality welcomed here with a dreadful sight. Her Master lay slumped inside his car, with his head resting against the wheel and his hands limp by the side. It took her a second to register the tingling sensation as the telltale signs of tears in her eyes. Squeezing them shut, she fought back the waterworks and dulled her wailing heart. This is no time to let emotions get the best of her. Opening the door, she caught her Master's body as it slumped out the car. Trying hard to block out the gunshot wound in his chest, she brought his body into the mansion and out of the cold, suffocating stale air. With trembling fingers, she gently closed his eyelids. Biting her lips, she turned away as soon as the tears started to fall. 

The next few hours were spent with a shovel in hand, digging out a hole in the ground. She hadn't bothered to check on the one remaining survivor – he could run back to the town for all she cared. Ensuring that her Master had a proper burial takes priority over any future concerns. Kiyoshi chose a spot under an old oak, one whose winding branches and lush leaves seemed to fill the area with gentle serenity. She asked for her Master's forgiveness as she lowered his body into the ground, covered by a simple velvet cloth. “I'm sorry I don't have a casket available for you.” whispered Kiyoshi, softly pulling the cloth over his head. “May you rest in peace, and thank you for the life you have given me.”

The aftermath of it all was an unsatisfying cowardice from the now-resigned mayor. Not daring to speak out or take action against Kiyoshi, the two of them came to an unspoken agreement - if the mansion was left alone, she wouldn't bring to light what happened that night. The majority of servants were dismissed, with only a select few chosen by her to remain. How that one surviving animal lived the rest of his life was a fate that she cared not about, though she knew very well what happened to his two partners' corpses. They were thrown in the woods for animals to feast on, an ending fit for the dogs that they were.

To this day, what happened down in the mansion is a thought pushed away by decent folk and hardly whispered aloud by any. Some secrets are best left buried in the cold, unforgiving soil.