Hello, Tenshi here.
It's about time I posted something, hm? It's my first attempt on Ib fanfiction. I never played the game, but thanks to the Internet and my friends I ended up knowing tidbits of the story.
RPGmaker is a scumbag anyways. At this rate, I don't think I'll be able to play Yume Nikki, Majo no Ie, and the like. /manly tears
Anyways, enjoy this bittersweet one-shot!
Ib looked at the emerald-green notebook in her hands.
That notebook was the diary which belonged to a person whom, despite her wrongdoings, the brunette loved and cherished. That person was her sister—but not by blood.
That diary belonged to her "younger sister" Mary, who just passed away at the age of twelve.
Why? Because Mary was overwhelmed by the regret she felt. She did something bad just to become "sisters" with Ib. It's easy to say that she succeeded—but at a terrible cost.
In order to escape the world she once belonged to, she got rid of someone.
She got rid of a man named Garry, who was Ib's friend.
Hidden in that diary was the ugly truth of who Mary truly was. And she left it for Ib so that she would be able to remember her.
Ib opened the diary, and read an entry with a drawing of her and Mary in their school. Nostalgia took over her.
June 15.
"Where are we going, Ib?"
Mary, a blonde girl wearing a green skirt and a cream blouse, sat beside Ib on the backseat of their parents' car. She gazed at the tall buildings and the clear blue sky.
"We're going to school, Mary." The brunette girl smiled at her.
The driver, who was Ib and Mary's father, chuckled. "Don't tell me you forgot!"
"Oh, right!" Mary nodded and giggled. "Silly me!"
The car stopped at a four-floor building. Its entrance was crowded with students and parents alike. A woman from the front seat—their mother—got out of the car and helped the sisters.
"Now, girls," said the woman while stroking Mary's hair. "Be good, alright? Oh, and tell us stories when we get home, okay?"
"Yes, mom." Ib kissed her mother's cheek.
"You girls take care of yourselves, now!"
Mary gave the woman a bear hug. "You can count on us, mom!"
Besides, I have Ib with me now… right?
The brunette sighed. Her first day of school with Mary was one of the best days that she ever had. They both met lots of friends, and her "sister" learned a lot about the human world.
Ib began turning the pages in a random manner, only to stop at a drawing of two flowers. One was blue, which had a sad face beside it. The other one was yellow, and it had a smiling face beside it.
July 23.
"Ib, what are you reading?" Mary asked, as she sat, cross-legged, beside Ib. Her "sister" was reading that time.
"Oh, this?" Ib tucked in a blue rose bookmark. She closed the book and showed the front part to the blonde. "It's the last book in Harry Potter. You should try reading all of the books, Mary. The story is wonderful—"
"Ehh?" Mary saw a part of the bookmark, and snatched it. She examined it with a frown. "Ib… what is the meaning of this?"
"It's a bookmark! My Math teacher gave it to me as a birthday gift. Isn't it beautiful?"
Mary rolled her eyes. "Nah. Yellow flowers are better."
Ib noticed the peculiar look in her eyes. "Mary, is something the matter? Did someone bully you?"
Mary blinked at her, frown shrinking to an adorable pout. "Oh, it's nothing. I just…"
She stood up, walked away for a few steps, and twirled to face the brunette once again. "…I just don't like blue flowers."
That was the start of Mary's sudden change.
Ib remembered how she acted after she saw the blue rose. She became quiet and less cheerful; she kept clinging to her and trying to win her attention. Ib then knew that something was wrong.
She stopped at another page; this time it showed a drawing of her with a thought balloon containing a sleeping, purple-haired man, who was crossed out with a thick streak of red. Hello, Garry.
October 9.
The brunette was distributing her classmates' art projects during homeroom time. They thanked Ib with a smile, and applauded her for her vibrantly colored portrait of Mary, which was given an A-plus.
The last project which Ib saw was a well-done drawing of a man. He had purple hair which had violet highlights and peek-a-bangs that covered his right eye. He was wearing an elegant gray suit and had a blue rose on his chest pocket. She stared at it with curious eyes. He looks familiar…
Then, memories flooded her mind.
An army of artworks chasing her in the corridors of a dark art gallery.
A man giving her candy.
Mary asking her who should leave the gallery.
The same man, but this time, he was sleeping. Even worse, he was dead.
Tears began to roll down Ib's cheeks, as her classmates left the room.
She sniffed and wiped her tears. "It's Garry. A friend of mine. He's gone. And Mary's responsible for it."
Ib flipped the page. There was a pool drawn on it. There was a swimming pool in their village. A lot of their neighbors would have parties near it. That, however, also brought back a grim memory.
"You want to know the truth? Fine," Mary snarled, standing on the edge of the pool that night. "I killed him. I ruined Garry's rose and followed you to the real world! Are you happy now, sister?" She spat out the last word with hatred.
"No. Not yet." Ib glared at the blonde sternly. This wasn't her sister. This was a portrait who stepped on her dear friend just to become real. "I want to know everything, Mary. And you know what I mean by everything."
The portrait-girl rolled her eyes. "Okay, then. Don't say I didn't warn you."
She began after clearing her throat. "I wanted to become human. I wanted to have real friends—ones like you—and eat real food, and see real things. I may be regarded as one of Guertena's best portrait-girls, but the truth is… I'm lonely. Lonely, Ib! I have nothing but my little blue doll! It hurts so much!"
The brunette stared at Mary with wide eyes. She may have done the wrong thing, yes, but deep down… maybe the blonde wasn't so bad after all—just misunderstood. The girl who was once cruel became a crying wreck right in front of Ib's eyes.
"All I wanted… w-was to be loved. I'm s-sorry, Ib," Mary sobbed. "I-I'm sorry. When I s-s-started becoming… h-human, I discovered t-that… that I w-was doing the wrong thing a-all along…"
She stepped back, as if ready to fall into the pool. "I don't deserve to be here."
The blonde fell gracefully with a splash.
She woke up, coughing. The night sky above was dark, only to be lighted with the crescent moon. Mary tilted her head, only to see Ib, who was soaking wet, her eyes filled with worry.
"Don't talk," her savior said. "We can solve this together—"
The portrait-girl lifted up her right hand, which silenced the brunette. "Why are you so nice to me?" she asked, eyes once again brimming with tears.
"Because—Mary? Hey, don't go…!"
Ib's ex-sister leapt from her arms, running away from what could be her salvation.
The girl flipped the page. There was nothing written on it. Only a drawing of Mary on a cloud with Ib smiling below her could be found.
Mary's life met a bittersweet end.
"Mary? Are you awake yet? Come on, get up," called Ib from the portrait-girl's bedroom door. She thought of trying to cheer Mary up so that she would finally move on, and the brunette wouldn't want her to miss it.
She sighed, gave up, and opened the door. The blonde was sleeping, a small plastic bottle inches from her hands. She looked peaceful—too peaceful, in fact. As Ib realized that Mary was going to sleep for the rest of her life, she rushed to the limp body and wept.
"Mary? Mary! Wake up, Mary! Please wake up! Mom! Dad! Help me!"
Two pairs of feet rushed from the living room, on the stairs, and halted on the entrance to the room. Her parents' faces went pale, carved with expressions of sheer shock.
"It… It's Mary. She-She-She… She's gone."
Ib closed the book, and opened it once again on its rear end. A small scribble of text was written on the center of the last leaf.
Hello. I'm Mary. I'm twelve years old. I have a sister named Ib. I love her. So I put her friend to sleep.
Slowly, and sadly, the brunette closed the diary. If Mary had agreed to talk to her, find a way besides sacrificing herself in exchange for her sins, then…
…Maybe the two would become happy again, even if Garry's gone.
Ib, a sinner's "sister", embraced the notebook.
"Mary…"
Yes, I have a taste for tragedies. /grins
I've always imagined Mary regretting her past actions. And so this one-shot was born. Teehee~
Feel free to post reviews! Compliments, constructive criticism, or a mix of both, the review section is craving for these.
See you on the next story, fellas!