Prologue; The Crimson Butterfly

"Didn't we always promise each other…that we would always be together?"

The forest was deathly silent, or perhaps she simply couldn't take notice of anything over the pounding of her own rapid heart which was now echoing soundly in her ears. Petite brown eyes widened as a long moment passed, then another. Still, there was no sign of life within the thick brush; her sister had not uttered a word after the desperate scream the pieced the otherwise peaceful woods. The young five year old slowly edged herself to the hill of the path, which slopped dangerously. "Ma…yu..?" The child whispered, her little body shuttering as she peeked over the incline to see her sister sprawled out, one leg twisted in an unnatural way.

Mio felt her tiny body grip with terror as she fell to her knees, her white dress growing dirty around the edges from touching the ground ever so slightly. She cupped her hand over her mouth as she stared at the body of her twin, lips twisted into a 'o' of alarm. She didn't know what else to utter besides the first words that left her mouth; "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" She sobbed.

The memory was still painfully fresh, even though it had been practically eleven years ago. Mio's psyche had been forever stained by that incident, partially from the strong sense of guilt she felt. The scent of spring and the trickle of water brought the teenager back to her surroundings, staring idly down at the small stream a few feet in front of her. The water slapped up against the rocks, creating a soothing sound. Sitting on an old stump near the edge, Mio Amakura folded her hands into her lap after tugging on her white skirt to straighten it. It had been quite a while since she had visited the forest that she played at, back as a child. Its vibrant greens and dusty browns gave the place a tranquil feeling. Mio's lips pulled into a tiny frown, remembering the construction for a dam that would be placed here. Soon, this place would be a memory of her childhood days. They had moved away already, due to Mayu's health; a trip to grandmas, however, put them close to their childhood playground once more. The twins only thought it right to say goodbye to the place where they spent most of their days chasing butterflies and playing in the brook that ran through it. Suddenly, she felt the slight pressure of two hands, each on either of her shoulders. "We used to play her all the time."

A soft voice from above caused Mio to stare up at the face of her younger sister, returning the smile she was given. It was as though she were staring into a mirror, though Mio always felt as though her sister had a more timid and very gentle aura then herself, as well as a smaller voice. Both twins had shoulder length ebony black hair and wide chocolate brown eyes like that of a white tailed deer.

"Yea…"

There were a few distinct differences between the twin sisters. Mio had always been outgoing and the protective sibling, watching over Mayu. Mio also didn't have a limp when she walked like her sister, even though she'd give anything to take away the pain Mayu had. After falling from the path, trying to keep up with her, Mayu had to have surgery done to her left leg. She recovered quite well, but would always have a limp and was told not to over exert herself by any means.

"All of this will be gone soon." Mayu said as she pulled away softly, her doe like eyes sad.

Mayu was always the kind of person that appreciated nature. She had cried when their father had cut a few limbs off the tree in their front yard even, though that was when they were still young. Mio's concern made her switch the subject, a subject that was still upsetting her to this day. "Is your leg okay? Does it hurt?" She asked as she looked behind her, biting her lower lip as she glanced at her injury.

The knee was slightly swollen and Mio knew that the girl's tan colored boots probably weren't fit for walking long distances, which made it worse. Mayu also wore a delicate brown mini dress with a white mini skirt underneath, letting the decorative white ruffles show below the hem. The front of the dress was adorned with a white patch that started just above Mayu's stomach and then worked its way upward, spreading out into lining the dresses' collar and straps on the inside. A red lace bow was placed near the neck of the dress. Underneath, Mayu wore a simple black dress shirt, the sleeves short and rimmed with lace.

Not exactly something you'd wear into the woods. Not that she was dressed any better. She had on a white mini skirt that also had beautiful lace on the bottom and a brown dressy shirt with the same pattern as her sisters' only with sleeves of its own and a more opened neck. She also decided to sport a black tank top underneath instead of another dress shirt. Unlike her sister though, she had the smarts to put on a pair of grey black leggings, to cover her when they walked. Other than the outfits they wore, they seemed identical in every way possible. Even in height and weight. Mayu moved to sit down on the stump, back to back with Mio, finally answering her worried question. "It does a little, but I'm fine!" She said, leaning back for support.

Mayu probably wouldn't have admitted to the throbbing pain anyways, since she was always trying to stay strong and not slow her elder sibling down. "Mio…?"

"Yes?"

"…Um, never mind." Mayu decided sighing, looking back to the leafy green trees.

Mio felt her heart give a dull ache. The younger sibling was always anxious to give her opinion or even speak her mind to Mio like she had before. Her eyes narrowed down at the vibrant ground, lips forming a small frown as she could still see her sister's frail body lying lifeless. Mio had never brought herself to speak of the accident with Mayu, only because every time she tried, the younger sibling would simply change the subject in a rush. Perhaps now she could finally properly apologize to her. "Mayu…about that time back then…" She started, looking back behind her once more to find Mayu had suddenly left.

Panic bubbled in Mio's stomach as she called out her sisters name again, scanning the tree line. Mayu's back was receding into the woods, the young girl following something and trying desperately to keep up. Mio stood, hurrying after her limping twin who was already almost out of sight. She had never seen Mayu so determined to run. "Mayu? Mayu! Where are you going?"

Mayu didn't even slow down, her face turned away as she continued to run faster. It was almost as if she took no notice of Mio's cries. Mio dodged the lower hanging branches and nearly tripped twice from over grown roots but her sister seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go and had no trouble with the terrain. Mio ran faster until suddenly her vision flashed black and white. The trees howled angrily around her, leaves whipping at her frame. The world began to spin and Mio tried to get her bearings once again as she grabbed the truck of a nearby tree to steady herself. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of Mayu again, running after her image through the distortion. For a moment, she swore that Mayu was overlapped by another, a white kimono adorning her features before it was gone again. A trick? A hallucination? Mio didn't think about it at the moment. She continued to sprint after her sister, pale arm stretched out as she reached for her shoulder. "No, stop, wait!" She yelled, inches from the girl's clothing.

She faltered only slightly as she saw the white kimono ghost over Mayu's body once again, before she felt her tiny hand grip the twin's shoulder, spinning her around. An image overloaded her sight, the vision of choking Mayu with her own two hands sheered through her mind. She screamed, pulling her hands into her chest quickly. Blinking slowly afterwards, Mio abruptly was able to see normally once more. Whatever the hell had happened, had it been an illusion or not, was gone. She stared at her hands, watching them shake from the fear and adrenaline running through her veins.

A dream? A nightmare? The raven haired girl glanced around at her surroundings as she tried to calm her thumping heart. It was…nighttime? How? Her eyes stared up at the moon which was the only source of light she had, it's beams breaking through the canopy like tiny beacons. However, grey clouds were beginning to block its silver hue. She had to get a move on and find Mayu. The forest, once welcoming in the daylight, turned into an eerie setting in the moonlight. Everything was darker, almost menacing in a way. Mio tried to remind herself that it was simply because she was lost and quite confused at this point in time. She grew up in these woods, she would be just fine. At least, she tried to reassure herself of that. Turning, she spotted another illumination through the tree line, the flickering of a large fire a few yards away. Looking back along the forest floor, she also found herself on a narrow trail, lined by the trees and other various vegetation, but obvious enough to follow. Just where in the world was she? More importantly; "Mayu!" Mio screamed, heading down the path in a slight jog.

She knew that if Mayu was lost, her sister would have enough sense to seek the fire light too. Not to mention, she couldn't have been far away, right? Mio's mind wandered back to the vivid 'dream' as she hurried along. The world had turned into a olden day movie, black and white and horribly loud. Then, there was the overlapping of the woman in the kimono who looked exactly like Mayu from behind. Who was that? Mio and Mayu had experienced strange things before; visions of people who weren't there. But this was different than before, where usually it was simply seeing the white shadow of a person who disappeared after a few moments. No, she felt as though she were actually touching the kimono fabric which sent a horrible shiver through her body. As she moved closer to the ember glow, she began to approach an old and aged Shinto gate. It looked dilapidated and rotten, leaning to one side. It's once red painted columns were chipped; the top bars cracked and threatening to break away from the structure at any moment. Mio jumped at a voice in front of her, though it took a half minute to see who was actually speaking. A young woman in a white kimono had her face buried in her hands, crying the words: "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry."

The words echoed the entire forest in a haunting sort of way. The stranger also gave off a small white shimmer; far too ghostly white to be alive. Her body was solid and yet near the edges of her kimono, it seemed as if she were fading into the background. Mio stared at the spirit who didn't notice her, sobbing sorrowfully into her hands and shaking. Slowly, Mio moved to the girl's right side to get a better look at her face, only to be startled as a large crimson butterfly flew directly into her line of vision, making her break her gaze for a few seconds. Her lips pursed as she gazed back, seeing the vaporous apparition had vanished. The crackle of the distant flames made her shake off the phenomenon she was having. There were far more pressing matters at hand then apparitions and silly visions that weren't real. "Where…is this…?" Mio whispered as she moved closer to the fire.

Four large pillars stood in the middle of an open area beyond the Shinto gate, the rocks sharpened to a point and about six feet long in height. They were all connected by a sacred rope that she had seen used in shrines. The rope was weaved in a crisscross pattern and had white cloth pieces hanging from them, one inch apart in length. The ropes also moved to the middle where a large stone was, tied together in a knot. It looked like some kind of alter of some sort. Beyond it was two small fires, burning and giving an eerie glow to the polished rocks, dancing and casting shadows. Her eyes focused in the darkness, looking hard at the edge of the open area, which over looked a town. Her eyes widened as she made out a figure among the shapes. "Mayu?"

Her sister turned to look at her, eyes focused in a way that almost frightened Mio. She looked fixated, as though she were possessed. If it wasn't enough to startle the older twin, the many beautiful crimson butterflies that suddenly scattered behind her, was. They reminded Mio of blood, suddenly springing away from her sister as though she had been wounded, even though they danced before their eyes for a moment before moving away and towards the structures behind Mayu. Mio's eyes were torn away from them as her sister spoke, her voice low and not at all like the soft spoken girl she knew. "The Lost Village."

Mio blinked and then slowly moved over to her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking down at the village Mayu was talking about. It indeed was not like the modernized towns she had first thought it to be. The buildings looked old, like they had been there for centuries. The roofs of some of the structures were caved in, the buildings reminding her of the vision she just experienced. Of course, there were still some Japanese civilizations that continued to live in such villages, liking the more olden day style of life than relying on electricity and technology. However, there was something very wrong about the village as well. There were lights scattered here and there throughout the village but she couldn't see any people or hear anything. So, who lit the fires? Mio looked back at her sister, whose intent gaze also was on the mysterious sight, her right hand clutching the front of her dress in a nervous habit; it was something she did as a child even when she was frightened. Mio pulled away to continue to stare downwards. From what she could make out, there were four very large houses. However, through the lack of light, she couldn't exactly make out the little details. "Mayu, let's get out of here….Mayu?"

Mayu was still dazed, her gaze hardened as she mumbled something under her breath that Mio couldn't catch, even standing so close to her sister. Mayu tore her eyes from the village, looking at her sister with a frightened expression, sharing her thoughts, "I heard about this place…a long time ago there was a village here that disappeared during a festival….people who get lost in the woods get trapped by the village….could this be that place?"

She was at a loss for words on how to respond to this new information. A lost village that trapped people whom became stranded in the woods? Were they spirited away by this place? And even more notably, could they get out of this village? Mio turned, shaking her head and chuckling to herself. That was ridiculous. "Mayu, there is no such thing…let's go home." She said, offering her hand to her sister.

Mayu stared at her, almost angered by her light heart in this kind of situation, though Mio honestly didn't believe that there was such a thing as being spirited away. Even so, she let her fingers lace with Mio's, heading back for the trail that had brought them here. The two twins gasped as they made their way back to the Shinto gate. The trail was gone, covered in thorns and thick brush, like that of a untamed jungle. There was no way they'd be able to get through that. Great. Now what? Mayu looked over at the dirt path that led down to the village itself, as if submitting to their fate. "There's nobody here…"

Mio rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright…even so, maybe we can find a clue as to how to get out of here…." She muttered, the grip on her sisters hand tightening for a moment before they made their way towards the village and what might be their doom.