DISCLAIMER: Fatal Frame belongs to Tecmo and Sengoku Basara belongs to Capcom! I own nothing but the silly plot. Happy reading~
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
Tachibana Itsuki gazed at the full moon from the storehouse window. A smile flitted across his face. He had never experienced this kind of relief before.
"I've done my task, Mutsuki. Sae and Yae are safe now," Itsuki murmured whilst gazing at the moonlight, "I shall join you… soon."
Itsuki turned his head and stared at the rope tied in the ceiling. He had prepared it by himself. The white-haired youth knew for sure that the rope would cease his life in a painful way. It was alright for Itsuki, though. He had ended Mutsuki's life in pretty much the same way. Besides, he would see Mutsuki as soon as he stopped breathing. It wasn't bad at all, was it?
The boy took one last look at the window. The moon was still shining on the dark night. Bushes and flowers waved slowly as if they had said goodbye to him.
Itsuki turned his head from the window. The only view he saw this time was a single rope hanging in the ceiling, with a wooden chair below it. The remaining Tachibana twin climbed the chair and placed the rope around his neck.
"Mutsuki, I'm coming," Itsuki whispered as he kicked the chair off….
…and darkness enveloped his consciousness.
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
Itsuki tightened her grip on her hammer as she saw the figure he hated so much from afar, which was none other than Oda Nobunaga, the Demon King.
"Oda Nobunaga! Today I shall take your head!" the grey-haired little girl yelled in anger.
Nobunaga didn't give any reply. Instead, he sheathed his word and gun. No single mercy shown in his face despite the fact that he would face a peasant troops led by a little girl.
On the other hand, Itsuki wasn't intimidated at all. She pointed her hammer to Nobunaga and shouted at the top of her voice,
"ATTACK!"
Obeying Itsuki's command, the peasant force raised their weapons and marched to Oda force, who marched to them as well. The peasant force knew for sure that Oda force overpowered them, but none of them willing to surrender. They just wanted a peace for everyone, even though they had to risk their lives for it.
As peasant force was fighting Oda force, Itsuki dashed to Nobunaga. She was trying to finish Nobunaga off by herself.
"Foolish girl…" Nobunaga said coldly, "You don't know whom you're dealing with."
Before Itsuki knew it, Nobunaga had aimed his gun to her forehead.
"Itsuki-chan, WATCH OUT!"
The peasants' warning reached Itsuki's ears by the time she realized that her life was at stake. However, she could do nothing to escape her fate…
BANG!
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
Kurosawa Sae failed to escape from the village and was captured by the villagers. On the other hand, Kurosawa Yae, Sae's beloved twin sister, escaped successfully and thus left Sae alone. Since Yae couldn't be found anywhere, Kurosawa Ryokan, Sae's father and also the ceremony master, demanded Sae to perform the strangling ritual all by herself. Sae would be hung alone to appease The Hellish Abyss.
Sae desperately believed that Yae would come back for her, but her hope was growing weaker and weaker as the time of the ritual was approaching.
Just before the ritual started, some veiled priests escorted Sae to the storehouse. They allowed Sae to see the imprisoned Tachibana Itsuki for the last time and apologize to him since she had failed to escape.
After they had reached the storehouse, the veiled priests were waiting at the front door while Sae was approaching the storehouse window by herself. The storehouse seemed quieter and scarier than usual, sending chills down to Sae's spine. She had never felt this way before. The short-haired girl began to question whether Itsuki was alright.
Sae finally reached the storehouse window and looked through it. There was no sign of Itsuki's presence inside. Instead, all she could see was a single rope hanging on the ceiling. The younger Kurosawa twin felt as if her breath had stopped. She fell on her knees. Tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"No…. It can't be…" Sae wept mournfully, "Itsuki… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"Huh? Is someone calling me?"
Much to Sae's surprise, a girl's voice was heard from the storehouse. Sae's sadness was suddenly changed into great shock. Sae wiped her tears with her kimono sleeve.
"Who… Who's there?" Sae's voice was trembling as she yelled through the storehouse window, "Is Itsuki inside?"
"I'm Itsuki!" The voice replied again. This time, a grey-haired little girl with pigtails on both sides of her head appeared on the window. Sae could do nothing but staring at the girl in confusion.
"You are…. Itsuki?" was all Sae could say.
"Yes, I am! Why can I be there? I should be in the middle of the battle against Oda Nobunaga right now!" the girl with pigtails who called herself Itsuki yelled in 3rustration.
"Oda Nobunaga?"Sae was getting more confused, "I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, my friend named Tachibana Itsuki is supposed to be inside, but I can't find him. Do you know where he is?"
"He?" asked Itsuki, "You mean, there was a boy with the same name as mine here before?"
"Uhm…. Yes. There's no way he can escape. Besides…." Sae pointed at the ceiling with the grim expression, "...maybe he is no longer in this world."
Itsuki looked at the direction pointed by Sae and shocked by the sight of a hanging rope.
"He died?" Itsuki whispered in shock.
"I don't know…" Sae shook her head, "Are you really sure you know nothing about his whereabouts?"
"I don't even know what this place is and why I'm here!" Itsuki sighed in frustration, "Onee-chan[1], can you tell me where I am right now?"
"You're in All Gods Village, Japan," Sae answered, "Where do you come from?"
"All Gods Village?" Itsuki pondered, "I've never heard anything about it before. Do you know how can I go back to Ikkishu?"
"Ikkishu? I've never heard anything about it either…" Sae shrugged, "Besides, you can't escape once you entered this village. I've tried to escape before, but I've failed…."
"I can't go out of this village? Why?" Itsuki blinked in confusion.
Sae stared directly at Itsuki's eyes. Her face looked sad, but sympathetic.
"This village is cursed by The Hellish Abyss. It's some kind of demonic power that brings people to suffering, like famine and plague. Outsiders like you as well as twins like me have to be sacrificed in order to appease The Hellish Abyss and get rid of the suffering," Sae said without even mind speaking the taboo words at her village.
Itsuki's eyes widened, "No way! I can't die here! My comrades are waiting in Ikkishu! We haven't defeated Oda Nobunaga yet!"
"You've said several times about Oda Nobunaga. There's no way you can fight him. He had died centuries ago! Besides, a little girl like you mustn't be involved in a war!" Sae yelled.
"Huh? Centuries ago?" Itsuki blinked once again, "What do you mean? This time is 16th century, right? Oda Nobunaga is certainly still alive!"
"16th… Century?" Sae couldn't believe her ears, "It's 19th century! Don't tell me you come from the past!"
Itsuki's jaw dropped, "I do live in the 16th century, Onee-chan…"
Both girls fell silent for a while, trying to comprehend the situation they experienced.
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
Some of Itsuki's peasant soldiers were surrounding an unconscious white-haired boy. The boy was found lying motionless in the midst the battlefield. They brought the boy to a safe place and tried to wake the boy up, but the boy gave no respond.
"Are you sure he's still alive?" a thin peasant asked his comrade in doubt.
"Yes, he is. I've checked his breath and his heartbeat. They're all fine," a baldy peasant answered.
"Leave him alone, then. We can't continue our fight if we bother ourselves with this boy!" said a stout peasant, "Besides, Itsuki-chan is suddenly nowhere to be found… We have to keep fighting for her as well!"
Suddenly, the unconscious boy opened his eyes, much to the peasants' relief.
"Finally you've come around, Kid!" said the baldy peasant, "How can a villager like you be in the battlefield like this? You should have gone to a safe place!"
The white-haired boy sat down and looked at his surrounding. He seemed very confused, especially when he saw the peasants.
"Where… am I?" asked the white-haired boy in total confusion.
"Don't you see? You're in the battlefield between our force and Oda Nobunaga's," answered the thin peasant, "You're so lucky that you're not hurt, Kid!"
"Oda… Nobunaga?" the boy was getting more confused, "Am I… still alive?"
"You're safe and sound! Not even a single scratch is visible on your body!" the stout peasant laughed.
The white-haired boy shook his head, "It can't be happening…. I should have died… I should have seen Mutsuki…"
"I think you should have, but you aren't, Kid. Heaven is so compassionate to you. Now, go to the place of refuge quickly! It's 1 kilometers to the south and it's totally safe. You better go there now before the war is getting more intense," said the stout peasant while leaving for the battlefield, "Come on, Men of Ikkishu! We must fight for our village and for Itsuki-chan too!"
"Itsuki?" the white-haired boy's eyes widened, "Wait! How do you know my name?"
"Huh? Your name is also Itsuki? What a coincidence!" the thin peasant laughed, "Well, Itsuki is the leader of our force. She's a girl and still 12 years old, but she is very strong and brave! She leads us peasants to face the force of Oda Nobunaga without any fear! We just want to bring the peace back to this village since Oda Nobunaga has made us greatly suffer."
"A little girl leading a peasant troop against Oda Nobunaga…?" Tachibana Itsuki wondered in confusion, "I've never heard any story like this. Besides, Oda Nobunaga had died 3 centuries ago. It's impossible that he's still alive."
The peasants stared at Itsuki. The baldy peasant spoke, "I think your head was badly hit, Kid. Right now, right here, we're in the middle of the fight against Oda Nobunaga. He really is still alive."
Seeing the dead serious peasants, Itsuki started to be panic, "What… What year is it?"
"We're in 16th century, Kid. We know you might be still in shock that you can't think clearly. Just run to the place of refuge so that you can rest and—"
Before the peasant could finish his words, Itsuki dashed to the battlefield and saw the war with his own eyes. The sight of weapons, blood, and corpses caused a chaos in his heart.
"Mutsuki, is this a dream? Why am I here, of all places, when I'm supposed to be dead?"
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
When the young girls were still wondering about the situation, they suddenly heard the voice of veiled priests from the front door of the storehouse.
"Sae-sama, the ritual is about to start. Please leave immediately and go with us to Kurosawa House!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I have to go. It's nice to meet you, Itsuki-chan. Farewell," Sae said weakly.
"Onee-chan, where are you going? Did they say about the ritual? Are you going to be sacrificed?" Itsuki asked in panic.
Sae closed her eyes in despair, "…Yes. I have no reason to live anymore. My sister and my friends have left me. I can do nothing…"
"There is! We CAN do something! We mustn't give up!" Itsuki cried, "Keep your distance from this window, Onee-chan! I'm going to crush this wall!"
Sae's eyes widened, "Wait! Are you really—"
CRASH!
Itsuki slammed her gigantic hammer to the wall, destroying the storehouse's wall in pieces and allowing her to escape. Before Sae could react, Itsuki grabbed Sae's wrist and dragged her to the front door of the storehouse.
"Let's go, Onee-chan! We shall kick The Abyss's ass so that no one will be sacrificed any more!" Itsuki said in full spirit.
"It's impossible!" cried Sae, "What are you going to do?!"
"First, we have to get rid of these guys," Itsuki said while staring at the veiled priests who had been waiting for Sae in the front door. The veiled priests were in great shock because of seeing the unknown little girl destroying the storehouse's wall.
"Who are you, little girl? An intruder like you must be punished!" shouted the veiled priests in anger.
"Hmm, I doubt it. I think you are ones who must be punished," Itsuki said while slamming her hammer hard to the ground. Suddenly, the ground was frozen, along with the veiled priests. Sae could only watch everything in awe. The veiled priests were no longer able to cause any harm to them.
"You have some magic powers, don't you? With this kind of power, no wonder you can go to the battlefield," Sae remarked.
"Maybe you won't believe it, but once The Goddess of Rice granted this power to me and asked me to beat the evil samurais and bring peace to my village. I think I can use this power to save your village, too!" Itsuki said.
"You're such a wonderful girl, Itsuki-chan… I don't really understand, but maybe we can try… Please bring peace to this village," Sae requested with a soft smile. Her lost hope suddenly returned thanks to Itsuki's presence.
Itsuki let out a big smile, "With pleasure!"
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
Before Tachibana Itsuki knew it, a man in black armor approached him. The man had a demonic aura around him, which sent chills down to Itsuki's spine.
"Another useless villager…" the man in black armor said, "I shall end your wasted life here."
The black-armored man raised his sword, prepared to cut Itsuki's head. Itsuki just stayed still and slowly closed his eyes. After all, death was the only thing that Itsuki wished.
CLASH!
Hearing the sound of clashed weapons, Itsuki opened his eyes in surprise. He was even more surprised when he saw the stout peasant was protecting him from the black-armored man by parrying his sword.
"What are you doing here, Foolish Kid? I told you to run away! It's extremely dangerous here!" shouted the stout peasant in anger.
Itsuki stared at the stout peasant, who was easily defeated by the black-armored man. No need for a genius to know that the black-armored man was much more powerful than the peasant. The white-haired boy was wondering why the peasant dared enough to mess with the black-armored man only to protect him.
"It's Oda Nobunaga, Kid. You MUST run away now. There's no way you can survive him if you stay here any longer," the thin peasant patted Itsuki's shoulder.
"But… How about you? You can't survive him too! He's too strong! You should have run away as well! We're too powerless! We can't do anything!" Itsuki shouted. He didn't remember when the last time he had shouted like that.
"We know we're weak, Kid. But it's not a good reason to surrender. Itsuki-chan… That little girl has taught us to fight until the very end," said the baldy peasant. He then dashed to Oda Nobunaga, followed by the thin peasant.
Itsuki stared at them in awe. He finally realized that he had lost his hope since a very long time ago. He thought that he lived only to perform The Strangling Ritual along with Mutsuki and to save the lives of Kurosawa twins. He always felt powerless to change the situation because of the fear of The Abyss. He thought that he had no choice but to run away from his life as soon as his duties had been done.
However, these peasants were different. Despite of the great disadvantages they faced, they chose to fight bravely and not to run away. They never gave up hope no matter what.
"These people are so full of life… Can I be like them, Mutsuki?"
Itsuki was snapped out of his daydream when he saw the three peasants have been died in the hands of Nobunaga. A great anger suddenly swelled inside his heart. Again, Itsuki didn't remember when the last time he had felt such anger.
"You waste the sacrifice of these peasants, little boy. Now they're died and you haven't run yet," Nobunaga scoffed.
Itsuki took a sword left by the peasant. He sheathed the sword to Nobunaga with a fierce determination in his eyes.
"I WON'T run away!"
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
On the way to Kurosawa House, Sae told Itsuki about the rituals of All Gods Village, Yae's plan to escape the ritual with the help of Tachibana Itsuki, and also the story about Tachibana Itsuki himself.
"I think if I could beat this Malice thing inside The Hellish Abyss, your twin sister and your friend Tachibana-niichan[2] would be back to this village. I shall do my best!" Itsuki said with a fierce determination.
"Hey, actually saying The Hellish Abyss is considered taboo in this village. We usually refer it with 'that', and everyone has known what we mean," Sae explained.
"Who cares? You're no longer afraid of it, right? Kami-sama[3] is with us, Onee-chan!" Itsuki said.
"Yeah, you're right," Sae chuckled.
The two finally reached the gate of Kurosawa House in the end of the bridge, which was guarded by the other two veiled priests.
The veiled priests then welcomed Sae, "We've been waiting for you, Sae-sama. Where are the veiled priests who should have escorted you?"
"I don't know. I didn't see them," Sae lied, "Anyway, I bring a friend. Please let us come in".
"An outsider? Will she be another Kusabi?" one of the veiled priest asked.
"No. Actually, we're coming not to be sacrificed, but to annihilate The Hellish Abyss," Sae said in determination, much to the veiled priests' surprise.
"Sae-sama, don't say the taboo word! Besides, there's no way to annihilate it!" a veiled priest shouted.
"We won't know unless we try. My friend here has some power to eliminate The Hellish Abyss! You must believe me! We still have hope!" Sae cried.
"We're very sorry, Sae-sama, but you have no choice but to perform the ritual. Your friend will be kept in prison as Kusabi," one of the veiled priest grabbed Sae's arm, while the other was approaching Itsuki.
"No!" Sae cried, "Itsuki, help!"
Suddenly, a huge snowball appeared. It rolled fast to the veiled priest who approached Itsuki and sent him flying to somewhere unknown. The snowball was kept on rolling and ended up crushing the gate of Kurosawa House. The other veiled priest, who still grabbed Sae's arm, was greatly shocked.
"Let us enter or you'll suffer the same fate," Itsuki threatened. The veiled priest finally let go Sae's arm.
"You saw her power, right? She can save us," Sae said to the veiled priest.
"And if she couldn't?" the veiled priest asked sarcastically. Itsuki's anger swelled.
"All of you have been so desperate, haven't you? Listen, none of you is meant to live only to appease The Abyss! You're free to live your life! No one is destined for suffering! Sae has chosen to fight back. Why don't you do the same?" Itsuki said in anger.
The veiled priest sighed in frustration, "Little girl, you don't know how powerful it is—"
"It is because you don't know how strong you can be! You have given up hope so that you are now extremely weak!" Itsuki grabbed Sae's wrist, "We'll go by ourselves. Do not interfere!"
Sae and Itsuki then proceeded to The Hellish Abyss. Many veiled priests stood in their path, but Itsuki knocked all of them down. Itsuki's sheer strength forced the veiled priests to let the girls going further.
In the gate to The Abyss, numerous veiled priests had been stood on lines. They were led by Kurosawa Ryokan, the ceremony master who was also Sae's father. They were patiently waiting for Sae's arrival when they heard a very familiar voice.
"Otou-sama…[4]"
Ryokan, along with the veiled priests, turned their heads to Sae, who had just arrived with Itsuki.
"We've been waiting for you for a long time, Sae. By the way, we heard noises from the outside. Did something happen?" Ryokan asked.
"I think it's not important, Otou-sama," Sae smiled, "Well, I've been supposed to die here in the first place, so I want to do something that make my death more meaningful."
Ryokan frowned, "What do you mean?"
"I want to annihilate The Hellish Abyss," Sae said decisively for the umpteenth time. As usual, her words caused a great shock among the veiled priests and the ceremony master.
"Wait… Sae, are you sure you aren't going crazy since your sister has left you alone?" Ryokan asked in disbelief.
"I'm not! I am seriously going to annihilate it!" Sae glanced to Itsuki, "Ehm, actually, it's my friend here who is going to do it. Her name is Itsuki and she has enough power to overcome The Hellish Abyss."
"Itsuki? What a coincidence…" Ryokan murmured, "To tell you the truth, everyone will be more than happy if it can be annihilated. However, it is too powerful. We're completely powerless compared to it. Furthermore, I'm afraid that The Repentance would happen once we tried to anger it."
"This is the right time to try, Otou-san. We mustn't please The Abyss any longer. The Abyss can do nothing but cause great sufferings to us!" Sae cried.
Suddenly, a great earthquake happened. The ceilings began to fall, causing the veiled priests to flee in fear.
"Run! The Repentance is going to happen!" the veiled priests shouted.
Ryokan was greatly angered, "You've angered it, Sae! What would you do? If you didn't have any intention to annihilate it, nothing would happen! Thanks to your selfish decision, everyone is going to die!"
"We'll take the responsibility!" Itsuki finally said, "Save yourselves! It's too dangerous here!"
Before Ryokan could say anymore, Itsuki and Sae had rushed to The Abyss.
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
"A life of a lowly commoner like you isn't worthy enough for my blade. I will leave you to someone else," Nobunaga left Tachibana Itsuki.
"Wait!" Itsuki tried to chase him, but suddenly five soldiers of Nobunaga stood in his way. Itsuki, however, didn't feel any slightest fear. He started to fight the soldiers with the sword he had taken.
As he was fighting, he remembered the last time he held the sword. It was when he was a very little kid. One day, he found a wooden sword at his storage. He was so excited that he played a lot with it, imagined himself to be a hero. He kept saying that one day he would be the hero who saved the village. Hearing him saying like that, his parents only smiled and said that he truly would save his village someday. When Itsuki had been older, he finally understood that his parents meant he would save his village by performing The Strangling Ritual and killing his twin. At first, Itsuki was greatly shocked by that fact. Although Itsuki didn't refuse to perform the ritual, deep down inside he refused to be the hero in such way.
Never had he imagined that he would really save a village with a sword, as a hero should be.
The five soldiers of Nobunaga put Itsuki in disadvantage, but the situation finally changed when some peasants of Ikkishu came and helped Itsuki. Seeing Itsuki as an unknown young commoner who fought soldiers greatly raised the morale of Ikkishu peasants. They became stronger than usual in somewhat miraculous way.
The fight also made Itsuki completely regained his passion for life. The more the edge of swords harmed him, the more he felt alive. Itsuki was also surprised by the fact that he wasn't that bad in swordmanship. Right now, his only hope was to bring the peace back to Ikkishu by putting an end to the life of Oda Nobunaga.
The battle went for a long time. The peasants were getting more and more spirited.
"Fight for the peace of Ikkishu!"
"Do not falter! Nobunaga's head shall be ours!"
"Fight for Itsuki-chan!"
A peasant suddenly grabbed Itsuki's wrist and raised it, "Fight for Itsuki-kun!"
The peasants let out a loud cry. Itsuki had been accepted as one of them.
As the fight went by, more and more soldiers of Oda force fell in the hands of the peasants. Nobunaga was terribly angry. No one had imagined that the peasants force would put Oda force in disadvantage.
Itsuki yelled while pointing his sword to Nobunaga, "Oda Nobunaga, we shall take your head!"
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
Sae and Itsuki finally reached The Hellish Abyss. It had been filled by reddish-black thick smoke. A horribly frightening demonic aura surrounded the entire area. The earthquake was getting worse.
Itsuki whacked her hammer to the ground, creating a huge snowstorm. However, it didn't work. The Abyss was getting more dangerous. Sae and Itsuki felt very difficult to breathe.
"I can feel… Much hatred and pain there…" Sae withered in pain.
"We must… Stay strong!" Itsuki once again tried to freeze the entire area of The Hellish Abyss. This time, she successfully froze almost entire area. The Hellish Abyss was getting weaker, but it was still crazed. Itsuki's ice started to melt.
"No… We're almost done… Please, Kami-sama…" Itsuki silently begged. The evil aura of Hellish Abyss started to engulf Itsuki and Sae. It also started to drag them closer to the large hole.
"I'll give my life… So that everyone can be happy… and continue their life without suffering…" Sae murmured weakly, "Everything is… for the sake… of this village…"
The girls' consciousness was fading. They had been very close to the abyss. Just before they were really plunged into the hole, Itsuki once again slammed her hammer with all of her remaining energy.
Nothing happened. They lost to The Hellish Abyss…
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
Oda Nobunaga let out a maniacal laugh, "You are such silly people! You will meet your end just like that filthy little girl!"
"Don't say anything bad about Itsuki-chan!" the peasants got angry. Their anger made them even fiercer than before.
Tachibana Itsuki slashed every Oda soldier he found. He made slow, but certain paces towards Oda Nobunaga. Finally, Itsuki was so close to Nobunaga. Nobunaga's finest generals took care of other Ikkishu's soldiers who were thought to be stronger so no one was guarding Nobunaga. Besides, Nobunaga was very confident to his own strength that he needed no one to protect him.
This was an advantage for Itsuki. He knew Nobunaga was much stronger, but fighting Nobunaga one to one was better than fighting Nobunaga's generals along with Nobunaga himself.
"So you've come, Boy. I'm surprised that you're still alive. I shall kill you here," Nobunaga said.
"I'll kill you before that!" Itsuki advanced towards Nobunaga. Nobunaga shot Itsuki several times, but Itsuki could dodge all of the bullets. The white-haired boy kept on advancing to Nobunaga. Itsuki then prepared to slash his sword to Nobunaga's neck…
…when suddenly he was stabbed by Nobunaga.
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
The earthquake hadn't stopped. All ice at The Hellish Abyss had completely melted. However, despite of having devoured two girls, The Hellish Abyss hadn't seemed to be satisfied yet.
Suddenly, a thick layer of ice emerged from the bottom of the hole and spread to the entire Hellish Abyss. The Hellish Abyss began to be frozen again.
It was when myriad of crimson butterflies emerged from the hole. The crimson butterflies formed a bed, with Sae and Itsuki lying motionless on it. The Hellish Abyss was getting weaker and weaker as the ice was keep spreading. The crimson butterflies carried the girls and went away from The Hellish Abyss. Just as all crimson butterflies from the hole had flown away, the ice broke, causing the ceilings to fall. The hole was completely buried and the Malice was completely annihilated. The Hellish Abyss wasn't frightening anymore.
On the other hand, all residents of Kurosawa House, as well as the veiled priests, had left. They had anticipated The Repentance to come and quickly fled to save their lives. All villagers also followed them to escape.
When they almost reached the village exit, they were shocked by the appearance of numerous crimson butterflies in the sky. The sky suddenly turned as bright as day. They were even more shocked by the sight of Sae lying on the bed made of crimson butterflies. The crimson butterflies that carried Sae then approached the villagers. Kurosawa Ryokan quickly took Sae from the crimson butterflies. The butterflies then left the villagers and flied away, causing the villagers to look at them in awe.
Sae then slowly regained her consciousness. She saw everyone watching her anxiously.
"Huh? Where am I?" Sae asked.
"You were just…. Carried by the crimson butterflies…" Ryokan hadn't still lost his awe yet, "A… Anyway, it's just good that you're safe! We don't need to be afraid of Hellish Abyss anymore!"
All villagers cheered in joy. However, Sae showed much different reaction.
"Where's Itsuki-chan?"
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
"Ugh…"
Tachibana Itsuki stopped his hand in mid-air, just before his sword cut Nobunaga's neck. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable. However, his mind desperately spurred him not to stop here.
With his consciousness fading, Itsuki grabbed Nobunaga's sword, which was still stabbed in his chest, to make Nobunaga unable to draw his sword. While Nobunaga was still trying to draw his sword, Itsuki quickly cut Nobunaga's head.
CRASH!
Everyone stopped battling as they saw Nobunaga's head rolling on the ground. The whole Oda force was greatly shocked, while the peasant force cheered in joy.
"We take Nobunaga's head!"
"Victory is ours!"
"Peace is coming soon!"
They didn't even realize that Itsuki had been nowhere to be found. He had disappeared, leaving only his blood on Oda Nobunaga's sword.
=0=0=0=
?
"Hey, wake up!"
Tachibana Itsuki opened his eyes. The first thing he could see was a grey-haired little girl looked at him anxiously. He then looked at his surroundings. Everything was white. No one but he and the little girl was here.
"Are you okay?" the little girl asked while Itsuki was trying to stand up.
"I'm okay…" Itsuki stood up and saw no blood in his clothes. His wounds had been healed. The boy began to wonder where he was and what happened with him after he had slain Nobunaga.
"We have to be back… Everything's alright now. Your village and Kurosawa-neechan is safe," said the little girl, "There's nothing to worry about, Tachibana-niichan."
Itsuki smiled. Now he knew who the little girl in front of him was.
"Frrom now on, you have nothing to worry about, too. I've defeated the bad guy, Itsuki-chan," Itsuki said, smiling to the little girl who was also named Itsuki, "By the way, I'm very grateful that you've saved my village. I owe you a lot."
"I also thank you so much, Tachibana-niichan! I don't know you're that great! I wish I could see you in the battlefield!" the little Itsuki laughed.
"Anyway, do you know what makes us exchanged? I think it's not just because we have the same name…" Tachibana Itsuki wondered.
"Well, I think Kami-sama must be the one behind this. Everyone is happy right now! I'm happy too, and you must be happy as well!" Itsuki answered.
"Yeah…. You're right… Thanks to this, I've found my hope and reason to live. From now on, no matter how difficult my problem is, I shall face it without fear and despair," Tachibana Itsuki said with eyes full of determination.
"That's good!" the little Itsuki ran away, waving her hand, "Take a good care of yourself, Tachibana-niichan!"
"Take care too, Itsuki-chan…" Itsuki also waved his hand, with a soft smile in his face.
=0=0=0=
Japan, All Gods Village, 19th Century
There was a big feast to celebrate the freedom of the village. Sae attended the feast, along with Itsuki, Yae, and Chitose. The four ate and had fun together.
"I was so worried, you know! Suddenly you vanished and left only a rope on the ceiling! I thought you had died!" Sae told Itsuki.
Itsuki let out a grim smile, "I thought so, too. Actually, I really had hung myself…"
"Don't go, Onii-chan! I would be very sad if you died!" Chitose cried while hugging Itsuki tightly. Itsuki hugged her back. He had just realized how stupid his suicide attempt was. He just cared about Kurosawa twins and Mutsuki, but he almost forgot that he still had a little sister to take care.
"Umm… Sae, I'm so sorry that I left you that day. I swear I didn't mean it at all! I didn't realize that you had fallen! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yae bowed down repeatedly in regret.
"It's alright, Yae. Let bygones be bygones! More importantly, our village has been safe, thanks to 'Itsuki'!" Sae winked to Itsuki, "Well, I hope I could thank her personally. After all, she had changed my life too."
Itsuki looked at the sky and smiled, "Yeah, it's all thanks to her…"
=0=0=0=
Japan, Ikkishu, 16th Century
"Itsuki-chan, are you sure you know nothing about how to meet Itsuki-kun again? We haven't thanked him for saving this village from Nobunaga!" the peasants asked.
"I don't know…" Itsuki shook her head, much to the peasants' chagrin, "I think we shouldn't think about it anymore. I lost my hammer, too. This village has been safe. I think the whole Japan will be peaceful in no time. We aren't supposed to be involved in war anymore."
"We know, but…. He has done a great thing to us!" a peasant said.
"I think we'll meet him again… Someday," Itsuki said while looking at the sky, "I don't know why and how I can be sure about it. I just know."
=0=0=0=
Glossary
[1] Onee-chan / Nee-chan: Big sister
[2]Nii-chan / Onii-chan: Big brother
[3]Kami-sama: God, a reference to Ukanome, The Goddess of Rice who granted Itsuki power.
[4]Otou-sama: Dad.
=0=0=0=
My first published story in English! Hurray~ ^^ This plot has been haunting my mind for a long time so I decide to write it. I love the Itsukis from these two games. They have some similarities, such as their names and their hair colors. I just wondered what if they met, and this story was born.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to review!