Hello, this is DaaNi-ChAn with my first FF story.
Summary: Following the events of Fatal Frame III: The tormented, Kurosawa Rei is trying to follow her fiancé's advice to move on, but things happen to find a way to come back. Rei x Kei pairing is here. Please R&R
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fatal Frame series.
Enjoy!
Fatal Frame IV: Returning memories
Chapter I
She stood in his arms, after going through hell and back so she could meet up with him again. Kurosawa Rei have lost her fiancé in a car accident caused by her 'reckless driving', as she put it. Now, she's gone through the manor of sleep just so she could see him once more. While standing in the sea of the otherworld, she begged him to let her go with him; she was sick and tired of being alone without him.
"Yuu…" she mumbled, looking up at him and moving her left hand to his chest. "…I'm sorry. This time…I'm going with you" she said, sobbing. He looked down at her and smiled.
"Thank you…" he mumbled, making her look up at him, "…but I must go alone" he said as the tattoos on her bodies started glowing, the pain shooting up her body again. But she couldn't care less, she was finally in his arms and she didn't want any stupid pain to stop her from finally being with him. She looked down at her arm agape as the tattoos literally moved from her body to his, covering him with the Holly.
Yuu, her fiancé, started taking a couple of steps backwards, leaving her in the knee length deep water. "When you…" he started, keeping the eye contact, "…when you die, I'll be gone forever…" he said, slowly turning around. She was already crying, wanting to be with him.
"As long as you go on living, a part of me will live on" he said, turning around and walking with the dead towards the other world.
"That's why, I want you to live"
Rei opened her eyes slowly, blinking a couple of times to register that she was no longer in that world. She got up, looked out the window and noticed that it was a sunny day, unlike the previous rainy days which poured constantly. She looked around, the room was tidy. Her desk chair was in place, the camera obscura was sitting on the desk and there was no sign of any spirits around the house.
She looked down at her right arm, noticing that the pain of the tattoo didn't shoot up her shoulder and down her body. There was no pain. It was a good thing that she didn't have to go through it again. Rei held her right arm, turning it around to see if there's any sign of the tattoo on her arms.
There was none, and she knew that it was over…
…she could never see Yuu again.
The thought of losing her fiancé for good made her heart break. Rei grimaced as she felt the tears fill up her eyes. She sobbed, holding her arm closer to her face. 'Yuu, no matter what, I know you'll always be with me', she thought, sobbing. A part of her was sad that she would never see him again, even in the manor of sleep. Yet a part of her was happy that she managed to speak with him before she knew he rested in peace, telling her that he will live on as long as she does.
'I will move on, darling. I will' she thought as the tears continued to stroll down her cheek.
In a matter of seconds, she was dressed in her usual attire: black ¾ pants and her favorite blue shirt. She sighed, knowing that she'd lost everything in her life. It would be too hard for her to move on.
Then it hit her, "Miku…" she mumbled, looking at the closed door of her room. Rei ran, opening the door and going towards Miku's room, reaching for the door knob. She paused. 'I-I hope she's awake' she thought, her hand slowly turning the knob.
Rei peeked inside the room which was full of orange and red colors; Miku's favorites. She moved her vision towards the bed to see her assistant, rubbing her eyes before moving her vision towards the door.
"Rei-san…" she started, looking worriedly at her friend, "…what's the matter?" she innocently asked, causing her friend to start sobbing.
"M-Miku…" she started, walking inside the room towards her bed. "…Oh, Miku!" she said, engulfing her friend in a hug, crying her heart out. Miku was startled, unable to move from Rei's grip.
"R-Rei…" she mumbled, "…C-Can't b-breathe!" she exclaimed, finally released from the hug. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just…I'm so glad you're back" Rei said, hugging her friend lightly now. Miku smiled and hugged her back.
"Arigatou, Rei-san, for saving me" she said, tears strolling down her cheeks. Rei gaped for a second, looking at her friend.
"I-I…" Rei stuttered, unable to know what to say. "…you're welcome, Miku-chan" she said, smiling. Miku blinked a couple of times before narrowing her eyes.
"What happened to Kei?" she asked, causing Rei to gasp and get up. She opened the door, ran out and stood on the railing of the second floor, looking down at the living room.
Kei was sitting up, bracing himself by putting his left hand on the couch's back. He looked out the window to see that the sunrays were coming in through the glass.
'A new day…' he thought, looking around. He was checking where he was before realizing he was in Rei's house.
"Kei!" he heard her voice, forcing him to look up. She was smiling down at him, looking like an angel from above, he thought. She was crying when she ran down the stairs. He smiled, getting up before she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Kei chuckled, startled at first but hugged her back.
"I'm glad you're ok, Kei" she said, sobbing in his chest. He chuckled and caressed her hair, "I'm glad that we all are" he mumbled, smiling. The last thing he remembered was going inside the abyss and towards the priestess, holding the holly-engraved stakes in his hands when he saw that the priestess was already impaled. He remembered that the stakes were being removed from her limps. He remembered that he tried to run away but the way out was shut in his face.
"Rei…" he mumbled, making her pull away and look at him. "…Miku, is she―"
"―She's fine" she said, laughing through her tears, "…she's fine" she repeated, nodding reassuringly. He smiled, nodding.
"Thank goodness" he said, both chuckling. Rei stared at him for a while, realizing how close their faces were getting. She pulled herself away and looked at the ground.
"Well, everyone is fine, finally" she said, smiling. He nodded, noticing her tension. "Yeah, I guess― wait…" he said, looking at the ground before looking at her, "Mio! I have to go and check on Mio" he said, giving a 'two-fingers' salute before running off. She heard the door of the house being opened before it was slammed.
Rei looked at the ground, running her hand through her short hair "I need a bath" she said, walking across the living room and towards the bathroom.
Rei sighed when she dipped her body into the hot water, relaxing her muscles. 'It's been a while since I took a long bath, with nothing on my mind' she thought, closing her eyes and relaxing, breathing deeply, taking in the scent of lavender mixture from the lit candles which always helped her in calming her tension.
She started recalling what she's been through the past couple of months, remembering that fateful day:
Flashback
They were going out on probably their last date as girlfriend and boyfriend; they were scheduled to be wed in three weeks. Both Rei and Yuu have known that they would be too busy for dates in those weeks.
"I hope you liked it" he said, smiling as he draped his left arm around her shoulder. She held that arm with her left, looking up at him.
"I loved it, sweetie" she said, giving him a peck on the lips. They walked towards their car which was parked a couple of parking blocks away from the restaurant. Yuu sighed and dug his right hand in his pocket.
"Where are the keys?" he asked, before he heard a chuckle from his fiancée. "Right here!" she said, rattling the keys in her right hand. He tried to snatch it away but she moved her hand quickly, moving away.
"You're gonna have to let me drive now!" she said, chuckling. "No, you won't. You drive too fast" he said, laughing. Rei moved in front of him, walking backwards whenever he took a step closer.
"Please?" she begged, giving him a puppy eyes look. He shook his head, "Alright, but promise me, you'll drive slowly" he said, smiling at her. She nodded before unlocking the car and getting into the drivers seat. Once her fiancé buckled the seatbelt in his passenger's seat, she turned on the engine.
"Rei…" she heard him say, smiling at her. Suddenly, lightening struck, startling both of them. "Wow, it's going to rain soon" she said, looking out of the front window before turning to Yuu. "Yes?" she said, replying to him. Yuu smiled and took her hand in his.
"I love you, Reika-chan" he said, calling her by her full name. At that moment, she had a weird feeling in her stomach, something telling her that she shouldn't drive in this weather, a small voice telling her to stay still for a moment, but she decided to ignore it.
They moved to the highway where Rei was driving at the speed limit before she took a turn to the right, going to the mountain road that led to her house. Yuu kept his eyes on the road all the way, both remaining silent.
"Are you ok?" Rei asked, glancing at him to see him nod. "Yeah, I'm just…" he sighed, "…nervous. With all the work I get I…'m not sure I would be able to fulfill my duty as a husband" he said, surprising her by going right to the point. "…I'm ready and all but…" he continued, looking at her. "…They offered me a promotion" he said, going silent. The sound of the wipers moving the rain right and left filled the area.
Rei smiled, "I'm happy for you, sweetheart. Besides, you don't have to be that nervous. I'll understand" she said, smiling at him. "I'm just glad that I'll be Asou Rei" she said, grinning widely.
"I'm glad that you'd be with me. I reassure you…" he said, smiling at her. "…I'll always be with you, forever" he mumbled.
Then it happened; it all happened in a second when Rei sped up and took a sharp turn to the right. That's when the car slid to the left, swirling a couple of times before it hit the metal barrier. Glass flew everywhere, she screamed, unable to do anything. The car flipped and landed on its top. It all went black…
"Rei…forever…"
His voice forced her to open her eyes. She realized that somehow she was half-out of the car. Rei slid outside the car and managed to stand up, the rain pouring down at her as she held her injured left arm, taking a couple of steps closer towards the crashed car.
'Yuu…' It was the first thing she thought about when she saw his lifeless hand out of the car. His face was peaceful yet pale, she knew it…
…she killed him.
Rei fell to her knees, the rain pouring down on her. She cried, cried because it was her reckless driving that caused his demise. In a couple of weeks, they would've been married; she was able to see herself bearing his children, being his wife forever.
"Rei-san" Miku's voice broke her thoughts, forcing her to open her eyes and look up. She realized that she might've fallen asleep in the tub. "Gomenasai, but Kei called…" she said, taking a deep breath "…I told him you were a bit busy. He just wanted to reassure you that Mio is ok. She finally woke up" she said, nodding. Rei smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Miku" she said, rested her head back and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. Miku knew it was her cue to leave.
A couple of seconds passed and the bathroom went quiet. Rei slid her head underwater, slowly opening her eyes. She stayed there for a couple of seconds before sitting straight, taking a deep breath and running her hand through her hair.
"As long as you go on living, a part of me will live on"
She smiled, remembering his words. Rei pulled herself out of the tub and wrapped her favorite blue towel around her body, taking a look at her pale face in the mirror before drying herself and getting dressed.
9:32am
Rei's living room…
She sluggishly sat on the couch, the remote was in her hand while Ruri the cat was in her lap as she watched the news going on and on about the 'spirited away' and how some of them managed to 'return' from the manor of sleep suddenly that morning.
Rei turned off the TV, wanting to forget everything about that fateful day, that fateful dream that changed everyone's lives. She put the remote aside and caressed Ruri's fur before the cat jumped down the couch and to her own cushion. Rei smiled and got up, walking up the stairs, feeling a lump in her throat that needed to get out.
Once she was in her room, Rei closed the door and locked it, leaning against it. Her breaths were shortening by the second until she burst in tears, wanting to remove the pain from her heart, remove that tightness in her chest.
"Yuu, why won't you let me move on?" she mumbled between her sobs, walking towards her bed and throwing herself at it.
"Rei-san, Is everything alright?" she heard Miku's voice outside the bedroom. Rei wiped away her tears.
"I-I'm…" she sobbed, "…fine" she continued, holding back her sobs. The outside of the room was silent for a minute before the doorknob was turned.
"Rei-san, please open the door" Miku said, "Kei-san's car is parked outside, Mio-Chan is with him!" she exclaimed, causing Rei's head to shoot up. She got up, wiped her tears away and took a deep breath, exhaling it.
"I'll be right there, Miku" she said, hearing Miku's footsteps walking off. She started taking deep breaths to relax herself. She walked towards her desk and got out a small mirror to check herself before unlocking the door and walking out of the room.
Rei walked down the stairs and towards the space between the kitchen counter and the couch as she watched Miku open the corridor's door to the two visitors. Mio, who was looking at the ground while Kei's hands were on her shoulders, looked up at Rei and gave her a small smile.
"Rei…" Kei started, smiling, "…This is Amakura Mio, my niece," he said, lightly pushing Mio in Rei's direction. Rei smiled and walked closer to Mio.
"How are you, Mio-Chan?" she started, looking at the girl's pale and fatigued figure. Rei knew that her sister's sacrifice took its toll on her.
Mio smiled small, "I'm very well, thank you, Rei-san" she said, bowing respectfully. Rei blinked a couple of times, looking at Kei who had a big smile on his face.
Mio stood straight, looking at Rei. "Thank you for everything" she said, smiling. Rei nodded, "I-I haven't done anything" she simply said, adding a small smile in the end. An awkward silence took over the place before Kei decided to speak up.
"Rei…" he started, causing all eyes to divert to his direction. "…I need to talk to you for a second" he said, sliding his hands in his pockets. Rei looked at Miku before the latter understood what she was trying to say.
"Mio-Chan, Let's chit-chat a bit up in my room" Miku said, waiting for Mio to respond. "Um, sure" she said, walking off with Miku. Rei narrowed her eyes once she laid eyes on Mio's necklace.
"Did you make her that necklace?" she said, not removing her eyes. Kei nodded, "Yeah, I figured she might want that close to her"
Rei nodded, looking at the crimson butterfly-shaped necklace. She remembered that her sister, Mayu, turned into a crimson butterfly after the sacrificial event. "She believes that the butterfly is her sister, protecting her" he continued, looking at the ground. A couple of seconds later, Rei cleared her throat and turned to face Kei.
"So, what is it you wanted to say?" She asked, leaning backwards on the couch's back. Kei took a step closer.
"I was wondering if Mio could stay for a while with you girls. I have a lot of things to take care of and I won't be able to take care of her so I was—"
"—No problem, Kei" Rei interrupted, smiling sweetly. Kei chuckled and nodded, "Thanks a bunch" he said, nodding.
"I hope this isn't too much for you." He continued, looking at her right in the eyes. Rei paused for a minute, looking back into his eyes before smiling.
"It's nothing…" She mumbled, "…really, don't worry about it" she said, waving her hand in the air.
Kei breathed in sharply and nodded, "Excellent" he said, running his hand through his hair. They both turned their heads towards Miku's room once they heard the laughter of both Miku and Mio. Rei smiled.
"I see they are getting along pretty nicely already" Kei exclaimed, chuckling before looking at Rei who seemed to be spacing out in her own world.
"Um, yes, you're right" she finally said, looking at him. She could notice the worried look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak; not knowing that the words he was about to say could do a lot to her.
"Were you crying, Rei?" he asked, causing her to sharply look at him with widened eyes, "…you look like it" he continued, noticing that tears were starting to form in her eyes.
"I'm ok" she gulped, apparently holding back the tears, "I'm ok" she repeated, chuckling. Kei knew that chuckle wasn't real; it was to cover for her sadness.
"I'll take you for your word" he said, nodding. "See ya later" he said, turning around, walking towards the corridor's door.
"Kei…"
He turned around, "Yes, Rei?" he replied, looking at her. She had her fingers intertwined and rested against her chest.
"…I'll be making lunch later, you're welcome to join us" she said, smiling. Kei nodded, "sure, I'll try to come by" he said, giving her a lopsided grin before walking out of the corridor's door and towards the main door.
Rei sighed, sitting on the back of the couch. "Would you even understand if I told you, Kei?" she mumbled, looking at her left hand. Her engagement ring was still in her finger, she never dared to remove it. Still, it brought so many memories. The girls' laughter upstairs made her get teary. She wondered, since the girls have moved on…
'Why aren't I moving on?' she asked herself, sighed and rested her left fist on her chest.
11:30am
Rei's bedroomRei lied on her stomach on the bed, listening to the radio to ease her mind a bit. Her favorite song, Koe by Tsukiko Amano, came on. She closed her eyes and listened to the lyrics. Rei loved listening to that song for it reminded her of Yuu. She first heard that song two weeks after his death. Since then, it reminded her of him.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her cell phone. She got up and walked towards the radio, turning the volume down a bit before reaching for her cell phone, answering.
"Moshi, Moshi" she answered, a familiar voice was on the other side.
"Rei, it's me…" Kei said, pausing for a second. "…I, kind of, finished the work I needed to do. I was wondering if it was ok if I came before lunch time" he said, waiting for her response.
Rei paused for a while, "Um, Rei…Are you still there?" Kei said, waiting for any kind of signs that she was still on the other line.
She cleared her throat, "Sure, Kei, you know you're always welcome here anytime" she said, chuckling.
Kei cleared his throat, "Yeah, it's just that…I don't want to be snoopy and all" he said, chuckling.
Rei smiled and looked at the ground, tapping her finger on her desk. "You're not" she said.
"Well then, I'll be there in a few. Ja ne" he said, hanging up. Rei hung up and put her phone on the desk.
"Maybe it's time for me to start making lunch" She said, taking a deep breath and exhaling it. Rei walked towards the door and opened it, walking towards Miku's room.
"Miku…" Rei said, knocking on the door. "…Do you girls want to help with lunch?" She said, taking a step backwards. The door was opened to reveal Miku, smiling at her friend.
"Sure!" She said, looking at Mio who nodded and got up. "Let's go!" Miku exclaimed, walking towards the stairs. Mio smiled at Rei and nodded, walking down the stairs as well.
Rei smiled as she heard Miku instruct Mio on what to do and where things were.
'Maybe this is how I should move on. It starts here' Rei thought, walking down the stairs.
Yippee! Finally, a Fatal Frame story by me!
I had to take a break from all the Naruto craziness.
What do you think? Please review.