Curse of the Crimson Butterfly
A YuGiOh fanfic by SilverSiana
Chapter 1 – Shadow in the Crimson Blaze
....crimson... butterfly.....
The darkness came suddenly, but not silently. Though it was night, the simple comfort of the star-lit skies was at once overcome and shrouded by something much more dispiriting. It was suffocating. It dimmed the street lamps and clouded over the houses as the lights within began to flicker. All over the city, the people were roused by the sound of their crying children, frightened by the sudden darkness and somewhere, out in the deep night, a high-pitched, hysterical laughter echoed through the streets. The cry of this delirious banshee spread through the city, seeping into the dreams of the heavier sleepers and bringing them, as Yugi Motou was, sharply into reality.
He had expected to awaken in a nightmare; a stereotypical haunted house moment, where lightning crashed outside his window and a witch darted across the moon. But the sight of a black, moonless sky was far more disturbing than anything his imagination could have conjured and he stared up, out of his window, his heart pounding faster and faster as blindness overcame him. Then the laughter returned to his ear and he pulled his fruitless gaze from the window, leapt up and looked frantically around the room. After a few moments, he shook himself. It was only a bad dream. That was it. If he got back into bed and shut his eyes, he'll wake up in the morning and everything will be fine. Taking a deep breath, he walked back over to his bed and lay back down.
He was just pulling the covers back when a flash of red flickered out of the corner of his eye.
Sharply, he looked up. Darkness. Only darkness.
Yugi shook his head one last time as he sank back onto the pillow.
In the hallway, the next door along silently opened and Grandpa Motou peered out, looking this way and that before creeping out and along the corridor to the stairs. It was difficult, especially for a senior gentleman such as himself, but even his dimmed eyes could not mistake that there was something unnatural about this darkness and the atmosphere... it felt oddly familiar. Similar to a situation he had found himself in fifty years before.
Once he had groped his way into the lounge, he sat down on the sofa and reached for the remote control, thankfully still in its usual place, and switched on the TV. At once he was greeted with a storm of white noise and snow, even as he flicked through the channels. Eventually he gave up and sat for a long time with a contemplative scowl on his aged face and as he prepared to go back to bed, the TV suddenly sprang to life.
"We apologise for that interruption. The local stations suffered from technical difficulties. This was due to an earthquake that occurred only moments ago in the lower region of Domino Forest, disrupting several pounds of dust and sand from the future sight of the Riverside Apartments and causing an ecological anomaly over the city. If you've just tuned in with us, the unusual black night, according to local scientists, has been caused..."
"By something you're not saying," concluded Grandpa. "What are you hiding?"
On the edge of the forest, construction workers in high-visibility coats gathered around the dig-site, their work abandoned since the brief but violent quake that had sent such a profound chill through the air. They stared into the sky above the distant trees, to a bright red glow coming from somewhere in the middle of the vast forest and were so mesmerised by it, that they failed to see the trucks pull up behind them.
The engines died and several people jumped out: scientists and businessmen in suits, who at once approached the fluorescent yellow circle. The boss immediately went over to converse with his workers and the scientists walked to the edge of the site, watching with the others to the glow.
"Is there a fire?" one of them asked. The men turned in surprise at the new arrivals and shook their heads in response.
"It's too deep a red to be a blaze," said another scientist.
The other turned to him. "What do you think, Arthur?"
Professor Hawkins lifted his hand to his forehead and continued to stare with amazement at the light, though within his watery eyes, his colleague thought he could see a dark familiarity. "I can't be sure." He lowered his hand and shook his head hopelessly. "You said on the radio that you heard screaming?"
"Yeah, that's right," one of the workmen replied. "About fifteen minutes ago, not long after the quake. It stopped a little while ago, but we've contacted the warden to make sure no one got caught in the woods when it started."
"If there was someone out there, that would explain how that fire started. Might've had a car with 'em."
"That, gentlemen," said Hawkins, patiently. "Is not a fire. Though I am curious to find out what it originates from." He turned back to his colleagues. "What do you think? Take a drive out there?"
"We should wait, to make sure that there won't be an aftershock!"
Hawkins waved a hand. "The car is perfectly capable of handling it. Besides... I don't think there will be a repeat incident."
The smothering darkness heralded their entrance into the thick forest. The construction workers were creating a new row of apartments that would overlook the Domino River and command a view all the way to the estuary miles into the distance. At the start of the quake, the graveyard shift workers had called everyone within driving distance to help them with clearing up the mess that had been made, but most were eager for more company in the great black night and the distant cries resonating through the trees. Professor Hawkins and his colleagues stared through the black trees, their imaginations trying to overcome their logical minds and they started in shock when the red light flashed through the trees.
They all cried out, but the light suddenly vanished. Arthur Hawkins looked up and his eyes widened at what he saw.
For the most brief of moments, the car was parked on the edge of a cliff and through the dense trees, a small village was visible beneath them. Then it was gone, and with it, the crimson light.
"What was that?"
Arthur shook his head. "I'm not sure... But I think it would be wise to head back. There's nothing here."
They turned the jeep in a wide circle and began to drive back through the woods. A flicker of red caused Arthur to look back.
"Wait! Stop!"
The jeep pulled to a stop, the engine still running, and the scarlet rear lights caught the dark shape emerging from the trees. Frowning, Arthur climbed out of the back seat and approached it, his arm lifting sharply to catch the collapsing form.
Author's Note: Not a bad start eh? I wonder if it was a bad idea for me to leap into a new story right after finishing the last one, but I couldn't resist! I'm not going to order you around, but I just want to say that this story will be much more enjoyable if you have NOT played Fatal Frame/Project Zero 2, just because of the approach I want to use. At the least, you should forget you have played it. Please review and tell me if the opening chapter intrigues you enough to want to read on!
Also, to once more state the obvious: I do not own YuGiOh, Fatal Frame or any of the characters.