Author's Note: I should really be working on Purrfect Partners. I will be, don't you worry. I'm just having a much-needed break to rest my mind, and what better way to do that than to write some depressing stuff? I actually want to finish several one-shots I've had lying around too, but that will come in time. I have all this stuff written down and just never either post it or finish it, so I want to make it a goal to get all of it done while keeping steady with Purrfect Partners. With that out of the way, I shall explain this.
This fic is chaptered (in the spirit of the game it's based on, they will be known as 'drops'), but will not update regularly (then again, nothing I do does). Rather, it will update whenever I get the inspiration to put out another drop, and may potentially be updated and/or edited if need be. Any updates/edits will be noted on both the chapter updated/edited and the next chapter as well. This here is based off of the new (for North America/Europe) Wii U horror game, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. It's awesome, and I definitely recommend it. If you've played this game, then you know that it has a lot to do with death and suicide. With that in mind, if you're not into that, you may not be into this.
On that note, I'm gonna try to update my profile to let my lovely readers know more about how far certain stories are coming along, just to have some way to keep you all in the know. Enjoy!
A dulled pair of amethyst eyes stared glumly out of the bedroom window, taking in the sight of dark-gray clouds rolling in with melancholic indifference. Even if the sun shone brilliantly, there was no energy within the young girl to step outside and enjoy the joyous weather. In all honesty, it had been many years since she had felt a rush of euphoria that would render a real smile visible upon her face. These could only be dismissed as the downcast emotions of a moody teenager, however, so she figured that it was lucky there was only one person in her life she could even admit such feelings to. Someone that very likely didn't care whether or not she was content or miserable. They both seemed skilled at keeping secrets.
Nishikino Maki, the scowling assistant photographer, desensitized to the sensation of death. It was rather morbid, but there was nothing but truth in those words. However, her knowledge of this specific form of photography was limited only to what her Aunt Eli had taught her, which was admittedly not much. The artistry of what was known as postmortem photography was not something suitable for children, but even at the age of seventeen Maki was mostly closed off to that world, forced to keep to their main business of regular, living photography. That admittedly suited her just fine, but sometimes she wished she could be more involved in her aunt's specialty. It was supposed to be part of her job, after all.
That common scowl scarred her face again as she dredged up memories of her strict, cold aunt, an involuntary shudder coursing up and down her spine at the thought of those icy blue eyes, as if they were staring right through her at this very moment. There was no animosity held for her aunt, however. Disappointment, perhaps; definitely rebellion, and a hint of fear, but there was no hate. After all, she was the one who had taken it upon herself to house and watch over Maki when she was younger, and that counted for something. No one else had done what she did, and Maki would always remain grateful for this. Still, it was often the thought crossed her mind that her very existence remained a burden for her caretaker, and it was a constant reminder that she didn't, couldn't belong her. Where else was she to go, though?
Shaking these unhappy thoughts from her mind, Maki ran a hand through her scarlet locks and reluctantly removed herself from the comforts of her bed, slipping on her slippers and picking up the small digital camera that was resting on her nightstand. There was no desire in her to go outside and take any pictures, but there was a certain comfort in having it in her hands, just in case. Making her way downstairs, she politely called out for her aunt, but no response was given in return. She must have already left. For what reason, Maki didn't know, and she never bothered to ask.
A slight pinprick of guilt prodded her heart for constantly not asking where her caretaker was, but she knew that it was part of the job, and that was enough. Now her mind needed to be preoccupied with taking care of the store, so she allowed herself to shuffle lazily to the front, taking her place behind the counter and setting her camera down. This part of the job she was familiar with, and could do with ease. People would come in and want a picture, professionally taken, and it would be Maki's job to take that picture. It brought in enough money, but photographing people wasn't something she was interested in: she just did it for Aunt Eli.
She didn't expect many customers today. In fact, she would be surprised if even one person ventured inside for anything else than shelter, considering how ominous the weather was this morning. So it was indeed surprising when someone walked inside and came to the desk, their facial features showing off incredible nervousness. Maki recognized her, however: they were the same age, and had spoken once or twice, but all she really knew about this girl was her name.
"Hanayo," she nodded in greeting, hand automatically reaching for her camera. She wasn't quite sure what kind of picture Hanayo would want to have taken, however: she had always seemed shy when it came to such things.
"G-Good morning, Maki-chan. I-Is Ayase-san in today?" Maki frowned slightly, wondering why Hanayo would ask for Aunt Eli specifically. It was a simple request, but her first thought had been that Hanayo had come in for a picture, so immediately she came to the conclusion that her photography abilities were being called into question. That didn't sit well with her.
"If you need a picture taken, I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself." The look on her face made it clear what she believed Hanayo to be implying, causing her to raise her hands in alarm, trying to wave off such an accusation.
"I-It's not that, M-Maki-chan! A-Ayase-san j-just said she'd h-help me with something, a-and I was hoping she w-was here." Oh. It must concern the other part of their job, the part that Maki was not fully privy to. That would explain Hanayo's need for her aunt. Another feeling of guilt washed over her for believing ill of Hanayo. There she went again, being overly-sensitive to anything that even remotely appeared to be criticism.
"I'm sorry, Hanayo." Her apology was sincere, but it sounded awkward on her lips, and she doubted Hanayo's nerves were quelled by it. "Aunt Eli is out again. When she comes back, I can tell her you came over." That definitely didn't seem to placate Hanayo, who seemed even more worried, if that was possible.
"O-Oh. Th-Then you don't have to tell her. I-I'm just gonna... I gotta go! I'm sorry, Maki-chan!" Before Maki could say anything, Hanayo had already whirled around and was heading for the door. Whatever was going on, it was suspicious, and she knew that she would drown in that guilt if she let Hanayo just walk out like that. Awkwardly lifting herself onto the counter, she half-jumped, half-fell over it and onto the floor below, hurrying after the girl. These slippers were not meant for chase sequences.
"H-Hanayo, wait!" Luckily that stopped Hanayo, which saved Maki from the chance of embarrassing herself any further. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Maki tried to give off a helpful smile. No doubt it looked even worse than her apology sounded. "Don't go off running by yourself, alright? I know Aunt Eli is more fit to do this, but I want to help. Just let me get my camera and close up the shop, okay?" Someone in Hanayo's family must have died, so this would be something that she had to approach with extreme tact. That wasn't her strong suit, but she could make it work.
Hanayo wore a shaky but graceful smile at Maki's words. "Th-Thank you, Maki-chan. I-It means a lot." Nodding in response, Maki hurried back to grab her camera off the counter, barely remembering to put on more appropriate footwear before locking the front door and heading back to Hanayo. This was going to be her first time doing postmortem photography by herself, and she didn't want anything to go wrong. The two of them then fell into step, though there was one question that became readily important as exactly where they were walking came to her notice.
"Uh, Hanayo, this isn't the way to your house. Where are we going?"
"Mount Otonokizaka."
Aunt Eli wasn't her actual aunt. The Ayases had been friends with her family, and when circumstances changed, the Ayases were more than happy to take her in. Their daughter, or 'Aunt Eli' as Maki always called her, had already graduated from university. At the impressionable age of ten, Maki looked up to Eli and was always asking the elder Ayases when she was coming back from her job or visiting her friends. The happiest moment she could remember was the two of them being near the forest, when Eli told her that she was special. She certainly didn't feel special anymore.
A cold wind ran across her bared arms, a touch of rain noticeably hanging upon it. In her haste to accompany Hanayo, she had forgotten to, or rather hadn't considered, bringing an umbrella, and her counterpart had none either. Of course, she had not expected to be heading for Mount Otonokizaka, and despite her vehement and logical protests, still they trudged on towards that wretched place.
Already her camera was hanging from her arm, the silver strap tight around her wrist. If she had continued to hold it, she was liable to break it with tense hands. Nobody ventured to Mount Otonokizaka: nobody sane, that is. The legends of the intimidating mountain were well-known throughout the region, and most did well to stay clear of it. It was said that this place, once a ground for a prosperous shrine, was now where those who wished to commit suicide would enter. Of course, they would never come back. Just thinking about it made Maki's stomach churn: even one who was desensitized to death felt pain for the tragedy of a life cut short.
"Why would she come up here, Hanayo?" Maki tried to sound disinterested, but she couldn't help the nervous shake that accompanied her normally steady voice. A light mist had fallen, coating any and all exposed skin in a gentle rain. It didn't make sense for anyone to be up here, especially with the weather being as it was. Aunt Eli would have been able to keep things under control. She wouldn't have foolishly followed someone up a dangerous, curse-ridden mountain just because she felt some amount of guilt.
"She told me how pretty the sunset was in the mountains," Hanayo replied simply, leaving Maki more confused than before. Maybe the sunset was breathtaking up here, but it was a lot safer to just watch it down in the village. What was so wrong about that? Besides, it wasn't even close to dusk.
"O... kay? That doesn't mean she's here now, though."
"S-She..." Hanayo hesitated, as if weighing the option to speak some kind of deep secret. "She said she w-wanted to melt with the sunset." That made even less sense. This was just not going to be her day. With a quiet sigh, she tugged on Hanayo's shirt until they were facing each other.
"Hanayo, if she really did come up here, then maybe it would be best to call the police-"
"No!" Maki was taken aback by Hanayo's tone, full of anger and certainty. She let go of her shirt and took a step back, not wanting to make things escalate any further. "The police won't help! Th-They said she was s-s-spirited away! I-I have to find her!" Resolute in her actions, Hanayo turned back around and strode purposely forward, leaving Maki little choice but to follow along, lest the mountain ended up claiming two foolish, lost girls.
The rain began to fall harder, soaking through their clothes and muddying the dirty paths leading up and down the mountain. By this point, Maki was starting to get tired of trudging through the mud, feeling cold, hungry, and miserable. Hanayo, on the other hand, had made barely a sound since berating the incompetence of the police force. From rare glimpses, she could see Hanayo's eyes sparkling with something she had yet to see inside of them: determination. It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to try the police again, though.
With the sun refusing to make an appearance, the dark clouds were covering the mountain in shadows. Nearby, the sounds of a waterfall reached their ears, and Maki was able to trace its origin to a strange-looking pond some distance below them. The water looked very clear, yet oddly darkened, falling into a large pool of water with what appeared to be antiquated lanterns lighting up the area. It seemed as if someone had been there recently, recent enough to have lit the lanterns, but who in the world would want to come here and do such? She started to open her mouth to voice these thoughts, but instead ran right into Hanayo's back. For some reason, she had stopped walking.
"Hanayo, what are you-" Looking over Hanayo's shoulder, Maki swore she saw a glimpse of someone walking away from them, but the minute act of blinking showed that no one was there. Frowning slightly, she realized that Hanayo was starting to walk trance-like up the path. "Hanayo, wait!"
"I saw her!" Hanayo shouted excitedly, starting to run ahead blindly without once looking back. "Rin-chan! Rin-chan, wait!"
"Hanayo!" Maki's word held no impact, which meant she would have to go after her and drag her off this crazy mountain. Somehow the fact that the rain had increased in ferocity had escaped them, perhaps because they both were already too soaked to care. It made the ground that much harder to traverse, however, and Maki's attempt at running after Hanayo ended abruptly.
Violet eyes wide, she could feel time slowing to a crawl within her mind as she suddenly lost her footing. Her feet slid hard on the mud and gave way, the ground disappearing from under her. A soundless scream - or perhaps her ears refused to acknowledge it - left her lips, forever to be unheard, and then she was falling. Desperately she grabbed at the cliff, but her hands slapped meaninglessly against its side as she could only slightly slow her inevitable doom. She never saw the ground rising up to meet her, staring upwards with terror in her eyes. Her body made an ugly, painful sound as it hit the ground, and Maki could've sworn she saw a faint, translucent figure watching her just before the world went black.
There was a camera that Aunt Eli was rather protective of: a very special camera that was off limits. Maki was a pretty rebellious twelve-year-old though, and the first opportunity she had where the camera was left unattended, she grabbed it and went to the foot of the mountain. It was a beautiful day, and she thought that this special camera could take the best pictures. Maybe Aunt Eli would even be proud that she took such beautiful pictures.
Standing there, holding the camera up to her eye, she had a tremendous fright. Someone was standing there, partially hidden by a wayward tree, pale and staring right at her. She didn't know this person, but their face was obscured and blurry. A smile crossed their obfuscated demeanor, and all Maki could see was cold, unending darkness. With a scream, she dropped the camera and ran home without pause. Aunt Eli was furious and scolded her most severely. She never touched that camera again.
Not much time had passed. At least, it didn't seem as if it had. All she could feel was pain throughout her entire body. Her eyes were slow to open, the whole world blurry and spinning all around her. Closing her eyes to try and shut out the terrible pain she felt all over, she lifted her arm to place a muddy and wet hand against her throbbing forehead. As she did, her elbow smacked against something. Hissing slightly at the heightened sense of agony, her eyes slowly opened once more to try and see what she had hit.
It was dark brown and cube-shaped, but she had to grab it and put it near her face in order to see what it actually was through the haze. Her eyes widened when she took note of what it was, the object nearly falling out of her shaking hands. It was Aunt Eli's special camera. She would never just leave it behind. She was here too... somewhere.
Panic started to set in as Maki forced herself to sit up, ignoring the screams of protest from her sore and aching body. Shaking her head to try and clear the haze that had settled upon her vision, she gently set the camera down and took stock of her surroundings. She had fallen down the cliff side and onto a particularly muddy section of overgrown grass. The waterfall she had heard earlier was here, so now she was getting an up close and personal look at the pool with the old lanterns still glowing in the darkened area.
Maki grimaced when she found her own camera. It had gotten detached from her wrist during the fall, the useless drawstring lost within the mud. The camera was just as useless, however, as it was broken beyond repair. Its lens was shattered completely, and the top was caved into the center. She left it where it laid, not willing to carry around dead weight. Hopefully Aunt Eli wouldn't be too mad that she had broken it.
A sharp jolt ran through her brain when she realized that Aunt Eli was still probably out here, if her discarded camera was any indication. Now she had three lost people to find. Grabbing the camera tensely, Maki felt intensely overwhelmed as she stood on wobbly legs. How was she to find three separate people on a huge mountain when she couldn't even keep up with one of them. At the very least, her first goal needed to be getting back up the cliff and try to see if there was some way to track down Hanayo.
As soon as she took her first step, a sharp, pained gasp escaped her as pain shot up and down her ankle. Her legs crumbled beneath her and she fell ungracefully into the pool, sputtering and coughing as a worse chill spread to her bones. Despite being half-buried in mud and then nearly drowned in a pool, there seemed to be little damage to the camera, and that was exclusive to minor cosmetic scratches. She put the camera up to her eye and stared through it, sight clear as ever.
Pulling the camera back down, a shiver ran down her back, remembering just what she had seen the first - and last - time she had used this camera. That wasn't something she wanted to experience again, but curiosity was drawing her to look again. It was important to make sure the camera still worked, after all. A picture to check; any random one would do. So, with trepidation and intrigue, Maki faced the waterfall and pulled the camera back up to her face. Someone was standing there watching.
Maki screamed, and this time the sound registered in her ears as she fell over again, the figure remaining even after the camera dropped from her hands into her lap. Just like all those years ago, it was pale, completely white in fact, and decidedly feminine. The only thing that broke that color scheme was the woman's hair, which was as blue as the water they stood in, yet as dark as a starless night. Then her feet left the ground, and she swooped down towards Maki.
Fear coursed through her veins as she stood and tried to run, but the water made her movements sluggish, and her ankle, likely sprained, gave out and again and sent her tumbling back into the pool with a large splash. The only positive part about it was that the woman, spirit, whatever it was just missed her, zooming just overhead. Flipping around onto her back, Maki put the camera up in front of her and depressed the shutter.
Why she did it, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was because she thought that a picture would be proof that whatever was going on was actually happening, or maybe she was just too deep into insanity to understand what she was doing. Whatever the reason, it seemed to actually do something, as through wide and fearful eyes she saw the woman shudder and heard her shrieks of pain. One moment she was there, and the next there was no one. Just Maki, lying there soaked and shivering in cold and fright. She looked all over, trying to find the woman, but she was gone.
Taking even more care as she stood up, a new wetness began slipping down her cheeks. She didn't understand why she was crying, but it was like a faucet had been broken, and the tears refused to stop. Clutching the camera in trembling hands, she began to limp out of the pool and towards dryer, muddier land. The walk was slowed by her sprained ankle, her vision obscured by her incessant, silent sobbing. She felt terribly alone: Hanayo was gone, Rin was gone, even Aunt Eli was gone. All she had wanted to do was help, and now things seemed to be even worse.
Any traces of resentment towards her aunt were gone in that moment, where her entire body was shaking and all she wanted was to go home and find everything still the way it should be, like this was just some terrible dream. All the times she feigned sleep to ignore her caretaker, now she wished so badly that Aunt Eli's arms were wrapped around her, holding her tightly, telling her that it would all be okay. In no condition to continue on, she shuffled miserably along until the path became familiar, where she had been with Hanayo before things turned sour.
The right thing to do would've been to continue down the path, to go find Hanayo, and Rin, and hopefully Aunt Eli too. Her entire body hurt though, as did her heart, and she didn't believe that she could go on in this state. Trying not to become swallowed up by guilt, Maki slowly trudged the path off the mountain and back home. She was completely alone, and she didn't know what to do. The rain kept falling, but she could no longer feel it, only shamefully aware of the tears still cascading down her cheeks like that horrible waterfall.
Rin doesn't feel very happy. No, nobody knows. Well, except Kayochin. We tell each other everything! I feel bad though, because I didn't tell her this time. She feels the same way I do, you know. We both promised each other. We promised we'd melt into the beautiful sunset and be together forever. Things changed, though. Rin knows Kayochin feels differently now. That's why I didn't tell her. It feels lonely without her.
The other kids say that Rin doesn't look much like a girl. No, Rin is more like a boy. They tease me, and it feels really bad. Kayochin understands, though. She gets teased too. She tells me that I'm cute, but I don't believe her. Rin wishes she could believe Kayochin.
We both wanted to go away. We both tried to go away, but we both failed. We were sad, but we still had each other, and we understood each other. The sunset's so pretty though, just like Kayochin! Rin wishes Kayochin was here to see it too, but Rin really needs to go. I hope Kayochin doesn't hate me!
Rin really likes the sunset. It's melting below the mountain. Rin wants to melt with it. It's going away really fast. Rin needs to catch up.