Author Note: A look into what I believe really happened to Yuu and the reason he died when he did. I'm a hard-core fan of all the fatal frame games and a true believer of the paranormal. I was slightly upset the Kei and Yuu didn't get as much attention as I believe they should've in the game. So here's a story that hopefully gives them the character development they deserve.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the game.

Full Summary: Yuu Asou lived a quiet life ina suburban neighborhood in Japan. A successful editor, and soon-to-be husband, he was content on living out his days peacefully...But life never goes as expected. And soon afterwards, he receives a disturbing phone call from his best friend Mafuyu whom he hasn't heard from in years. A call that will change his life forever.

Together with his best friend, Kei Amakura,Yuu enters into the nightmare from the very beginning of the first Fatal Frame. And as he plunges deeper in, searching for the truth, he realizes he's entered into a place that was never meant to be entered. Secrets that were meant to be kept secret. And an evil that was meant to be left undisturbed, slowly awakens..."I let it out." He slowly realizes, "It's my fault they're dying. It's all my fault."

Yuu Asou placed his glasses aside, massaging his temples that began to ache from staring too long at the glowing screen of his laptop. He sat back in his wooden chair; the straw matting slightly groaned as he rested his arms behind his head, arching his back before letting out a weary sigh.

The blinking cursor stared back at him, mesmerizing his eyes to its constant beats of appearing and then disappearing. Despite the long hours it took him, Yuu had successfully finished reviewing the novel of one of his clients that needed to be sent before midnight of tomorrow. He glanced at his electric watch on his wrist, noticing the always changing second digits before looking at the larger digits that spelled out 10:30 p.m.

His gentle black eyes redirected toward the window in his room, the curtains swaying gentle at the sides as a cool breeze leaked in from the slightly ajar glass door. Quietly he shuffled across the carpeted floor and stared out at the peaceful night of stars and the distant lights of the city just a few miles away.

He took one more questionable glance at his watch, and then another briefly at the moon above, before nodding slightly at his decision; he retreated back from the window. Grabbing the keys to his car from his night stand, Yuu popped out the floppy disk from his laptop. Taking his shoulder bag from its usual place beside his bedroom door, he placed the strap over his head before quietly exited into the dark hallway.

The dim lighting barely penetrated the darkness as he carefully walked down the narrow corridor towards the banister that overlooked the living room on the first floor. Turning right at the T junction, he placed a gentle hand to the cool surface of a doorknob, leaning his ear softly against the wood, listening for any hint of movement from within. Determining none, he slowly creaked the door open about an inch, peaking inside the room of his fiancee, surprised to see that no one lied sleeping on the bed.

Frowning slightly, Yuu closed the door and looked over the banister again at the living room below. A slender figure sat slightly crooked at the end of the sofa, a notebook in her hands and pen placed on the glass coffee table. Yuu smiled warmly at her and walked down the staircase that creaked slightly beneath his light weight.

"Rei, I'm going down to the office to mail off my story. I'll be back soon." He told to her as he moved closer, her shoulder-length raven hair falling slightly over the back of the sofa. As Yuu came to her front he bit down his lip just before speaking again, noticing her eyes softly closed as her chest slowly rose up and down. The faint sound of voices caused him to turn at the glowing screen of the television she had left on while doing her own work.

Picking up the remote from the sofa, he switched the power off, causing the living room to go completely into darkness. With care, he gently took the notebook from her lap, setting the pad on the table and placed the blanket draped over the side of the couch over her sleeping form. Wrapping her up warm, his hand brushed the locks of hair that fell over her face, revealing her forehead and kissing her lightly, "I'll be back soon." He whispered into her ear.

He walked cautiously around the two sofas and past the kitchen before opening the door that led to the first floor hallway. He walked forward a few feet before stepping down the small set of stairs, freeing himself from his slippers. Bending over, Yuu reached for his shoes in the third box of the shoe rack and quickly tied them on, exiting out into the warm night.

The glow of the moon illuminated the entire ground and himself in its heavenly white glow, stretching his shadow over the pavement as he walked to the side of his blue car. Opening the door, he placed his sack on the passenger's seat next to him before seating himself down and placing the keys in the ignition. His hands went around and buckled the shoulder seat belt then closing the door shut, ceasing the incessant beeping that alerted the driver of an open door.

He turned the key to the right and the engine coming to life sounded in his ears, the radio automatically turning to the news channel as he pulled out from the driveway and onto the street. The high beams came on as he drove off down the road that would eventually take him to the city.

"The weather for tomorrow is expected to rise in the high eighties while we see a slight temperature drop in the northern part of the county. Light showers will likely appear tomorrow night as the clouds from the south are approaching. . ."

"Rain? Didn't we just have rain here?" Yuu asked the radio as he stole a glance up at the sky ahead of him, free from any cloud as he distinctly made out the stars above. Dismissing the subject entirely, he focused on driving through the maze of suburban streets before exiting out onto the main road.

Proceeding down the long and windy path, he saw the numerous danger signs illuminated by his headlights. Each reading the same warning: Beware of windy path. 2 miles.

He had passed them each day ever since moving out into his and Rei's new home together.

A smile found its way across his lips as he recalled the one word answer from Rei's lips that night he decided to dare to ask that question, happily changing his life forever. The single diamond ring he had given her was more than he could ever afford, making him truly grateful for his two best friends that voluntarily pitched in their savings, even after he protested strongly against the idea. He promised to repay them back but they simply shrugged the incident off nonchalantly, telling him that his happiness was enough.

The thought of this memory awakened the grief in him as he realized how deeply he missed his two only friends. They managed to keep in touch and visit once in awhile. But with all the work Yuu had lately become engulfed in, he had no chance to send any reply to their letters or schedule a visit. Dwelling on this only strengthened the need to hear the voices of his best friends again, to know both of them were well and enjoying their lives, making him enjoy his own.

Yuu's eyes noticed the traffic ahead of him as he approached the towering buildings that surrounded the city streets and decided to flip to the classical channel. A symphonic piece for strings played softly, violins and violas beautifully performed in sync with one another as a single flute sang the melody.

Waiting a few minutes, the traffic finally moved and Yuu pulled into the parking lot of his office building where he and his co-editors conducted their business. Grabbing his bag, he pulled out from the leather seating and locked the door. Street lights painted the black asphalt in its orange glow as he moved towards the glass doors he opened with a key he received on the first day of work.

Walking through the flourescent lighted paths around the cubicles he noticed a few fellow editors sitting at their desks working silently, undisturbed. Yuu found his own cubicle and silently placed himself down on the cushioned chair, his computer humming to life as he pressed the power button. He looked around his desk, papers neatly organized and stacked nicely in their belonging folders while pencils and pens stood in their porcelain holder. He opened his bag and placed the floppy disk inside the monitor and opened the file with a click of his mouse.

Three pictures frames neatly stood beside one another at his side, one of himself with his fiancee, another showing his best friend Mafuyu with his sister, and his other best friend Kei Amakura who stood in between his two nieces. Their happy faces smiled back at him, always managing to keep him smiling even on the most stressful of days.

His editorial notes appeared on the screen and he leaned in on the keyboard to begin altering a few sentences before a woman appeared at the front of his cubicle. She remained silent as she placed a fairly large amount of mail on his desk which he said "thank you" for but she simply walked away.

Yuu's attention turned to the new pile on his once clear desk and began flipping through them. Sorting through them, he threw the junk mail in the waste basket beneath his desk, keeping the financial and business related ones. Which left only one single envelope at the bottom. Yuu stared at the penmanship, realizing the words were not as professional as the previous letters received until noticing the return address. Kei.

Yuu quickly tore the opening and pulled out the one page letter he began reading excitedly, eager to hear from his friend.

Dear Yuu,

I'm sorry I never managed to write to you soon enough. I'm finding it quite difficult to escape my work, as you well know. My job as a non-fiction writer has done well to support me I suppose although I'm finding it fairly hard to get any of my books published now--"the public is no longer interested in that sort of topic" is the most common one I've heard so far.

My two nieces are coming to visit me soon and we're looking forward to the small reunion. I'm hoping we can see each other as well, maybe some of your success will wipe off on me. I'm impressed on seeing your slight mention in the paper this morning as editor of those popular folklore novels. Perhaps you won't mind having another client? I always felt like I needed an editor but always failed to get one. Call me if you're considering it.

How's Rei doing? I'm still waiting for that invitation to becoming your best man and I know Mafuyu isn't going to wait on you too long either. So far from what I've heard, his journalism career is going well and he's being offered a promotion at his work. His mentor is really something, Junsei Takamine. After meeting with him about a week ago, I realized why Mafuyu admired him so much: friendly, caring, and a very gifted writer.

I'm expected to head into town soon and I'll look you up. Mafuyu said he was going away for awhile to do researching on his next project and that he'll call you as soon as he gets the chance. I'll write again soon.

Regards, Kei

A picture slid from behind the letter and he saw Kei with Mafuyu as they smiled warmly at him. Yuu set the letter down, feeling his thoughts beginning to drift back to his college years where he first met them. All three of them had attended the same writing class at night but hardly spoke to each other because of their widely opposite personalities. Only when their professor assigned the class a group project and placed their names together did they begin to talk and realize how much they liked the other.

A journalist, an editor and a non-fiction writer. The thought amused him as his eyes turned back to the screen, resenting the work he knew he needed to finish but knowing it was necessary. His fingers typed furiously across the keys as he occasionally stopped abruptly to read his work before either continuing or deleting them.

He lost interest in following the time, thinking he would be done in only a matter of minutes until making his usual trip to the lounge and pouring some water into a styrofoam cup. The clock on the wall read exactly one o' clock and Yuu choked slightly on the water as realized how just how immersed he had been in his work. Double checking his own watch, Yuu disposed of his cup and walked quickly back to his desk where he gave the command to print.

The printer in the back of the room began to loudly hum as it received his command, eating in the blank sheets of paper from the tray. Yuu placed a hand to his forehead as he sat back down in his chair, the weight of his work lifting and finally allowing him to breathe easier and relax.

A yawn overcame him as he noticed the affects of the long hours beginning to show and wanted more than ever to go home and fall asleep on his comfortable bed. He grabbed his bag from underneath the desk and began putting his belongings inside, cleaning his workplace for the next day.

The phone on his desk rang loudly and Yuu instinctively grabbed the receiver, eyes never once moving from his current duty. "Yuu Asou speaking?" He said politely.

"Yuu?"

Yuu's movements ceased as he recognized the familiar voice in his ear that caused for a smile to appear on his tired face, "Mafuyu?"

"Hey," Mafuyu's voice said, "It's been awhile."

"Yes, it has. I was told from Kei you were working on your next project and wouldn't be expected to call for quite some time."

A weak chuckle escaped the voice, "He always tends to over exaggerate." His voice went quiet, causing for an unusual silence to pass between them that Yuu never knew would be possible--they hadn't heard from each other for months and he had expected Mafuyu to begin telling his life's story to him.

"Mafuyu?" Yuu said hesitantly, sensing the reluctance in the reply that came, "Yeah?" It sounded distant and confused, giving the slight notation that he hardly felt like talking at all.

"Is. .something the matter?"

A shaky sigh sounded from the other side of the connection, giving Yuu a sense that something terrible had happened. His heart began pounding lightly, "What's wrong?"

"Yuu. . .something happened." Mafuyu murmured, his words nearly inaudible if not for the silence in the office.

"What?" Yuu's anxiety rising, "Is it your sister? Is she all right?"

"No, Miku's fine. She's safe." A slight fear rose in Yuu's throat as he realized that Mafuyu used 'safe' to describe her condition. Safe from what? What could possibly happen that began to cause Mafuyu to suddenly worry for her safety?

A long pause, so long that Yuu began wondering whether Mafuyu still remained on the other line, "Mafuyu?"

"Yes?" Came the startled response, "I-I'm sorry Yuu, I blanked out for a moment."

"That's fine." Yuu said, deciding on whether he should bring up the topic again or just let it slide. He never heard Mafuyu act like this before, always remembering him as cheerful and full of positive energy. Now, it sounded like something inside his friend had died. Or perhaps... someone?

"Mafuyu what's the matter?" Yuu decided to press, his gentle voice calm and yet filled with intense worry.

"I. ." another suspenseful pause, "Well. .he. .I. ."

"Just take your time," Yuu comforted, "I'll stay on for as long as you want."

"Mr. Takamine. . ." Yuu frowned slightly at the name before recalling Kei's letter, "Your mentor?" He took the silence for him guessing correctly.

"Yuu. .?" Mafuyu's voice sounded like that of a lost child, "He. .he's gone."

Author Note: Fixed grammatical and punctuation errors.