I do not known the characters or project zero.

Chapter One

Itsuki

Silver moon light spilled through the spaces between the bars of my window. I sat in a corner of my 'cage' staring at the strips of light upon the floor, my eyes then shifted to the knocked over desk a few feet away from me.

"Mutsuki...Please forgive me..."

That was the last thing I had said while I was alive. I closed my eyes, wanting to get the memory of my death out of my mind. But it wouldn't go away, no matter how much I wanted it to. I didn't have much to think about, sitting here alone in the small storehouse, if I weren't thinking about my death then Mutsuki's dying face would fill its place. That was worse. I leaned my head back on the wall and stared up at the swinging rope that hung from a wooden beam it filled my mind with images of that day I had committed my suicide.

I could still hear the loud band of the wooden desk hitting the ground, and then┘nothing. Later I had woken up as if I were sleeping, when I looked up I saw the weirdest thing that made jump back and bang my head against the storehouse wall. Hanging from the ceiling was me! I couldn't help but stare, my head was bent at an odd angle which meant it must have been very painful. The funny thing was I couldn't remember if it hurt, or when my life had ended.
My life had 'ended' which means I shouldn't be here right? Not in this case.

What had pained me the most was that the door had suddenly opened and in came Sae! I stared at her as the color drained from her face and then she started crying. Had they caught her and Yae? I had no idea because I didn't see Yae standing with her. Awhile later the villagers reminded her of the ritual and they walked away without even looking back at me. They had left and I was alone once more, still stuck in my 'cage'.

I sighed deeply and opened my eyes again. Even after my death I was still stuck here thinking about Mutsuki smiling up at me as my hands tightened around his throat. It must have caused him so much pain, but he didn't show it, instead he just smiled. Was this my punishment for not turning him into a butterfly? Even after I had asked him for his forgiveness?

I stood and walked over to the small window and looked out. Across the yard, hovering over the statue of the shrine maidens, were two crimson butterflies.
I stared at them awhile; they reminded me of my failure. But they also reminded me of the time Mutsuki and I had run around trying to catch one when we were very young.

"Hey Mutsuki, why do you think those butterflies are so important to our village?"

"I don't know Itsuki, but I hear they bring good luck to our village."

I remember I had smiled at this, while I took a stick and engraved a scribble of a butterfly into the earth.

"If they bring such good luck to our village then lets catch one and give it to mother. It'll bring our family good luck!"

"That's a good idea, Itsuki!"

I shook my head; I could still see his smile from that day as if it happened yesterday. It made me very sad just thinking about it. Then there was Chitose. I had broken my promise to Mutsuki about helping Yae and Sae escape, and I had broken a promise to Chitose as well. I had once given her bells so when she was scared and hiding somewhere, I told her to shake the small bells and I would always come find her. I wouldn't be surprised if she was angry at me right now.

"You promise, Itsuki? Will you always come find me?"

"I promise Chitose, I would never leave you alone."

I sank to the ground again as grief washed over me. Why was I such a failure? Why did I have to break promises? Why! I put my head into my hands, trying to keep the tears from coming. As I sat there in silence, I thought in the distance, I heard the chime of bells and a young girl crying out my name.

Chitose

I wiped my eyes of the tears that had fallen down my face. I stood a little ways away from the Osaka house, and stared at the lantern that hung by the door.
As always, it was lit. My eyes weren't very good, sometimes my vision was perfect, but then my vision would blur and I was forced to look at the world through fuzzy vision.

Staring at the light reminded me of the time my brothers and I would sneak out of our house to play hide and seek outside, in the dark. Of course I was scared, but I was also with my brothers so I figured I'd be safe as long as they were always there. I remember they would carry candles so if I was it I would find them by following the lights of the candles. But that was a long time ago. Now everything was so dark and I was always scared because I didn't have my brothers.

I felt my eyes fill up with tears again as I thought about them. I missed my brothers so much. When Mutsuki had disappeared one day, all I had was Itsuki. But then again, he wasn't as cheerful as he used to be when Mutsuki was around. After Mutsuki had 'gone' away, Itsuki had always spent all his time alone in his room, or playing quiet games with me.

Then that time, that time I was stuck in the closet, Itsuki hadn't even come for me. He had promised he would always come find me. I was alone in that dark closet and couldn't get out, so I sat there shaking those bells over and over again, knowing he would come. But he never did. There's one person I blame for that, and that was Yae. She had ran away from the village, but he had done nothing wrong to get locked up in the storehouse! That was why Itsuki didn't come for me; it was all Yae's fault!

"Give me back my brother," I said aloud. "Yae! Give him back to me!"

I collapsed to the ground, and began to cry again. That was one thing I didn't like about myself. I always cried! I always cried when I was scared, sad, or even alone. Why was I so weak? Why do I always cry? Itsuki, why haven't you come for me already? I'm waiting here; I even came down here for you, right outside the Osaka house! Itsuki knew I hated going near the Osaka house. He had to be proud of me; I would have never come here on my own! I opened my eyes again, and stared down at my hands. Sometimes if I looked at them long enough, I could see though them.

I couldn't understand why at first. But after seeing the fact that I could pass through the wall of my closet, I knew. I knew I must have died in that dark, cold closet.
I remember getting sleepy as I waited; I had leaned back against the wall. I was terrified from all the commotion outside the closet but still my eyes grew heavier and heavier, and I became cold. I kept thinking to myself that Itsuki would come for me no matter what. I thought that as soon as the panic I was hearing outside my closet died down, Itsuki would come and get me out.

But I waited and waited, and soon enough, I had fallen asleep. Never knowing that my life had flickered away like the dying light of a candle. When I had woken up, I discovered that I felt different. When I put my ear against the closet door to hear if anyone was there still, I had fallen though instead!

"I promise Chitose, I would never leave you alone."

"Itsuki, where are you? I'm so scared...everything is so dark! Itsuki┘help me, help me!" I cried out loud, hoping Itsuki would hear me and come for me.

Suddenly my body froze as I heard the sound of footsteps, drawing nearer somewhere by the Osaka house. I kept staring in the shadow of Misano Hill, maybe Itsuki had heard me! As I looked on, my vision began to blur again. I rubbed at my eyes, and blinked a couple times trying to get my eyes to work. My eyes often did this, because my eyes weren't very good. Itsuki was always afraid I'd go blind. I saw something move again, just past the Osaka house.

I stood slowly, I felt as if butterflies fluttered in my stomach. My body was telling me to run and hide, but my mind kept saying to stay there, it had to be Itsuki! So I stayed, even though I wanted to crawl into my closet again and wait for Itsuki to come for me. But I knew it was useless, he wouldn't come, no matter how many times I prayed, or shook my bells. I clenched my hands together to fight the urge to run.

Then I saw it. It wasn't my brother, but it was two girls instead. As they stepped into the light of the Osaka house, my nose wrinkled from the weirdness of their clothes. I had never seen clothes like this before! These two were definitely not from our village.

That was what I had thought, till my eyes rose to their faces. I stared, wide-eyed at one of them. It wasn't till then that I felt something stir up from deep inside me, something I had never felt before: Pure hatred.