Fatal Frame belongs to Koei Tecmo

Title: The Fate of Butterflies

Notes: (1) This is a ficcional work, elements of the original work can be altered for better compatibility with this story.

(2) This story contains incest, yaoi / shounen-ai and yuri / shoujo-ai, if you don't like, press (x) at the top of the page to exit.

(3) English is not my first language, sorry my grammar.

I hope you enjoy!

They sat facing each other, as they usually did, but the mood was not as soft and friendly as always was. Sae was still the same, but Itsuki was different.

It was not just that he was extremely thin or white-haired, but the sparkles in his eyes was gone. She knew the reason for the change, she hadn't to ask, Mutsuki was gone, and soon she wouldn't be there either.

"I failed you," the boy said with a low bow. "I'm so sorry." They had always been good friends; polite and respectful behavior didn't suit them. "I'll do what's necessary to help you. I have a friend; can I ask a favor and get you two out of here…"

"What went wrong?" She interrupted, Itsuki didn't understand. "About the ritual."

Sae didn't know much about the ritual, her family hid all information. But with the failure of Tachibana brothers like the Altar Twins, she needed to know more about the future she would have with her sister.

"Sae-san, what do you want to know?"

"I know Yae and I will be offered as a sacrifice to the abyss for to become one." Her hand nervously scratched the mat.

The ritual would unite the soul that was separated into two bodies and would calm down the abyss. And Sae didn't know how to feel about it. She always felt like she and Yae were one. She felt that every compliment and affection that her sister received was also for her and every tear Yae spilled was hers, as well.

"Well, that's basically it," Itsuki replied laconically.

"But…"

"If the ritual works, a red butterfly will emerge from the abyss and everything will remain calm and secure in the village. But when Mutsuki and I were finished, no butterfly appeared" his sad look shifted to the ground.

"Why did it go wrong?" Sae asked again, this time more gently.

"The purpose of the ritual is to return the two souls to a single body." The eyes remained fixed on the mat. "The ritual doesn't work if the twins not feel like a unit."

"You and Mutsuki were always united, I know that you two truly loved each other."

"But not in the way the abyss wanted" Sae stared at him without understanding. "We didn't love each other as brothers or as one soul" Itsuki focused his eyes on the girl "We shared the bed, if it makes things clearer for you."

The girl's eyes widened, but she did not say anything. Things seemed to make a little more sense. They loved each other, but not as one and so the abyss did not accept them.

But it was different with them. Sae and Yae loved each other as sisters, shared pains and happiness, the same tastes and dreams, as if they were a single soul divided into two bodies. They were perfect to be the Twin Shrine Maiden and calm down the desire of the abyss.

"Yae and I-"

"I will not let you two doing this."

"But Yae and I have chances, the abyss will accept our sacrifice," the girl protested.

"There's no way you could know that." Itsuki was firm.

"But you said- "

"Sae, I will not let you sacrifice your life in vain like Mutsuki. I'll protect you and get you out of the village." The voice came out sad and desperate. Protecting the Kurosawa twins had been Mutsuki's last request, and Itsuki was going to stick to it.

"You're going to curse everyone if you do that... Even Chitose." His thin, pale hands tightened nervously on the kimono. Itsuki loved his younger sister, but he could not let that macabre ritual go on.

"We're all cursed already," he replied.

"Itsuki, you do not understand, we are twins for that reason, protecting the village is our destiny" Sae understood the pain of the loss that tortured the boy, but that was their fate, it would be so much easier and less painful if he simply to accept it, just like she had done.

"You don't understand! Yae will spend the rest of her life with your blood in her hands, do you really think she wants to lose you because of a stupid ritual?" The voice echoed around the room, there was anger in the eyes hidden behind the white hair.

"But she will not lose me, we'll be together forever, as it should be," Sae said with conviction. Staying with Yae forever, becoming part of her, was enough for the girl.

"Do not give her the same fate as mine…"

"And I will not!" We'll be together forever, I'll always be with her."

"I will not allow that" Itsuki confronted her.

"I don't think anyone who leaves his carnal desire above the spiritual bond has the right to intervene." Sae's words came out aggressive, but she regretted as soon as she said them. She didn't want to hurt Itsuki, but she wanted him to give her a vote of confidence. Sae believed that they could fulfill the ritual and wanted him to believe it too.

"Go out!" The voice came out loud like a roar in a scary way that Sae had never heard before.

"Itsuki-kun, I'm sorry, I did not mean it. It's just that you and I are different…" she tried to apologize.

"Out!" He pointed to the door. The girl hesitated but got up and left.

Itsuki felt the warm tears stream down his icy face. Sae's words ached in his chest. He knew that if he had the right feelings for his brother, the ritual would have worked, but he loved Mutsuki and could not control his affection.

But he would not let them be sacrificed. No matter how much Sae believed that was her destiny, he knew it would not work. Sae might not have noticed, but she loved Yae the same way he loved Mutsuki.

Thank you for reading.

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