Disclaimer: Everything in this story is all mine. Now this is meant as a redemption for an old story of mine called Peregrine Academy. I admit, that story was too flawed and choppy with no concrete storyline and it just wasn't perfect. Well, I'll be sure to fix that mistake with this one. I've taken some inspiration from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in such a way.
Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture, Japan
The Edo Period
February 28, c. 1667
Snow fell down upon the small samurai village among the dark night, showering it in a pure, white blanket. This very night wasn't like any other night before. Because for on this very night, a horrific pestilence plagues one such samurai and his family in their peaceful little house, disturbing their peace and threatening their livelihood. There sat their cozy little home away from the likes of the village below where the blood-red marks of hands and smears could be seen on the walls from inside, making their way across the hallways. Danger lurks within these walls, death awaiting to ensnare its fresh new victims.
Then some blood-curdling screams filled the air along with the sounds of items being knocked around. The man outside, who was a samurai himself, overheard the screams coming inside the house while freezing from the bitter cold. He instinctively darted inside of the house and when he did, the air on the inside was even worse than it was outside. The sub-zero temperatures dropped intensively, the icy chills, bitting at his skin, despite wearing protective clothing. As the man shuddered from the arctic conditions, his breathe creating a mist as he shook and convulsed, trying to get warmth as best he could, that's when he discovered the dead-giveaway bloody mess and instantly, his blood ran colder than the air itself, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he finally realized what this could mean.
"雪ー女." He gasped while shuddering. It absolutely made sense. This was, indeed, the work of Yuki-onna, the mythical "snow-woman" of Japanese folklore. He remembered that moment weeks ago when he encountered the yōkai while journeying his way through the mountains. She had seduced him toward her, but he soon managed to overcome her advances and she flew into a rage. Granted, he was lucky enough to make it out alive, but as of now, the angry spirit was now after him and his family.
"光洋!" He screamed running all over the house, trying to look for his beloved wife and then his children, hoping to the gods that they haven't been taken by the supernatural force haunting them. Finally, he heard a woman whimpering from inside their bedroom and that's where he found his lovely wife lying on the floor. At the very sight of her, the man almost gagged and evenprayed in his might that it wasn't so.
She was laying just beside their bed, with long, open scratches on her arm, bleeding non-stop. She was frostbitten all over and yet, the most gruesome sight of it all, she appeared to be eviscerated by the midsection; her innards such as her stomach, colon and large intestine hanging outside of her body. The poor woman gagged as she coughed up blood, weakly trying to liftherself up with what little strength she had left in her and saw her husband standing there with disgusted horror painted on his face.
"光洋!" The man shouted again as he rushed over to her, while knowing in hindsight that it was probably already too late. He dropped down next to her, lifting her up as best he could, cupped her face with gut-wrenching terror stinging his eyes with tears.
"私と一緒にいなさい、私の愛！ お願いします。 お願いします！ 私にこれをしないでください！" He pleaded with her, not wanting to lose the most precious thing in his life. He wasn't ready. This was not how it was supposed to end. His wife, with a weakened smile, focused her eyes on him.
"子供たちは…いなくなった。 彼女は私の前で彼らに...した。 私はできなかった...私は彼女を止めることができなかった。." Her once-beautiful voice that was like music to his ears was now broken with labored gasps and breaths, still trying to cling to her fading life a little longer. At the news, the man shed tears out of grief, but still clung to the pointless hope that his wife could still make it.
"私を見て。 私の話を聞いて下さい。 あなたは大丈夫になるでしょう。 これから行くよ-" He rambled on, trying to remain positive before his dying wife interrupted him.
"私には遅すぎ、愛です。." She gagged before leaning her lips to his ear and whispering her final words, "落ちた目を覚まし、嘆く時間がない."
And just like that, her body limp and lifeless into his arms. The man let her fall to the floor as he observed her dead body with shocking and horrifying terror. He quivered as his eyes stung with tears as he precious wife's life has been taken from her and him, as well. As his mind played over her last words, he couldn't take it. His children were dead, his wife is dead, the brutality of it all. Ignoring the treacherous cold, the man let out a grieving yell of anguish. He wanted to doubt the situation, believe that this was all just a horrible nightmare, believe that none of this was happening. And yet, it was. But it just can't be.
Suddenly, his moment of grief was disrupted by the sudden gust of snowy wind from the door, blowing at his hair and wafuku robes, jolting him to his feet and turning him right around. As if he had turned to stone, his mouth ran dry, eyes widened as he saw...her. There she hovered over the ground with her pale, grey kimono gown flowing on the wind as well as her long,raven-black hair like a curtain of darkness, her greying pale, veined skin, her fingernails brandishing like sharp talons and her cold, dead eyes staring straight into his soul.
The ghoulish figure that had completely murdered his wife and children stood there in his home. Yuki-onna had destroyed his life, but robbing him of his family. And now he know that he was next. He knew that he wanted revenge on him for rejecting her. All of this bloodshed to break him down psychologically before she went in for the real kill. The man just stood there staring back at the angry spirit, petrified.
"お願いします。 どこかに行って！ 私をほっといて！" begged the man, shouting angrily at the monster, not wanting to deal with her anymore. Not after what she had done. His family was gone, so there was nothing left for him to live for. But mentally, he also hoped that the ghoul would just slay him now and be done with it and spare him the pain.
But Yuki-onna did not leave. She only remained in that very spot. Then suddenly, her eyes glowed and her nails grew longer and sharper as an inhuman shriek filled the wintry air, intensifying. The man dared himself to look back at Yuki-onna, which at this point, was the worst thing he could've done, and saw that she then flew right at him with her claws in rapid speed, screaming out loud, looking ready to finish him off for good.
Although he was expecting this, the man stumbled back into the wall, all colors drained from his face, eyes wide as saucers and he opened his mouth as he let out a scream of abject terror and raised his arms in effort to protect himself from her wrath.
So there's the first chapter of it. It's being cross-posted from Fictionpad. I'm sorry to all of you getting impatient waiting for my other stories, but this is my decision. Now for the Japanese language, I used Google Translate for this one and feel free to do the same thing if you want to understand what they're saying.