Disclaimer: The universe of Ningyo Heart is absolute creation of MightyDarkChocolate for RPGMakerNet. I'm just doing a little fic of this great game in the category of [Misc. Games] because until now, this game hasn't his own fandom in FanfictionNet T_T

Game: Ningyo Heart

Characters: Dollmaker, Mamoru and Ami as principal. Kana and Miku as secondary.

Pairings: Mamoru/Ami; Dollmaker/Kana.

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Note: This happened one year after the end of the Good/True Ending, so Mamoru and Ami are alive.

Relieving

Created by Shade Shaw Reilly and SessKagome4Ever

The emotions, for definition, are not reasonable.

Patrick Rothfuss

It was an agreeable evening in Fallen Leaves Town. A small town nailed between the mountains, provided with beautiful and magnificent landscapes as with strange mysteries and frightening urban legends. Sometimes it was producing to him a laugh (or an ironic sorrow), the fact that he's part of those mysteries.

The one who went out once of every year to give dolls to the children. The one who the people were speaking whenever they saw him, some with dread and others with fascination. The Dollmaker.

He was sat in one of the stone benches spread along a small park located in the center of the town, resting the feet after spending great part of the day walking. Although he was tired, he had done his eternal mission: Give dolls, stuffed animals, puppets and marionettes to every child in the town, either because they felt sad about not having money to have anyone, either because they were lonely without friends. No matter the reason: See the faces of wonder, fascination and happiness for them when they receive these flamboyant and magical dolls that he drew from his sack was the only thing that mattered. The only thing that should matter to him.

He let out a soft sigh and checked his bag: He still had two dolls. One was a cute little clown with bright clothes and sleigh-bells in the tops of his hat; other one was a teddy bear with a nice golden ribbon in his neck. "Only these two and I will be able to go home," he thought. However, although it was Friday and was doing an early late afternoon with little wind, surprisingly, there were no children playing or hanging around. Only a few adults were here and there, conversing or walking with their dogs. "Now that I think about it, are alone the children of this town that I always give the dolls. There are many children in other towns and cities that deserve the fun and happiness of my beloved dolls. Alright, next year I'll go to Kuro City (1)" he thought decided.

And of pure chance, he threw an ogle to his left side in search of some child without anything in the hands… And what he saw made him frozen an instant that him took a fancy eternally, while an avalanche of sensations that appeared suddenly as a lightning in a sunny day was accumulating his head… This coctail of feelings and diverse emotions of which he wasn't allowed to experiment (and he never waited to return to feel in what he still had of life) (2), was returned to come over him… And only a fortuitous meeting in the park was needed to liberate them all of once, one behind other:

Surprise, to recognize them in spite of the distance: They were Mamoru and Ami, the two youth whom, nearly a year before, had spent a "pleasant stay" in his mansion. Apparently they were enjoying a picnic in the park. Even from afar, the Dollmaker could see the glow of happiness in their eyes when they're conversing animatedly, eating a huge strawberry cake between them and stealing furtive kisses to each other from time to time… It was as if thousands of bubbles in the shape of heart were going out floating whenever they were seen to the eyes… They were, simply, the living picture of juvenile love.

Sadness, to thinking that he and Kana could have been a couple so in love and happy like Mamoru and Ami, giving endless fun and happiness with the dolls to the children in the town, to see the reflected joy on their faces as much as in Kana. To finally return to the mansion and snuggle together in front of the fireplace, holding hands and glued bodies, until the next year to start all again.

Envy, to imagine him and Kana sat in the same place of that young couple at that moment... And during two instants it was possible... Except for the fact the disease had destroyed her body, preventing him from saving her by the Necromancy. Also except for… him.

That little inconvenience that ended ruining everything. Mamoru.

Hate, that unexpected and flaming feeling that was born from the depths of his desperation, that impulso had appeared to him to grab Mamoru's neck firmly between his hands and squeeze, squeeze to not hear any sound; or have any beam or sword and sunk it in the depths of his chest, anything that could confirm to him once and for all the damn heart of the only threat to his plan had stopped beating. For second and last time. He never had longed to see someone die at that moment. A feeling that apparently still existed as an extinct volcano to he watch the silver-haired boy.

He could have killed him. He could have annihilated him. Not for…

"Mr. Dollmaker, please stop!"

What had happened, even having happened one year, it was still giving him…

Disconcert, not only to see Mamoru rise from the ground after the third (not, four) hit given to his heart, something simply impossible for any human to survive and less for someone as him... But also to see Kana to appear suddenly and intervening between Mamoru and him, embracing him and begging him between sobs and tears that please to stop all this madness.

Resignation... not, Frustration, to finally accede to the desire of his beloved, releasing the young woman who carrying the only opportunity that Kana had to be human again... Going away from there. And with her, any chance for a happy and normal life for Kana. "If she didn't want this, then everything is useless" he repeated to himself, for umpteenth time.

Yes, all these feelings and emotions, which God had prohibited him to have, were returning to him, proving to be so lived and intense as they it had been one year before. "It's been a year", he thought closing his eyes, doing an enormous effort to annul all these troublesome feelings of his head, as whom someone tries to frighten a swarm of flies. No, the best thing that he could do was leave, yes, leave of there. To move away more that he could of them, wish to never seen them again, cursing them mentally for having provoked him (albeit unintentionally) this damn and painful regression. And closing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder, he got up to go the other way.

―Mr. Dollmaker.

"No, no, please that's not what I think it is" he mumbled between teeth. He knew painfully well that female voice, even though he had a year without hearing her. "This is your way of punish me, isn't it God? It wasn't enough that you weren't taking with you this damned boy to Hell" he muttered while he slowly turning and turning his face into blank linen to face Mamoru and Ami, who had approached him without he had noticed.

What a strange moment, don't you think? The villain and his victims together in a park like a meeting of classmates. It was simply hilarious.

―Good afternoon. I didn't know that you would be around here― The Dollmaker muttered with neutral voice, though the overwhelming sense of shame that was growing in his stomach like acid.

―We were celebrating our anniversary―Ami explained with a shy smile, and on having seen the face of strangeness of the Dollmaker, she added―. Together, you know, like a couple.

―Congratulations―he muttered at them in turn and making a little bow―; the love that exist inside in a couple of hearts those are so ready to give so much for the other... Is a love that is destined to last by the whole eternity…―...And that in addition, that love could defeat his powerfull and darkest magic. Ah... Envy, sweet and poisonous envy.

―We're grateful for your words; they mean very much coming from you―Mamoru answered lowering the eyelids―. The truth is that we were surprised to see you hereabouts… Though not really, because almost one year has passed.

―Yes, almost exactly a year―The Dollmaker pointed. If the previous thing was strange, that these two declared enemies were talking with so much calm are so surreal! ―.Forgive me; my work has ended per today. I must go.

―Wait a moment! ― He heard Mamoru saying. God! What the hell this boy want? Was it not enough for him that he scoured his humiliating defeat?! He turned once more―, we wanted to know… how is Kana?

"Kana", he thought. Kana Kaede, the girl for who all this had begun. The sweet girl who was crying in a park, the charming young who asked him to let her to help to give the dolls, the fragile patient who she was in his arms in a last and desperate attempt to save her life... The doll with long black hair. The cause of why his world began to crack and out of control, the reason why he was so ready to drag the young couple who had in front of him in a destiny much worse than death... and that one that would continue being a doll forever.

―She's okay―He could speak to the end―. She's learning to do dolls too: A few days ago she made a small puppet of a duckling. It was fun to see how it moved and infuriated Miku.

―Wasn't she attacked again by other little sisters dolls? ―Mamoru asked.

―No, I made sure of that. Her "sisters" are in locked in punishment.

―And how is she? I mean, how she feels to the being… a doll? ― Ami asked warily, as if she was asking for someone seriously ill. The Dollmaker stared at her, but he didn't seem to be annoyed with her: Rather he seemed to be pondering the answer.

―She is calm and happy, or at least it seems to leave me to know in the moments that she can speak. She plays to the tea with other dolls or she goes out to the small garden to play with the marionettes. ―He paused―, sometimes... She asks for you. She says that she misses you.

―We also miss her. Recently in our school our teachers did a small ceremony to remember her and let us know if any of us knew anything about her, the better thing was to say it―At those words, the Dollmaker felt an increasing sensation of panic was crossing his backbone: Only there were three people in the world who knew the current whereabouts as the Kana Kaede's final fate... And two of them were in front of him right now. They could tell all the people, and then… then… ―. …But we haven't told anyone―Mamoru added.

The Dollmaker remained looking at him, speechless. How was it possible? How could it remain privately? Wasn't it the first thing that they had said to all in the town on having escaped of the mansion? It wasn't any lie through that the Dollmaker lived for several entire days with absolute terror before the possible arrival of the police to his door… He observed fixedly the gray eyes of his enemy, with a question in the top of the tongue, but for some reason, unable to formulate.

―Because I know everything―Mamoru said outlining a sad smile―. And also because I know that it is something that she hadn't wanted, having been so happy as before she had never been in her whole life… Giving dolls to the children with you.

The Dollmaker nodded, feeling a knot in the throat.

…

―Master! You know perfectly that you must return before the midnight! ―Miku, his maid doll, screamed with anger―. Its two minutes before the clock strikes twelve. Have you any idea what would have happened if you had come later...?!

But the man completely ignored her. He went directly to the second floor, knowing full well that, at the door of his room, he would find…

―Welcome home…―He smiled with placidness before her words, then he lift Kana in his arms and to kiss softly and with tenderness her lips of plastic, finding them surprisingly soft and human. Cradling her in his arms, he entered his room, closing the door besides them.

There, in the loneliness of his room and with the only company of the doll (Not, not, woman) that he loved more than no other thing is the world (Even defying the God's direct prohibition), he could think in peace about his extraordinary meeting of today. What it had begun as a disagreeable reunion with the biggest defeat of the past… It had turned into a nice perspective of the future.

He was returning towards his mansion, without stopping contemplating between his hands the piece of cake of strawberries that they had offered him before going away. From time to time he gave little bites, remembering that he hadn't eaten anything in the whole evening. Indeed, it was delicious.

Who would have thought that he would feel so many things in the space of an hour that passed with Mamoru and Ami? And even more, being opened so much of them on so many things that, for better and for worse, lived through the three? It wasn't as if it was a whole metamorphosis or an epiphany, but it was something. It was definitely something.

Yes, it was something. It was as if everything what he had felt first had been flying away up to getting lost in the sky, as a bunch of globes of colors. It was… as alleviation. A relieve.

―You should be happy, my dear―The Dollmaker murmured to Kana while he was stilling cradling her―. Next year you will come with me to giving dolls to the children―Seeing that the little black-haired doll looking at him expectantly, he add―And if we're lucky, we will be able to see them in the park. They will be celebrating their next anniversary.

If Kana had been human, surely she would have screamed of happiness. But now she's a doll, she just smiled. Anyhow, the Dollmaker felt, for the first time in months, happy.

The End

Author's Note.

(1) In the last game developed by MightyDarkChocolate up to the date, Akumu: Disc 2, during the beginning of the game, the protagonist - Kai Yamazuka - will notice a red-haired man in front of the grocery store: He's the Dollmaker, who is visiting Kuro City to give dolls to children. If you interact with him, he will release a monologue that can be interpreted as that Kai used to have a stuffed toy as a best friend, like Mamoru.

(2) In Ningyo Heart you can unlocked two hidden stories parallel to the linear history of the game; one of them narrates the origin of Dollmaker: 150 years ago, a forefather of him for greed burned a shinto shrine that was dedicated to the God of the prosperity, who was full of dolls given in offering. In punishment, God cursed to the whole family of the Dollmaker to doing dolls for the rest of their lives, giving to the children once a year. In turn, God also prohibited them to be able to fall in love and to have emotions different from the happiness, generating horrible consequences if they did. All that was showed in the form of a vision of the past that Mamoru had.

I must say I was dying to write something about this game. Ningyo Heart was an arrow (or rather a crossbow XD) to the heart (?) With the story of the game, and especially for the main character's story. (Yep, I'm madly in love with the shipping of Mamoru/Ami (Thanks, Mighty, to make it canon in Roaches! *OOO*))

This Drabble with the Dollmaker was born during a Professional Ethics class about nihilism (Yes, we had a class about philosophy and nihilism for bussiness managers, don't ask me (?)) also, for several questions that I had about this interesting antagonist character.

You'll see me around here with more fics of NH (Hell yes *w*) and perhaps other games of the same creator. How knows~.