The Never-Ending Applause
By: Crescent Blue
A/N: This fanfic is my interpretation of the Bad End NighT series. I've read the manga version and that seems to tell the same story, but in a different way. There are things that the manga does not cover that appear in the videos and vice versa. I've also watched some amazing fan dubs by Angela and Razzy on YouTube. Their videos helped me understand the story more because the translations of the original were somewhat choppy.
Disclaimer: Vocaloid and all related characters and content belong to Crypton Future Media and company.
A dark, dense forest surrounded her. She had no idea whatsoever where she was headed.
"I must've taken a wrong turn!" the village girl named Miku miserably tried to find some semblance of a path. "It's so foggy out here and who knows what types of wild animals are lurking about."
Clutched within her trembling hand was a letter addressed to her. She hadn't opened it yet, but she was hardly worried about that now. It was getting very late and the full moon seemed unusually large and intimidating.
"Never mind wild animals, there might be some freakish people here too! What am I going to do?"
She trudged forward not knowing what she'd find. It seemed hopeless, but she seemed to have found a clearing. Rather, a clearing with a large mansion residing in it.
"What kind of people live in a mansion that's literally buried in the woods? There's no path or anything that leads to it." Miku surveyed the area before realizing that she just might be in luck.
"If they're nice, they might let me stay the night until I figure something out." Miku marveled at the size of the mansion. "They appeared to be wealthy though. I wonder if they'll even give me a slight glance."
She cautiously approached the large, wooden doors. The doors were surprisingly old and appearing to dry-rot. "They live in a dilapidated mansion?"
Within seconds of Miku's two timid knocks, a handsome butler with long, flowing lavender hair answered.
"Hello, miss. Do you not have a place to go?"
"No. Could I possibly stay the night? I promise I'll leave in the morning."
"We should party, party!" two small, twin children cheered together.
'Party?' Miku couldn't understand why they'd want to party simply because of her arrival. 'Wait. Does that little boy have ball joints in his legs?'
"This gathering must be fate!" a tall, elegant man with navy-blue hair cried.
"Fate? What are you talking about, sir?" Miku soon began to question her choice of refuge. 'What is wrong with these people? Are they so isolated that they've gone mad with loneliness?'
"Ahahahaha! You don't know our names do you?" the doll boy giggled.
"Let's pretend that we don't know who we are!" the doll girl cheered.
"Splendid idea!" a refined woman with short brunette hair tittered. "You look like you've come from the village, dear. You are now, 'Miss Villager'."
"You may address us by our titles alone. I am to be known simply as 'Lady'", a regal looking young woman with long, pink hair stated.
"You may call me, 'Butler'."
"I am Doll Girl!"
"And I am Doll Boy!"
"I am 'Mistress'."
"I am 'Master', the Mistress's husband."
"Have a seat, Miss Villager! Maid, here, will serve some tea!"
"Let the show begin!" the dolls cheered.
"You're the Leading Lady in this Crazy NighT! You're dressed to the nines, so have a glass of wine!" the mansion's denizens sang a ditty while they danced.
Miku could only stare at the scene unfolding before her. She stared down into her wine glass. The red liquid seemed so gloomy.
"Come join us, Miss Villager!" the Doll Girl grasped Miku's hands and practically dragged her to the center of the room. Butler and Lady were dancing a tango. Master and Mistress were dancing a foxtrot together. Doll Boy was dancing with and teasing Maid.
Miku eventually gave in and began to tap along to the music. Doll Girl copied her steps and the two girls began laughing.
'I don't really know why they're doing all of this, but I suppose I needed to loosen up after being lost for so long.' Miku was just happy to have a temporary roof over her head on this cold, dark night.
The dancing came to an end and the group headed to the dining room where an impressive feast was prepared.
'It seems like they had this planned for some time. There's no way that all of this food was cooked in the short time that we danced….'
Miku let her doubts be assuaged as the delightful smell of the food took her over.
After the festivities ended, Miku who was stuffed with the delicious food, asked to turn in for the night.
Butler showed her to the guest room and prepared it for her.
"Thank you, Butler. I'll see you in the morning!" the wearied village girl closed her eyes and dreamed of how she'd return home.
"Good night, Miss Villager." the man blew out the table lamp and closed the door.
'Hmm. Morning. It's been an eternity since we've seen one.'
A well-rested Miku awakened and stretched her limbs.
"I wish my own bed was this comfortable! Oh, how nice it is to be rich!"
Miku looked around the room and noticed that it was still quite dark. 'That's strange. It feels as if I slept an entire night, but it looks as if it's still nighttime.'
The village girl got up and opened the curtains to the guest room. She took a step backwards and gasped. The large, bright ivory moon shone strong through the glass.
"It's…..it's still nighttime! Did I sleep through the entire day? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
Miku left the guest room and entered the drafty corridor. She walked around the mansion's many hallways and came to a grand staircase. She noticed the Doll Twins standing in front of the grandfather clock. It was constructed of glistening mahogany wood with gold hands and pendulum. Miku would've admired its features further, but there was a pressing matter that needed to be attended to.
"Um, excuse, Doll Girl and Doll Boy? What time is it exactly? I didn't mean to sleep in so late!"
"What do you mean, Miss Villager? It's the same time that it's always been! It's 11:56pm!" Doll Boy answered with his typical cackle.
"The same time that it's always been? What do you mean?" Miku demanded. 'And they're still calling me 'Miss Villager' even though the party is over. This is too strange. I have to get out of here and away from them.'
"Time is frozen, Miss Villager." Doll Girl explained as if the situation was normal.
"How? That doesn't make any sense! The clock is simply broken. That doesn't mean that time itself has stopped!"
"Then, why is the moon still out?" Doll Boy asked with a smirk upon his small face. Miku noticed that their normally crystal, blue pupils were now a reddish-orange color.
Miku could not stand anymore madness. 'No. I can't believe this. I would choose a crazy house as a refuge! Ugh! This place is too huge! I forgot where the main entrance was!'
She dashed madly through the hallways. Every door seemed to look alike. "The main entrance has to be somewhere! Did it disappear?"
She ran still and seemed to come full circle. The grand staircase with the grandfather clock sitting on the bottom floor was the prize for her efforts.
The Doll Twins were no longer there which was fine by her. She inspected the room surrounding the clock. It was then that something caught her eye. To the left of the clock, it seemed as if a door was outlined in the same paint as the wall.
"A hidden door? Why would that be here? No matter. There might be an exit through it."
Miku pulled at the door which was unusually heavy. "What could this heavy door be here for? Are their valuables locked away behind it?"
Instead of treasures untold, the village girl found a long spiral staircase descending into darkness.
"What is up with this place? I've gotten lost in a demented freak show. Well, I can't find the door where I came in. This is my only option at the moment."
Miku's shoes clacked loudly as she carefully descended the stairs. She braced her left arm against the wall for support as there were no lights in this corridor. 'It's amazing how this deep chamber fits underneath the mansion. Nothing about this place is making sense. Oh well, I won't be here for too much longer. There must be a secret exit down here.'
The village girl came to a large door with heavy bolts. 'The surprises never cease.'
Giving the doors her mightiest shoves, she finally managed to push them open.
Horror awaited her on the other side.
"Coffins? Why are there coffins here?!"
"Oh no, she's seen it now!" Master's worried voice could be heard echoing in the chamber with the black and white tiled floor.
"Please don't be alarmed, Miss!" Maid tried to reassure their guest.
"Danger! Danger!" the Doll Twins cried, their cheerful tones inappropriate for the situation.
"Where are you going to run to?" Butler asked, but there was no note of concern in his voice.
Miku ran past them back towards the stairs.
"Wait a moment please!" they all insisted.
"You're the Leading Lady in this Crazy NighT. Will you follow the script or want a full rewrite? What kind of ending do you have in mind? Don't you know it's yours to decide. So, look again for your Happy EnD! If you don't get it right, the game is over then. Is the True EnD bound for the burial ground? Well, is it a Bad End NighT?!"
"What can I do to escape from all of you?!"
"The play is not over yet." Master and Mistress chorused together.
"Then, you'll be returned home." Butler and Maid intoned.
"The Happy EnD seems to be here somewhere. It's hidden in plain sight." Miku slammed the door before the others could reach the top of the stairs.
For some reason, her eyes automatically drew themselves towards the face of the grandfather clock. The minute and hour hands gleamed in the light. She looked closer. They looked a lot like daggers. In fact, they were daggers. Perfect.
"I'm the Leading Lady in this Crazy NighT! With a knife in my left hand and a skull in my right…." Miku sang her own, eviler version of their ditty. The maniacal smile that bloomed on her face seemed unnatural.
She hid the daggers behind her back and waited for the strange group to finish ascending the stairs.
"The curtains will fall. Clear the stage." was Miku's only warning.
The mansion's residents ran for their lives. Trapped in the mansion as they were, they didn't get far.
The Butler, the Master, the Maid, the Doll Twins, they all fell to the Villager's blades.
Blood pooled and stained the hardwood floors. The residents' mutilated bodies lay strewn about, their faces twisted in pain and fear.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Miku laughed. She was free.
But something strange happened.
The room began to warp and bend. The carnage that lay before Miku was erased and she felt herself being transported backwards. The room remained and was reset. An empty stage awaiting its next actors with only a letter lying on the floor in front of the fateful grandfather clock.
Clapping could be heard resounding through the silence.
It was a great show they put on tonight. The shadow picked up a fallen letter weeping silently.
A/N: And that is my interpretation of Bad End NighT. I had to include some lines from the fan dub song by Razzy in order to tell the story. Check out the video on YouTube. It's amazing!
Crazy NighT is next!
Thanks for reading!
