This story was written in the fashion of a role play. Some parts will be edited to flow better in the style of a story, but it will mostly remain in the same format. I wrote the parts of Yoshiki, Naomi, Yuka, Ms. Shishido, Hinoe, Tohko, Kizami, and Mayu. My friend is responsible for the parts of Ayumi, Satoshi, Mitsuki, and Sakutaro. Extra, own characters include Kito, Koga, Ito, Tanaka, and Okinawa Miki. The writing was done by us, but we do not own the franchise or characters included.
Some things in the original story line are drastically changed, otherwise it would mostly be a repeating of the game. If you see something different, or if an area is in the wrong place, you do not need to inform me.
UNDERLINED PARTS ARE PLACES WHERE THE STORY CAN DIVERGE INTO A WRONG END. READ WRONG ENDS IN AT THE SEPARATE STORY TITLED AS SUCH.
"Others...? There were others that entered this space recently, but... you probably won't be able to meet up with them," the spirit interjected, and seemed as if it had more to say, but Yoshiki didn't want it to finish. He pulled Ayumi up, feeling any further information would make her condition worse. "We can't just waste time sitting here... We have to find them," he said over the ghost's own hushed voice, picking up one of the dropped candles. He helped Ayumi walk forward, his steps rushed until the blue glow could no longer be seen in the darkness. He breathed a sigh, hoping Ayumi hadn't heard and her morale wasn't completely devastated.
Ayumi nodded, letting him usher her up. Her legs felt unsteady, as if the world was rocking like a ship on wild seas. She had a bit of a rough time keeping up with Yoshiki's long, quick strides. But, she managed. She felt some relief from being away from the skeleton and spirit. Her breathing still wasn't normal, as she panted as if she ran a mile. Her skin was pale, though that was a detail that would be near impossible to see in the dark lighting. She clutched a hand to her chest, feeling her own heart beating wildly. She hadn't managed to catch anything the spirit was saying in the last moments, and she didn't want to. It would probably just be more discouraging news about all of this. She had to believe they could, at the very least, find the others and they would be alright. She leaned against a wall which creaked against her weight. She panted for a few more moments, trying to make out Yoshiki's shape in the darkness. With the goal of finding the others, her mind could become focused and her breathing edged away from the danger of hyperventilating. She looked at Yoshiki, unsure how to progress. She pushed herself lightly off the wall, holding out her hand to Yoshiki. "I'll relight the candle," she told him. She felt weaker standing in the dark than she had with the small light. She had to be brave to find Mochida and the others, she told herself, hoping her breathing would be completely back to normal soon.
Yoshiki stopped along with her, letting her rest. He realized in being in such a rush, he endangered them of falling into one of those holes, but maybe seeing them recently helped him avoid them... Ugh, it didn't matter. He shouldn't worry over what his past options were. The important part was that they were okay. "Alright," he answered, handing her the candle he had managed to refuge. He wasn't too sore about losing the second, though, since she said she had a lot, and they didn't really need more than one. As he waited for the candle to be re-lit, he thought on what he had heard the spirit say... They probably won't be able to meet up with their friends? He wished he had stayed longer to hear about it in depth, but he also dreaded to know. This place was giving him all sorts of conflicting thoughts, and he didn't particularly like it... But, he did know running was the right option. Being clueless, especially in Ayumi's current state, was better than absolute despair.
Ayumi took the candle, lighting it in a couple motions easily. It was something she had done a thousand times before, and the little methodical movement brought her a lot of comfort. Still, that comfort dissolved just as quickly as it appeared. She pulled out another candle, lighting it from the other candle. She handed the first candle back to Yoshiki. "I guess the only thing left to do is go the other way," she said, her voice still sounding breathless. Still, she wasn't close to hyperventilating anymore, which was good. She just kept telling herself, they need to find the others. They won't be able to find the others if she collapses from not being able to get enough air into her lungs. She looked down the hallway, grimacing. How much more blood and bones awaited them down there? The other way wasn't an option, now. Though, Ayumi had a sinking feeling that they would have to cover that area at some point too. She held out her candle, to see in front of her. How did all these gaps in the floor happen? It seemed so unnatural. She took a heavy sigh before starting to walk again, trying to find her previous determination going forward. She was just so nervous about finding more death.
Yoshiki took the candle carefully, looking down the other way. By the looks of things, there would probably be more awaiting them down this hall too, but maybe Ayumi's determination would get her through it... He could only hope. "Sounds good," he said with a shrug, staying by her side this time instead of behind her. Although he looked calm, his anxiety was through the roof, and it was growing with each step. Then, it evolved into dread when he was met with a smell, the odor that had filled the blood room. He glanced to Ayumi, fearing for her breathing state, and what it would become at what mostly lied in the darkness... which was revealed in a few small steps. A body lay sprawled across the floor, below a hole in the ceiling. He immediately stopped, choking up slightly at the sight. First was blood, then a skeleton, and now... the worst... A body, still decaying, her expression of terror and anguish frozen on her face.
Ayumi felt tense and worried as they walked down the hall. The holes in the floor were a constant worry as she feared falling to her death. She didn't even trust the floorboards they were on. What if this entire place just collapsed? When she was hit with the strong smell of decay, she gagged. The sight of the actual body made her body react with horrible nausea. The smell was too strong, the sight too horrid. She made a choking sound as she used her free arm to cover her mouth and nose. Tears had come to form in her eyes again as hopelessness began to surround her. So many dead bodies! They had only been in this place for about half an hour, not even, and they've seen three dead bodies. Would they join that number soon? She was choking, her body repulsed by the smell and her lungs beginning to tighten. She took a few steps back, though the smell wouldn't decrease she needed to calm down. She couldn't be hyperventilating every time they saw a body... they would never find the others! But, how could she be calm? There was a decaying corpse in front of her! It was so fresh that the expression could be made out.
Yoshiki quickly looked away, coughing as the stench overwhelmed him. I've got to get away from this odor, he told himself, but the thought instantly erased as he heard Ayumi choke. We've got to get away... He took a few steps back to be by her side again, finding it difficult to open his mouth to speak. But, he finally managed. "C'mon, pull it together, Shinozaki!" he said, but instantly realized he came off as harsh, or heartless. He didn't really know how he was managing to not double over from the sickness in the pit of his stomach, while at the same time demanding Ayumi to stay calm. "If we're going to find Mochida and the rest, we're going to have to be able to brave this sort of thing," he pointed out, using Satoshi's name, as much as it bugged him, to try and boost up her determination. Though, he felt bad about calling these bodies 'things', it's the only way he knew how to classify them, while staying detached. His stern look then eased back. "... Here, I'll help," he added after a short pause, offering to lead her around the body, while she could keep her nose and eyes covered.
Ayumi stared at Yoshiki, just to get her eyes off that thing, as he began to speak to her. She tensed at his first plea, unsure how she could even manage to stay calm. There were dead bodies everywhere! At the mention of Mochida and the others, her expression shifted. Both their paths now had dead bodies in them, and Ayumi had a creeping feeling that this sight wasn't going to be uncommon from here on out. But, that didn't make dealing with the corpses any easier. She had to keep moving, though, if she ever hoped to see the others... especially Mochida. She had so much she wanted to say. "I know that!" she snapped at Yoshiki, frustrated about having to get used to this. Even more frustrating was he was telling her what she kept telling herself. She looked back at the body, trying to harden herself. She kept her sleeve over her mouth and nose, but that couldn't buffer the smell completely. She looked back to Yoshiki, purpose and fear in her eyes. "Okay..." she responded to his offer of help.
Yoshiki flinched as her voice raised, but didn't take any personal offense to it. His way of calming her down wasn't exactly great, but at least she was willing to trust him to help her. As she kept her arm to her mouth and nose, and hopefully closed her eyes, he took her free arm lightly. He lead her carefully around the body, making sure to keep her out of the blood on the floor. However, this meant he had to step through it slightly, giving him a sinking feeling in his stomach once more. Luckily, it wasn't much, and they were soon around the body. He walked with her a little further, until the body faded in the blackness, and the smell dulled. He let go of her, refusing to look her in the eyes for a brief moment. That was the closest he had ever been to holding her hand... He was so pathetic, he realized. "Ok, we're good," he informed, so she knew to start looking out for herself.
Ayumi followed Yoshiki's lead, her heart sinking as they approached the dead body. She was tempted to shut her eyes, wanting to avoid getting an up close and personal look at the decaying corpse. Still, she didn't want to be blind, so her eyes shifted downward and were half lidded. That way she had somewhat of an idea, but she was determined to not stare at the dead girl any longer. The air was so thick and disgusting that Ayumi found herself craving fresh, outside air devoid of death and dust. Was there an outside to this place? Hearing Yoshiki's confirmation that they were past, she let out a huge sigh. She handled that decently, she thought to herself, eyes glancing back into the dark hallway. She didn't have another attack, which was good... but she didn't know how much more she could take. She just wanted to find Mochida and the others and go home. She looked to her side, noticing a classroom door. She hesitated as she stared at it, just noticing a headache developing around her right temple.
Still looking away, Yoshiki held his candle to see if there was any end to this hall, but none was in sight yet. However, there were a few doors that had to be checked, much to his dismay. He approached the one nearest to him, the one Ayumi stood next to, and attempted to pull the door open, but it didn't budge. Was he just not being rough enough? He tried again, jerking with the best strength he could muster, but it still didn't even shutter. It was like it was fake, like just a piece of the wall. "I guess... there's no going in there," he mentioned, a little confused, but decided not to question it. He had already begun to realize this was no normal school, and it definitely wasn't their school.
With a sigh, he turned forward and kept walking, coming to the next door on the other side of the hall. He jerked, expecting it to be the same as the last, but it wrenched open without resistance. He peered in, anxious to enter, but there was no way of finding something out without taking risks. He slowly stepped in, holding the light in front so he didn't fall in one of the many gaping holes.
Ayumi watched Yoshiki try to open the door breathlessly. As the door refused to open, she felt a sort of relief. She could just tell... they shouldn't go in there. She followed Yoshiki into the classroom that actually had a door that worked. She was careful with her steps, as she held out her candle and walked deeper into the classroom. She came up to the chalkboard, seeing a paper stuck to it. She held the light closer to see what was on it. Their was a child's drawing, evident from the scribbly, crude lines and coloring. It wasn't the art that so much mattered than what it was depicting. "How... disturbing,"she muttered. There were four children stabbing an adult who was on his knees. It made her wonder... was this an elementary school? Or... was an elementary school, considering this building seemed to morph far away from any purpose it once had."Why would someone draw something like that?" she questioned, pulling her eyes away from the simple, yet grotesque picture.
Yoshiki went to the back of the room, letting Ayumi check the front. He had heard her say something, but before he could ask her what she found, he found something himself. A paper on the floor, torn, but a large piece of it was in tact, albeit stained. He knelled down, picking up the worn paper and holding it close to the candle's faint light. He decided to read it aloud, so Ayumi could hear his findings as well. "... Heavenly Host... Elementary?" he started, but immediately paused. Heavenly Host? Wasn't that the school their's was built in place of, and the school in the story Ayumi had told? He gulped, deciding to carry on, "... Notice to all Faculty and Students..." The rest was illegible, as some substance that he assume to be blood was covering the rest of the paper. Though, he didn't particularly want to read out what the red spelled out... I'm going to kill you. He felt chills all around, feeling the sense of malice even in the slip of paper. This overwhelming sense of violence caused him to quickly drop it, letting it flutter back to the ground, seemingly harmless. His heart raced, as if he had almost died just then... He quickly stood, his breathing slightly erratic and his body trembling. That... was a terrifying feeling...
Ayumi blinked when she heard Yoshiki say Heaven Host Elementary School. She tugged the drawing off the chalkboard, tearing it slightly. How...? Heavenly Host was shut down and torn down, where their school now stood. That was the scary story she had just told to the others... Ms. Yui helped her freak everyone out. It had been a rousing success as her scary stories had gone. She had an awful pang of desire to see the others and check on their well-being. She sighed to herself, trying to keep a focused mind. She walked over to Yoshiki. "So... we're in Heavenly Host then..." she mumbled, trying to figure out how that was even possible. She looked at the piece of paper he seemed to have dropped. "Did it say anything else?" she questioned, looking at the child's drawing in her hand. Maybe they should collect the papers? Although... if they didn't have anything useful on them, it wasn't really worth the effort. Plus, the piece of paper she held had a darkness to it she didn't want to hold onto. Once Yoshiki saw it, she'd be happy to toss it aside.
Yoshiki, once he regained straight thoughts, looked to Ayumi, wide-eyed. Realizing he might startle her, he quickly shook out of his state of terror, stepping on the paper as if on accident to hide it as he turned towards her. "Nothing... The rest was worn away," he said quickly, hoping she bought it. He gave the drawing in her hand a look, grimacing at the disturbing scene. "How... morbid...," he muttered, examining the laughing faces of the children, and the man's face twisted with pain. He really didn't want to go through something like that, if he could help it... and there was no question about keeping Ayumi from a torturous death.
Ayumi seemed a little disappointed in hearing there was no more information on the scrap of paper. Oh well, it wasn't like they'd find directions on how to get out of this place. She nodded in agreement about his comment on the picture, dropping it and letting it float to the floor. She had so many questions reeling through her head. Was this place a different dimension? Why were they sent here? What happened? She sighed, knowing the answers wouldn't come from standing around. "Doesn't seem like there's anything else in here," she commented, walking around the edges. She stopped as she came up to the window. It was pitch dark outside, but she could swear she heard rain. She put the candle carefully on the floor and stood back up to face the window. She grabbed at the handles and jerked upwards. Nothing happened except her fingers hurt from the jerking movement. She had an awful feeling, so she walked over to the window next to it and tried once again. Nothing. "We're really locked in," she mumbled, eyes downcast. She picked up her candle once again, deciding she was done with this room and headed for the door.
Yoshiki watched Ayumi go toward the windows, thankful she didn't find his actions fishy. He stepped back and looked at the red stained paper, his prior feelings coming back. Every time he looked at it, it felt as if cold hands of death were wrapping around his throat. Even though it terrified him, his eyes were completely fixated on the message. He could feel himself being pulled into darkness, but Ayumi's voice snapped him out of it. He approached the windows as well, peering out in the utter darkness. He gripped his fingers onto the handle of the window and tugged at it himself, but still wasn't convinced there was absolutely no way to the outside... Then again, he doubted outside was where they needed to be. If escaping was as simple as leaving the front exit, not so many would have died.
Deciding not to think about it much longer, he followed Ayumi out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He was thankful to leave that slip of paper and drawing behind, but his relief soon turned to fear. Down, further in the blackness of the hall, was a dim blue light, but it seemed larger than the small orb they had run into earlier. Also, it looked as if... it was coming closer... Was it just him or... was it really coming towards them? Just in case, he stepped in front of Ayumi, putting on his bravest face, even though his trembles were uncontrollable.
It wasn't a trick of his eyes... The light really was growing brighter! It also began taking more of a human shape. A small human, but human nonetheless. He stepped back with each tap that echoed down the hall, forcing Ayumi to take a step just as he had done. However, as the glow got closer and closer, he found it hard to move, until he was frozen all together. He stared, and it peered back at him. It was the form of a little boy, blood gushing from his mouth and abdomen. But, after he blinked, the boy disappeared. His body was still rendered paralyzed, and he felt the air chill.
Ayumi froze when the the blue form of a child appeared. She trembled as the very much human shape, with spots of blood gushing, came closer and closer. It was a much more terrifying aura she got from this ghost than the small blue flame previously. A malicious intent almost seemed to pour from the dead boy. Ayumi looked down, not making eye contact with the ghost. She could feel its dark presence disappear.
"Wh...what was that, Kishinuma?" he heard Ayumi ask from behind, coming closer to him. In that split instant, he regained control, and he turned back to her.
"I... don't really know...," he muttered, his voice still shaking from the close encounter. But he was still alive, right? That was a good sign... and Ayumi was okay too."Whatever it was, it looks to have disappeared...," he said, trying to calm himself down. Though, he only felt himself become more and more tense, and he was starting out to break into a cold sweat.
"Kishinuma... are you ok?"Ayumi asked with concern, but then her face changed to utter horror. She screamed and fell down, and before he could react, a fierce blow to his head knocked him to the ground, leaving him barely conscious. His blurred vision showed only the sight of a horrified Ayumi, frozen in fear. At this point, his body was in complete refusal to move, and he heard the thumping of heavy boots, which then blocked his vision of Ayumi. Next, he heard a snipping noise, like... the sound of extremely sharp scissors. He lost all sense of rationality and began screaming as loudly as he could, his heart thumping wildly as the sound drew closer.
In reality, the boy had disappeared, but Yoshiki had held a long period of silence, his eyes fogging over. Without warning, he fell to the ground, convulsing.
Ayumi paused, staring at the spot the ghost was in. She glanced at Yoshiki, unable to see his expression since she was behind him. She yelped as he suddenly hit the floor in convulsions, and she went into panic.
"Kishinuma! What's wrong?" Ayumi yelled in worry, unable to grasp what was happening and why it was. She had no idea what to do! Was he having a seizure? It seemed like it... What was she taught in health class? Put a pillow under their head and just wait for it to ride out? She looked around, well aware that she had absolutely nothing that could be of help. She crouched to the ground, moving so that way his head could rest on her lap as her hands held onto his shoulders in an attempt to keep him still. She could do nothing but watch and try to calm his convulsions down. "C'mon Kishinuma! You can't die," she told him firmly.
Snip... sniip... sniiip... Yoshiki heard the sounds coming closer and closer to his face, and his frantic calls for help or attempts to move his body were proving to be futile. Then, a new sound pierced his ears. Ayumi. A guttural scream overran any other noise, and it sparked a new kind of fear in him. It didn't make the fear for himself disappear, but it only added to the absolute despair and hopelessness that was overcoming him. "Shi... nozaki!"he attempted to yell out, but his voice was dying out as his brain tried to shut down. Next came gurgles and choking noises, then all became silent, except for that infernal snipping. He was being driven into insanity within the time span of a few minutes, even though it felt like hours... But finally, the sharp, bloodied scissors came into his line of sight, the point of the blades resting directly in front of his eye. His mind was an absolute flurry of thoughts, but one thing was for certain... His... life was over...
"...inuma! You can't die." ? Yoshiki flung upwards, going into a frenzy of panicked breaths and coughs. His lungs were burning, as if they had been denied oxygen for a prolonged amount of time, and his brain was dizzied. With shaking hands, he quickly placed them on the back of his head, searching for the wound he had received, but nothing was there. Not even the blood could be felt. What...? He pulled his arm over his mouth as his coughs continued, but still was thinking of what had just happened. Shinozaki! What happened... to her?! he quickly thought, taking his arm away, and looking at his surroundings. It didn't take him long to find her, sitting almost directly behind him. She looked fine, other than the panicked expression she wore. However, he was unable to ask what had happened, as his lungs were still catching up.
Ayumi jumped slightly as Yoshiki regained consciousness. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him in confusion and worry. She watched as he touched the back of his head and then began to cough frantically. But, he was breathing and seemed to be okay, except for a loss of breath. She let out a huge sigh of relief. "Good. I was worried you were dying," she said. She wasn't sure she could make it through this place without Yoshiki... which may be selfish of her, but it was true. "Kishinuma, what happened?" she asked after a long pause to let him try to get his breathing fixed.
Yoshiki recovered after a few moments, but his chest still burned, and his head was beginning to ache. Despite these small inconveniences, he was glad that had not been reality... As Ayumi asked him his version of what happened, he shifted position, so he wouldn't have to turn his head so far to look at her. "I... I'm not... very sure...," he said slowly, placing a hand on his head, "There was this spirit kid, and I couldn't move... He disappeared, and then... I got hit in the head with something..." He recalled the loud thud as he was hit, the pain feeling so real... "But... looks like that didn't really happen..," he said with a small, dry laugh, "I guess... I was hallucinating? That's really all I can figure…"
Ayumi listened to the story with a worried look. "Yeah, it must have been. The ghost really did come near us, though," she mentioned, hoping to clear up how the events actually occurred. "Then he left, and then you collapsed to the floor. You were convulsing... it kinda seemed like a seizure or something," she said as she stood up, picking up the candle she had placed on the floor. She brushed some dirt off the hem of her skirt, a trivial thing but a comfort, still. "I'm glad you're okay," she told him with a light smile. "But, we really need to get back to looking for Mochida and the others," she told him, her eyes focused on the length of the dark hallway.
Yoshiki paused, sorting through this information. That would explain why a portion of his energy was gone, and why his lungs burned... It also was weird that he was about to die in his hallucination, and also in reality. Though, he was extremely thankful Ayumi had yelled out to him... or so it sounded. If the blow to his head felt real, he didn't really want to experience those cold blades stabbing into his eye. Noticing Ayumi start to stand, he followed suit, unsure of where he had dropped his candle. For all he knew, it could've dropped into one of those abysses. He didn't really care enough about it to waste energy looking, and plus, with it gone, he could have an excuse to linger closer to Ayumi... until she decided to give him another one, he guessed. "... Right," he quietly agreed, feeling the sting of Satoshi's name once more. But, he did his best to push those feelings of jealousy away. After all, Satoshi was his friend too. He couldn't let this make him angry at Satoshi, since he had never done anything to him personally. "Oh... and thanks...," he muttered, looking away briefly, "For... snapping me out of it..." After all, he was fairly certain that voice had been her's, and that it had saved his mind from being completely consumed. Even if she wasn't aware of it, she was deserving of his sincere gratitude.
Ayumi looked confused at his gratitude, then curious once as he continued to speak."Oh? You actually heard me? You seemed so out of it, I thought I was just talking to myself," she admitted. His eyes had been unfocused, his body moved erratically, there didn't seem to be any consciousness about him. She was pretty amazed her voice had managed to make it through the hallucination. "Are you sure it was me, or was it just part of the hallucination?" she questioned, as she began to walk. She wasn't doubting Yoshiki's claim, more like trying to piece it apart to see if that really worked. If that was the case, it was a good thing to keep in mind. Although, why had Yoshiki had such an illusion and not her? She was becoming sick of questions and just wanted answers. She missed her computer, any of these occult questions had a good chance of being answered by some paranormal investigator blog.
Yoshiki followed her closely, looking back to her as the embarrassing part was passed. "I'm... pretty sure," he answered, thinking back on the moment. The blow, the scream, the scissors... then the voice. He couldn't be confusing it for something the fake Ayumi said, right? "You said... to not die, right? It couldn't have been the you I saw, since...," he paused, hearing the sounds of her choking and gurgling, as if drowning in her own blood... He looked to the ground, his hands balling into fists. He had failed to protect her... Even though it was a figment of his imagination, she had died in a situation that seemed far too real... He never wanted to her those sounds again. Never.
Ayumi nodded slowly as he asked her what she said, but as his voice trailed off her attention diverged. "I was in the hallucination?" she questioned, looking at him in a way that demanded a deeper explanation. As they walked along the corridor, she kept the light away from her towards the direction they were heading. So far, it seemed moderately safe... as safe could be in this place. The holes in the floors were still there, but the putrid smell had dissolved the most it had since being in the building. On the other hand, she was beginning to feel a weird pressure. She took it as her nerves just being shot, though. She felt mentally exhausted from this place already, and she had a feeling they had barely scraped the surface of what it held.
"Well, you know... You didn't just disappear... but... after I got hit over the head, it sounded like... you got killed," Yoshiki said, his expression growing darker. He desperately wanted to switch the conversation, so he could stop thinking about the noises, but he didn't have any ideas that wouldn't sound completely out of place. "...I was about to die, too, I think, when I heard you," he continued after another short pause.
Ayumi hesitated in hearing that, looking straight at the ground. "Oh," was the only reply she could muster. Did the ghost have control over that? It was almost certain that the ghost was the catalyst to the hallucination, it seemed. Maybe they'd be best just not looking at it, if they ever encountered it again. She turned her head, about to explain the thought she just had when suddenly everything went black…
