Hour 9

The Vacant Dream

Images in a white haze. DING! Hearth room to a house with the symbol Osaka. DING! Crimson butterflies fluttering in a twin's room. DING! Mio and Mayu holding hands in a blood covered fireplace room. DING! A woman in a white blood stained kimono standing with her head down, dead people surrounding her feet. DING!

Kei opened his eyes and saw he was in front of Mio's cell again. She was still muttering her apologizes to Mayu. He stood up, flashlight and camera in hand. "Mio! Hold on, I'll be back soon…" He turned to the door to his right and headed out of the cell. The next room was quite large, and was literally covered in blood. A hearth and fireplace was in the middle of the room, and rays of moonlight shone in on the area, making it look creepier. Kei took a step inside and his foot landed right into a puddle of blood. He bit back a gag as he pulled up his shoe and heard the wet snap of the coagulated blood. "What happened here?" He thought in disgust. He stepped up into the middle of the room and peered inside the old iron pot. Inside was mounds of dust and ash that had almost liquefied from age and moisture. Around the fire pit was a symbol written in shaky handwriting and dried in blood that resembled Kurosawa House. He stepped out of the middle of the room and continued around, noting that the room was a large square, the Great Hall of the place no doubt.

"Lets stay together forever, it's a promise!"

Kei looked back toward the middle of the room and saw to twin girls in navy kimonos kneeling and holding hands. "Must be my imagination." But he couldn't shake their creepy voice out of his head. At the end was a single wooden sliding door hidden in shadows. He opened it, and saw before him a good stretch of hallway littered with several wall mounted candles. Bout halfway down was a tattered cloth that had the circular symbol for Osaka. So, the Manor of Sleep was connecting to him memories, but where had he been to a "Osaka House"? It then hit him. He had went looking for Mio and Mayu near All Gods Forest. The old ruined village was supposed to have been deep in the forest near a reservoir. It was nameless ever since a failed ritual, and was just called the Lost Village. So, looking for Mio in his dreams had connected him to the Lost Village? He shook his head and headed down the hall. At the end it turned right, and the hall branched left and right and also continued forward. For a second he thought he saw Mayu (not the one in the cell, the twin to her) and was about to call her name, but saw it was only a crimson butterfly. He felt strangely lured by it, and for a second remembered hearing Mio talk about following a crimson butterfly into the forest. Was this a good idea? He walked forward and the hall opened up into a large hearth room, with a balcony overhead, a staircase at the far end of the room, a door beside the entrance door, and a door near the stairs. A sunken fireplace was in the raised portion of the room, and a ripped up piece of paper and a shred of a red notebook cover were lying in the ashes. Above the door leading to the foyer was the Osaka symbol again. So, he was in the Osaka House… He wanted to read the paper scrap, but was to excited at the fact that he might have found a way out. He opened the door leading to the entrance, and saw it was no bigger than a coat rack room. To his right were several wooden bars that allowed him to see into the other room. A lantern with blue tinted glass allowed him to see a dresser with another scrap of paper on it, and a partition screen. The back of the room was lost in shadows, although with his flashlight he could barely make out the shape of an oblong kimono box. He walked over to the door that would lead outside and pulled on it, to no avail. He bit his bottom lip, hoping he would find another door leading outside. "Guess I'll read that paper then." He thought sarcastically. He left the foyer and headed back into the hearth room and walked up and picked up the paper scrap.

Masumi... It's me, Miyako Sudo. I came to look for you. Let's go home together. Together, we can make it. Call for me if you find this. I'll be nearby.

Miss you!

Kei set the note down. It seems Mio had a note that said the exact same thing. When he asked where she got it, all she would say was…Osaka! Kei was happy that he could at least solve one little puzzle, Mio had been to the Osaka House before. Kei decided to check the door near the entrance. He slid open the door and saw he was in the room with the wooden bars. He stood by the blue lantern for a second, since the draft in the house was terrible, and his toes, fingers, and ears were freezing. He reached out and picked up the other paper scrap, probably from Miyako as well and read it.

How much time has passed since I came here? How long will these nights last? I can't take the darkness. I'm sick of the dark. It's driving me crazy... I have to get out of here! I have to see Masumi…He went to the Kurosawa House. I think he is worried about me, but he seems on the verge of breaking down. I would hate to see him go crazy and be in his path…

Kei dropped the note. "So, Masumi is this woman's boyfriend or husband, and he went to the Kurosawa House to look for something, and from what I gathered from Mio mumbling he killed her?" Kei didn't try to wrap some other story into his own involving the Manor of Sleep and Mio. He raised his flashlight and saw that a crimson kimono box was in the back of the room. He stepped forward, and the lid of the box suddenly fell closed into place. Kei stopped frozen, his fingers fixed on the shutter button of the camera. After waiting for a full ten seconds he continued forward and saw something small and bronze colored lying on the floor in front of the box. He knelt down and picked up the cold object. It was an old skeleton key with the symbol for ginger on it. Was this the key to Mio's cell? "No, her cell was locked with two locks and had the carvings LIGHT and DARK. Kei stuck the key in his pocket and left the room and headed back out into the hearth room. The door near the steps was boarded up, so the only other option was the staircase. He headed up the first of about fourteen steps when he heard a quick, insane laugh. He looked over toward the entrance-

-and saw the girl in the blood stained kimono. He short black hair frizzled on her scalp, and from her crazed look she resembled the girl that Mio had frightfully described as Sae Kurosawa, the evil twin to Yae Kurosawa. Kei quickly finished up the steps and went the length of the balcony on the second floor and saw a door on the left wall. It was locked, and for a moment he panicked until he saw that it required the ginger key. He fished it out of his pocket and fumbled around with the lock. He finally got it open and headed into the new area and closed the door behind him. "That was close…"

"Should we continue the ritual?"

Kei looked into the new room and saw the two twins in the navy kimonos again, sitting on matching pillows. He looked around, and saw that everything came in pairs. This must've been the twins' room. The ghosts disappeared and he stepped forward, noting the large set of shelves in front of the pillows. On it were candles, offerings of incense and hair, and strung together with a ritualistic sacred red rope were two keys, labeled LIGHT and DARK. He pulled at the keys and finally got them off the rope and stuck them in his pocket.

"He's not coming back…"

Kei looked beside the shelf and saw a little girl dressed as a handmaiden run away. He looked down the hall she went down and saw a door locked with a pinwheel designed lock. He headed out of the room and back into the hearth room. After making sure Sae wasn't still wondering around, he headed back down through the cloth hallway and back into the section of the house that resembled the Great Hall of the Kurosawa House. He was walking around to the other door when it seemed like every light died, even the moonlight. Kei stopped abruptly, and let his eyes wander to the middle of the room. He saw a large figure, about eight feet tall, floating, with white poofy hair and ragged black robes and ropes strung throughout his body. He then heard the enormous spirit whisper

"I am the…Kusabi…"

Kei knew that his name was of the hidden ritual that is done before a more important ritual, and that if his ghost should wander means that the ritual has failed. Basically, he was screwed, unless. He turned slowly, raising the camera. After getting the horrid ghost in the viewfinder and he snapped a photo. That was a bad idea. Suddenly the ghost flew into the air in a rage of anger swooped toward Kei's defenseless figure. He jumped to the left as the ghost missed him by inches. He opened his eyes and saw a crimson butterfly go through the door he needed to be at. The faint figure of Mayu seemed to encircle the glowing insect. Was it Mayu's spirit? He got up as he heard the click of a lock unlocking, and dodged another attack from the powerful Kusabi. He opened the door and closed it behind him. He was back in front of Mio's cell. He didn't feel the powerful presence any more. "Mio how did you make it through this forsaken village…?" He thought, chuckling that a fifteen year old had more will power and energy than himself. He peered into the cell, and was shocked to see that Mio wasn't visible. The lock hadn't been opened either. "Maybe she is behind the bookshelf." He thought hopefully. He used the keys and opened the tiny door. "Mio…?" He poked his head around the bookcase and saw that the only thing that moved was the flicker of a single candle flame. Kei didn't take this as a bad sign. Maybe she had woken up? He was ready to leave when the bookshelf caught his eye. Being a researcher in folklore's, the books intrigued him. The books were piled randomly on one another. Also, there was several records among the documents. Glancing through the titles, the word "twin" and "crimson butterfly" is mention a lot. He pulled out one thick book that was labeled

Crimson Sacrifice

The forbidden ritual passed on in this village by the Kurosawa family is called the Crimson Sacrifice and is a ceremony where the Hellish Abyss is closed by sacrificing twin shrine maidens. There are two parts to the ritual: A periodic visual ritual, and in the events of its failure, a hidden ritual. Should all the rituals fail the Hellish Abyss will open, the dead will pour out, and the skies will go dark, locking this village in eternal night. This disaster is called the Repentance.

Kei wanted to keep the book, but set it back down and decided to check the house a little more. He stopped by the cell door and saw something round on the drawer. It was a round lithograph stone, with a four pedal flower design. Each pedal was a different color: Red, blue, yellow, and green. He remembered seeing the locking mechanism that had other pinwheels in it. He stuck it in his pocked at headed out of the cell area. To his right was the door that led to the Kurosawa area, and to his left was a door covered in talismans and a dark hallway was ahead. He decided to check the hallway. It was dark, and his flashlight immediately became his best friend. He sucked in his breath, tasting the dust and mold floating in the stale air. At the end of the hall was a staircase, which was lit at the end with two candles. On the wall was another pinwheel designed lock and a door beside it. "Maybe this thing will work for this one as well." He went down the steps and inserted the stone into the lock. It did several spins before he heard the door unlock. The door opened slowly, and the air seemed to permeate even more mold. "This passageway is older…" Kei thought. He pushed the door open completely, and saw that the hall was extremely dark and held up with wooden support beams. The floor was dirt and medieval torches were on the walls. He heard soft footsteps, and pointed his flashlight forward. He caught a glimpse of Mio's fleeting figure, and a few feet ahead of her was Mayu. She didn't realize it, but she wasn't really chasing anything, Mayu was already dead, and her soul wanted Mio as well. Kei began to pursue her, and he heard her soft, almost sad pleas.

"Mayu, we're going to be together…I promised you…I wont leave you…I'll go to…

Together…again…We're always going to be together Mayu…"

"Mio, wait! Please stop!" The dark hallway went by in a blur, and at the end was a large wooden door decorated in iron metal. He heard saw the door standing open a little. If he was just a little faster…He went inside the room, and saw the door ahead close. He couldn't help but stop and stare at the room he was in. It was impossibly high, with ropes strung about the ceiling and a blood altar underneath it. It was where the "hidden" ritual was performed, and the Kusabi was made. It was a sort of reassurance for the Crimson Sacrifice. He ran around the altar and pulled on the door Mio had went through. It was firmly shut. He knelt down and peered through the keyhole. He saw very vaguely a large perfectly square pit, with torches around it. Mayu's butterfly fluttered lazily inside it. Mio was standing at the edge. The area was the Hellish Abyss. "Mio no! Don't follow her!!" Kei screamed. He heard Mio whisper softly

"Mayu…together…forever…"-

-and she plummeted into the Hellish Abyss. "NO!!" Kei screamed in anger and sadness. Why? Why did Mio follow her? Was her guilt and love that strong for Mayu? Realization set in. He had just lost his two nieces. But wait. The urban legend says that you only "die" after you turn into soot, like the news had said about Yoshino Takigawa. Maybe there was still hope for Mio. He turned and left the ceremonial room and went back down the long hall and up toward the cell room again. He felt so weak, and helpless. He had failed Mayu, and possibly Mio. What else was there to lose. "Mio…" He said her name quietly, and then felt his world go black.

Rei opened her eyes. It was still drizzling, and the puffy gray clouds covered the sky. She was thankful that the tattoo didn't spread this morning. She got out of bed and left her room. She looked over the balcony and saw that Miku wasn't up yet. She walked down the stairs, and immediately the phone began ringing. She walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Is this the home of Mr. Aso?" It was a kind and gentle male voice. He also sounded young.

"Yes it is…" Rei said, stopping her voice from breaking.

The man chuckled. "Hi, you must be Rei. My name is Kei Amakura, is Yuu around?"

Rei choked up. She had to tell him. "Well uh, you see…Yuu was in a car crash several months ago. It uh…took his life…" There was an awkward pause. When Kei spoke, his voice seemed shaky. "Oh, I see. That explains a lot. I'm sorry. We were doing an investigation on a certain Manor of Sleep, but I lost contact with him. Since then I've stopped the investigation." Rei paused for a moment.

"Um, I'd like you to continue investigating the manor." She said hopefully.

"…Why…?" Kei said uncertainly.

Rei was on the verge of crying. She felt like she was going crazy. She had to tell him. "B-because I'm having the nightmares too…And I know about your niece's Mio and Mayu…Please…?" Rei hoped she didn't sound like she was begging.

"Well, I've already lost Mayu. Mio is in a coma, she doesn't have much longer before this curse takes her too. I will continue. Um…Is it okay if I pay my respects to Yuu soon? I'd like to say goodbye to him." Rei felt excited. This was her chance to get him to come over to her house without asking herself. "Yes! Please that would be nice."

"Okay, thank you Rei, and I'm sorry about your loss. Take care."

"Bye…" Rei hung up the phone. Maybe she had more of a chance than what she thought…

Night had fallen, and Rei had decided that she needed a nice hot shower. The rain had slowed to a drizzle that day, and Miku had just decided to order Japanese take-out instead of cooking. Rei stepped into her large marble shower and started the water. It began steaming instantly, and Rei sighed as the hot water hit her cold skin. She heard a soft scraping sound, but just merely kept enjoying her shower. But then she heard it again, this time louder. She turned toward the glass door of the shower. "Miku…?" She said softly. Suddenly, a face came into view in the fogged up glass. It was the woman with the gouged out eyes, and her mouth was open in a silent scream. She brought her needle impaled hand up to the glass, and brought it down creating a terrible scratching sound, like nails on a chalkboard. Rei backed up a bit-

-and the glass door suddenly flew open, and a breeze killed the warmness of the shower. Rei slipped in the water and fell hard on her bottom, creating a spine-tingling sensation up her back. She wailed in a cry of pain. The spirit had gone, but the cold breeze lingered. Suddenly, a hot shower wasn't too appealing. Rei quickly got dressed and headed up to bed. As she opened her door she felt a presence. She walked slowly toward her bed, feeling panicky. Then she saw it. It was only visible for a split second. A ghostly white hand was resting halfway from underneath her bed. It disappeared once she saw it. She took a quick leap and landed in her bed, pulling the covers high over her head. Could she really go to sleep now after seeing that…?

Mio was ready to lose it. Her sanity was slowly slipping away. She just wanted to be with Mayu once more. Maybe if she could get close enough she could bring Mayu back, to forget the Crimson Ritual and just be together again. Mio would follow Mayu…

…all the way to the very end.