KusabiMakabe: "Alrighty! Chapter eight is here…complete with the Hidden Ceremony!"
Seijiro: "Can I take my camera with me?"
KusabiMakabe: "Uh, I don't know…what does it say in the script?"
Masumi: "It says that I find it at the Kurosawa Mansion and take it back to the Osaka House before I die. Hey, why aren't I in this story, anyway?"
KusabiMakabe: (sweatdrop)
Masumi: "Wha- I'm not in it either! YOU IDIOT!" (Smacks KusabiMakabe with Black Bag).
KusabiMakabe: "You get your own story later!"
Seijiro: "Stop it!" (Morphs into Rope Man)
Ryokan: "Oh, yeah?" (Morphs into Mummy Attack Phase)
KusabiMakabe: (clutches forehead) "Guys…"
Yeah, that was pretty random...I hope you enjoyed that little dose of humor. By the way, Masumi and Miyako really won't be in this story, although I intend to write one for them later…just so's ya know.
He only had one chance. One chance to get out while the Veiled Priests were gone at the Hidden Ceremony.
Itsuki took a deep breath and walked into the Kurosawa House. He had been let out shortly after Makabe-san's capture – after all, how could he foil their plan now? Of course, they didn't expect him to steal Yae and Sae away…
The twins met him at the entrance. Sae had tears rolling down her face and Yae had an air of grim determination. He knew how hard this must be for them…but he also knew that they needed to be saved. Especially since they, unlike so many others, actually wanted to get out of this…hellhole…
Together they left the house and left for Kureha Shrine.
Is it really worth this?
Seijiro hung limply from the contraption at the top of the hexagonal room. The Cutting Chamber. It hurt so badly, his body was covered in gashes, he arm was falling off, and the ropes were so tight…
Is seeing Hell itself really worth this?
He looked down at the Veiled Priests below him. The Ceremony Master stared back up at him with a masked expression.
He's sorry…and yet, is he? He doesn't want to…but he's very willing to. I wish I could have published my notes…they were so…interesting…
He held himself together through sheer willpower. He needed to survive to see this portal to Hell. He needed to see it. He needed to see the source of whatever being possessed the drooling little girl standing behind Kurosawa-san…
I am what I have researched for so long…I am…folklore…
"You go on without me."
Itsuki had led them out. The twins finally had their freedom, as long as the villagers didn't find them now.
Yae looked to her sister. Sae seemed strong enough right now. At least ready enough to not stop and have second thought during the escape. As for her, all she needed was to get away from that place.
"Don't look back!" Itsuki called as they began to run.
They ran for several minutes. Sae had to struggle to stay caught up with her stronger sister. One time Sae called to her, asking her to slow down, but Yae merely told her to speed up.
The ran for so long…Sae caught a few strange glimpses of something. A little girl that looked just like Yae when she was five…
She kept running. She had to keep running. If she stopped Yae would leave her. She almost started crying again at the mere thought.
What if she leaves me behind? What if she-
She heard a slipping noise. For a second she wondered what happened, and then she knew; she had stepped on an uneven part of the path.
Sae tipped to her right and slid down the mountain path.
Y…
A door opening. It's creaky, so it must be the Tachibana one.
Yae…
"Have you found her?"
"No. She must have escaped by now…"
Yae…
Dim light. Leg…it hurt so much…
"How are we supposed to have the Sacrifice without the other?"
Yae!
Sae's body suddenly awoke. Her head shot up and she took in her surroundings. It was the foyer of the Tachibana House, all right.
"Itsuki!" she screamed.
The villagers stared at her. One of them let out a deep sigh.
"You're awake…" He stepped forward. "Come. We need to show you something."
They took her to the storehouse. The head villager turned to Sae and gave her a sad look. "I'm sorry," he said.
They opened the doors and Sae let out an enormous scream.
At first, she didn't believe what she was seeing. Itsuki – he couldn't have. He had lived for so long…
But it was true. Itsuki Tachibana had hung himself.
She fell over. Why wouldn't she? Her sister was gone, and her best friend was dead. Oh, she should have known he would do it once they were gone
Sweet release
They never should have run away. It was all their fault for running away.
She hands close around her arms. She tried to shake them off, but it was no use. The head villager started towards the doors to close them again.
A high-pitched shriek filled the air. Everyone turned toward the newcomer, wondering who else was there…
Chitose.
There were ten seconds of silence, and then Chitose began screaming.
"YAE! IT WAS YAE! YAE KILLED MY BROTHER!"
Tow of the villagers went to the girl and lifted her up. She flailed about, the bells around her neck chiming constantly.
Sae closed her eyes.
It's all our fault…
Seijiro had lost all of his senses by now. He knew he was being carried somewhere, but outside of that he couldn't tell anything. Even the pain was vanishing.
His sight began to return eventually. He looked around at his demolished body. So many cuts…so much blood…
"Am…"
Ryokan looked at him.
"Am I…a good…Kusabi?"
Ryokan began to laugh; specifically, he laughed and cried at the same time.
"Yes, Makabe-san. You are a good Kusabi."
Seijiro smiled.
They stopped. Seijiro slowly turned his head.
And saw.
It…it's just what I thought it would be…
Ryokan carried him to the edge of the Abyss. Seijiro wasn't sure, but he thought that he felt a small embrace from the Ceremony Master.
And then he was falling.
An hour later, Sae was brought into the chamber where Seijiro Makabe had been tortured earlier that night. She looked around at all the blood
It's our fault for running away
and then looked at the ceiling. Suspended from it was a crimson rope.
She stepped forward.
"Yae…"
They placed her in the noose and let her fall. What her sister should have been doing to her a rope was doing instead.
Yae…
Could she still save the village? Could she still appease the Abyss?
Could she still become a butterfly?
You'll come for me, Yae.
I know you will.
Ryokan looked at his daughter's corpse. The red mark on her neck had not come from her twin's hands…and that fact was somehow worse than the fact of her death. He felt his own neck. The red mark that he had borne since his own Crimson Sacrifice…
"Sae…please…save our village."
He picked her body up and threw her into the Abyss.
And, one minute later, she came back out.
So? You like? You hate? Review!
I know that that chapter was a bit disjointed, but there were so many things to go over…the next one will probably be a little crazy, too. Oh, well. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. Oh, and I don't think that Ryokan was actually the person who threw her into the Abyss, but I thought I'd take a liberty there since that would be a little more emotional…
Valete (Which is Latin for good-bye)!