Disclaimer

Please read: I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the first, second, and third Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Twelve

The Defacement Ritual

"I bear the marks around my neck,

I bear them on my wrists and heart,

But the worst sign of all is the one showing me that you're…"

The second floor didn't seem all too busy. Upon climbing the stairs there is a straight path a head of me, two doors on my left, and just a rotting wood wall on my right. I enter the first door on my left. As soon as I enter I see thousands of dolls covering the walls everywhere. A few had fallen to the ground, but that isn't what made any of them special. What make them special is how they are dressed. They are look like me. Even the hair is like mine. Slightly freaked out, I really want to leave, but something catches my eye. Propped against the far, right-hand corner wall is a small book. It looks like another yellow rose book. I head over to it and pick it up. Sure enough, it has the yellow cover with the pink roses all over it. The other ones I have read talk about Nina and Kazua. These must have been written by Kaname. I start to read this one.

Yellow Rose Book 3:"I can't take it anymore. I was keeping a diary, but I lost it. I'm loosing everything…! Including my mind… I don't understand what's happening to me. I think… I think someone's trying to kill me! 1/3 Nina keeps waking up in the middle of night… She keeps heading to the altar room. Everyday her rash is worse and worse. She says it doesn't bother her. 'It just stings when I wake up,' She tells me. I can tell it hurts. If there isn't any pain, then why does she cry every night? 2/3 I'm starting to have those dreams, too… Blood… I keep seeing the blood falling from the Red Maiden's eye… And her rose… Why is she holding that rose…? It's white… so white… Like her face… I can't keep the read from my head anymore…3/3"

As I read the last line, a growling hum said it with me. It is closer than you think. I peer over my shoulder to see Kaname's spirit looking straight at me. Something isn't right about her ghost. She's wearing a white, blood-stained gown, no shoes, a bleeding face with the word 'Endless' etched on her forehead, and her neck is broken and tilting to the side with a worn rope around it. Kaname… What did they do to you…? I'm pretty much only an inch from her transparent face. I stare deep into her purple, pale eyes. I try to see something, anything! The harder I try to see the human still left in Kaname, the less I actually feel her harmful grip around my throat. I can easily reach down for my camera and take a shot of her, repelling her away, and then repeating the process until her spirit fades, but I don't. For some reason, I cannot feel like hurting her. She isn't a ghost, I tell myself. No, wait, she is! Exorcise her spirit! Look, she's hurting you! She's killing you! Take a picture! Take it…!

"No…" Nina squeaks from nowhere. "No, I don't want to play that game." As Kaname slowly drains the life from me, I can hear Nina Tanaka's voice coming and going; fading and returning. I try to see the memories in Kaname's eyes. If she has them, then she's real. She's still a part of this world. She's still a little bit human somewhere. "I told daddy that it hurts when he takes the beads and puts them here…! Around my neck…!" I glance deeper into Kaname's purple orbs of sight. I long to get at least once twitch of sorrow, pain, discomfort, anything that indicates she can hear Nina, too. I'm not imagining Nina's voice. Kaname is. She's telling me what she heard. And showing me what she saw; is this what happened?

"He says it's to protect me from the bad people! But, I don't see any bad people, Kaname!" I catch the glimpse of Nina and Kaname in black and white. They appear to be talking in Kaname's room or someplace like that. "It's getting worse…" Kaname whispers to Nina as she rubs the small girl's red arms. Nina pulls away. "I'll be fine. Daddy says prayer will make it go away." The next image goes to Kaname looking through books and texts. She mumbles on about the red marks, the dreams, and so on. She appears to be searching for something. All of a sudden a door creaks open and a man's tall shadow forms over her. She slowly looks up. Things are quiet between both of them. In a split second, Kaname screams, a loud thud happens, and everything is pitch black.

"Just pray… Just pray for me, Kaname…" Nina groans. Kaname's eyes open to the bloody sight of Nina's body. Her own blood spews out from underneath her. She can feel something wet and warm in her hand… It's a knife…! "No, I wouldn't!" The next scene shows Kaname yelling at villagers awaiting her to be punished. They appear to be arguing in the graveyard near a hanging tree. Kazua shouts at her insanely, "You killed my Nina, and tried to take your own life! You're a murderer! And now you want us to spare you? HOW CAN I EVER GET BACK WHAT YOU TOOK AWAY FROM ME!" Kaname looks down at her feet. A cold rain starts to downpour. Her eyes wander around aimlessly. She skims over the villagers. They all want me dead, she thinks to herself. They want to see the blood drained from my body. "I did…?" Kaname responds in confusion.

Kazua looks over to a veiled man holding a rope. He doesn't look like a priest. He simply wears a black veil and cloth-like robe. He has strange tattoos all over his body. They look like black and red ink designed like panthers, eagles, and snakes. Kaname takes a deep breath as the rope is around her. When her eyes close, my sight goes black. There is a strange "hanging" noise and the villagers cheer in happiness. The next sight I see is of Kaname's body being dropped into a flowing river of red, and it being carried away, falling off into darkness and a bloody tear falling after her. The images cut to the beautifully dressed women standing face-to-face with their white roses. The bright light at their side makes it impossible to see their faces now. "I'll always remember you…" One says to the other. She responds with, "I'm not going anywhere." They both smile. The first one speaks again, "I mean it. I promise to always remember who you are; name and face. I love you." The bright light engulfs the images and I'm back with me again in the doll room. Kaname's spirit isn't choking me anymore, but I do hear a very low, grumbling female say to me, "You—promised!"

The sensor on the camera starts to go haywire. I look through the lens because I can't see any ghosts anywhere in this room. As soon as I look through it, the dolls are moving back and forth, almost like a teasing dance. I can hear them laughing and laughing. Why? Why are they laughing? What's so funny? I try snapping some pictures to make them stop, but it doesn't work. I try to leave the room, but that isn't going to happen either. Suddenly Nina Tanaka's spirit appears in the corner where I found the yellow rose book. She's huddled up and crying. I aim the camera at her and it says she's a harmful ghost. Do I really have to…? I take a picture as soon as it looks to me she's getting to her feet and on her way to hurt me. She winces a bit, but she's not stopping. Kaname's spirit stands up with some struggle and keeps pursuing me.

I move back at times when she gets too close, and when she vanishes I run around aimlessly with my camera at the ready. I never know when she will reappear or sneak up behind me. Kaname's spirit has something wrong with her left hand, I notice just before she goes to grab me and I snap a picture of her. Something just does not look right about it. Unlike the other "broken neck" ghosts, Kaname's left hand appears to have a stake in it. Blood is coming down from her wounded palm. It also seems like she has tiny needles pinned all the way up her left arm. This is beyond strange. Don't tell me there's another twist to this place's customs! I try to have a distance between Kaname and myself. I continuously use my camera on her whenever I get the chance. After one of the longest battles of cat and mouse, Kaname's spirit jerks back and forth while she's reaching for her throat like she's having tough difficulty breathing. "All the water… this red won't get off of me… I didn't hurt anyone…!" Kaname groans as her spirit fades away. A stone and two brown books are left where she was.

The Red Child Tome: "It is considered one of the greatest honors to have a Red Child in your family. A Red Child, by ancient accounts, are babies born under the goddess' choice. In other words, the goddess selects what babies at birth will have the privileges a Red Child has. 1/3 These privileges are the ability to communicate directly with the goddess herself. Prayers from regular people are sent into the dreams and minds of a Red Child, where they in turn, pass them onto the goddess. However, many people believe the Red Child has the choice whether or not to deem the prayers worthy of the goddess. 2/3 A lot of Red Children belong to a church or a religious shrine, but there hasn't been a Red Child born for centuries. It is believed this was a result of the Blood-Dream…3/3" (the rest is missing)

The Red Prayers Tome: "Prayers that can only be made by a Red Child. These go immediately to his or her goddess and are considered highly regarded amongst the church and the shrine of a village. But there is a dark side to these prayers. It has been known that sometimes Red Children aren't as holy as the goddess intended. They may abuse their powers, and upon angering requests, and thoughtless sins, the goddess may in return punish those she has felt betrayed her. It is a massacre of the village and its people, manipulating minds, entering dreams, and using impure situations on our world to create her own darkness upon us all. It has occurred only once by…1/1" (the rest is missing here as well)

Gold-Sparkled Gem: (Kaname's voice, scared, a little confused, ceremony chant in background, yelling): "I didn't kill anyone. They tell me I killed her. But I know I couldn't have. I'm not like that. It wasn't me. I'm not the killer… … Everyone tells me I did it… telling me I murdered her in cold blood… I loved Nina. I would never… (Kaname's voice warps a little, an angrier growling voice speaks with her): It's not me. (Background is quiet): It doesn't have to be like this."

I pause in silence. Kaname is accused of killing Nina? But… I saw it; in the "dream." Kaname was stabbed, too. She was killed then, wasn't she? I hear a noise is the next room over. I leave the doll room and head to the left of the hall and to the next door. I press my ear against it, trying to hear what may be in there. It sounds like whispering. It can't be Kaname. Her voice is softer. This woman sounds like the growling voice I heard on the stone; that I keep hearing throughout this place. I try to be very careful not to disturb whoever is in there as I crack the door and peek in. I can see her bare feet. She's wearing a kimono much like Nanako's. I open the door farther. It looks like it might be Nanako Ohnishi! As I step in a bit to get a closer look, the floor makes a noise beneath my foot. She perks up and looks quickly around. It has to be Nanako, but this time her face isn't that obstructed! I get the very short peek at the side of her face. What's wrong with it! There are red lines—like veins, all over it and her eyes are gone! Her complexion is a mixture of pale blue and white. Blood drips down in thin streams from her missing eyes. I get the flash image of the bloody tear falling into the blackness, and then it shows a bloody tear falling onto the rose. Nanako…? Nanako was one of the girls I had seen dressed up? The moment I come to, she's gone. There's nothing left in this room. I leave thinking to myself… If Nanako Ohnishi is one of the dressed up girls… who is the other? It isn't Jun Okura or Mika Aragaki. They both had a hand in the massacre of the village. Was it…?

There are some heavy steps from around the corner that turns to the right. I get the sudden sense that this way leads to Kaname's bedroom. An overwhelming emotion of tender and caring love, two coveting hearts bounded into one, and soft spoken-lullabies all twisted into an ending of the ugliest despair and most painful deceit ever known to mankind. While drowning in these hurtful feelings as I turn the corner to Kaname's bedroom, I run into Dagan—literally. He looks down at me with frustration across his face. I ask him what he is doing here. I thought he was going to check out the other village. He shakes his head. He tells me there is no way over there, not with the cemetery there.

"It's like… something in there is keeping anything from heading that way… too bad it's locked. I'd really like to know what's over there…" Dagon sighs. I show him the photo of the door and the roses. He nods fast. "Yeah, yeah… I know… I read all about it when I was little. It's an old tradition in these parts. The cemetery is locked with a seal that only the head priest can unlock. He's the only one allowed to know. This keeps grave-robbers and over grieving loved ones from the tombstones and hanging trees. You may have found those roses, but there's no way of getting the others; not with the other part of the village sealed off."

I don't think that makes much sense, so I question him on it. "If that's the case, I wouldn't still be alive. Dagon… she's had the chance to kill me… so many times… but she's keeping me alive… She wants me to help her. She's showing me where to go; they all are. They want to be free. They want their stories told. It's up to me to let them rest. They need to sleep, Dagon."

He hands me an ancient text book. "Whatever the reason you're still alive, there's always a chance you'll die here. I found this book near the cemetery. It was halfway buried in the dirt. There were marks like someone had been trying to dig it up before I found it. It'll probably mean a lot more to you than it does to me. It'll help you out, if information on the ritual is what you're looking for." I excitedly grab the book from his hands. He leaves me to it and waves off. "It's useless to try and get into that room. It won't open." He refers to Kaname's bedroom. "I'm off to look for more clues. If I find any roses, I'll let you know."

The Defacement Ritual: "A ritual takes place in a village hidden deep within woods and in the shadow of another village. It is hardly known to any scholar, no matter how highly regarded or worldly studies they have under their belts. It has been very difficult to find any record or information on such a ritual. However, reports from people trapped inside the overshadowed village have been discovered. Most are through radio transmissions and written notes that have blown through the wind. 1/5 the only information I could gather on this ritual is as follows: the Defacement Ritual, a ritual known to many ancient peoples as "The Ritual To Remove A Face," or "Without A Name." When telling of someone who is to become a victim sacrificed in such a ritual, the ancient people would say, "They are to be Defaced," "They are to exist without a name," "She must give up her face," or even, "She will be skewered, skinned, and taken from her place." It is written in scrolls that this is actually meant to be a religious ceremony with unfortunate sacrificial consequences. 2/5 As with most religions, it is believed that a higher being, or higher power, is responsible for life existing. The religion in this region also believes that has humans, since we possess intelligence and self-awareness beyond other creatures, we are "chosen" and lucky, and we should respect and revere our God, or in this case, Goddess. If one is to commit one or more sin against the Goddess, they are to suffer the ritual. And since the beliefs listed above are summed up as: "She Gives Us Life, Let Us Live It For Her, As Her. If One Is To Go Astray, Let Us Take Back What Was Given," the life, or 'face,' of the one who sinned must be 'removed.' 3/5 Although it is clear why the ritual is performed (sins against the Goddess) and the meaning behind the ritual (humans are fortunate they exist because the Goddess chose them to be, so if one go against her, they must give up their "face"), it is not clear what actually occurs during this ritual. There are two different legends that detail what might actually happen. They differ is how the sinner is Defaced. One basically claims the sinner sacrifices themselves, while the second claims it is done by others because, as a sinner, they aren't even worthy enough to offer themselves back to the Goddess to which they have sinned against. 4/5 I am so fascinated with this region, its religion, and the unknown ritual, that I must go see it all for myself. I know the dangers. I am aware that most are "spirited away," or vanish, when entering any sacred village, but I must risk it. I will leave this behind for others to see. Perhaps with enough findings and pieces of information, we can finally figure out the ghostly and grisly curses that lie within the villages and put it all to sleep-once and for all. 5/5

I smile. It makes sense to me now; this whole ritual. It explains why the priests were so picky on what people were doing and what sins they have committed. If I understand the ritual that took place here, then I can get out! A scratching noise comes at Kaname's door. As I turn around to see what is there, I become face-to-face with Mika Aragaki. No, wait… She looks like Mika Aragaki, but her clothes… They are different. She's wearing a light blue kimono with pink floral designs up the left half. On her feet are brown sandals. Is she…? Is she… "Miaka…" I whisper, about to lightly touch her face. She grabs my wrist and looks deep into my eyes. I don't get any visions in my head, but I can see images in her pupils. It looks like Jun Okura and Nanako Ohnishi holding hands and talking. It shows Mika Aragaki consoling Miaka Aragaki, who has watched them. She's crying…? Something looks like Mika Aragaki talking with Nanako near the edge of the village. It's mid day as they walk off deep into the woods. At night Mika returns—alone. The images cut to Miaka dressing as Nanako. And Jun Okura and "Nanako" holding hands and talking. Mika watches with a smile. Miaka's grip tightens as the images in her eyes seem to get "red." Is it a glare? I keep watching as it appears a bloodied hand grabs Mika Aragaki by the shoulder. Now it shows Noriko running to the Tanaka house… Miaka lets go of me. A piece of paper is where she was.

Miaka's Confession: "I just wanted to love you. She never loved you more than me… Why won't you understand that? She doesn't deserve you. She had to go, Jun. With her still here, you wouldn't have noticed me… not the way I noticed you…Jun, I asked you to dress like me so we wouldn't be discovered. I did it for you! Why don't you love me? Why do you still say her name? Just once… Please, just once… say you love me…say MY name… Notice me… see my face…"

"She was taken over by the Adrianna… the marks on her… scolding me… killing herself, taking me away… I watched them slaughter everyone…" I hear Kaname's voice talking about Nina. It reminds me of the first yellow rose book I received (Chapter 3 reference). The last page is cut short. It started to mention that Nina had been taken over by the A—and that was it. Adrianna…? That's the first I've heard of that name before. Is it another daughter? It doesn't sound like it's a part of this region. Also, the fact that it's put like "the Adrianna" makes me wonder even more. Is it a curse? I look around me, but there's no indication of a spirit anywhere. I can still hear some scratching behind Kaname's bedroom door. It sounds like more conversation. Is… Is Kaname behind there…? Is she trapped!

"Jun…" Kaname's voice is weepy and fades in and out. "Jun Ok—kura found Nanako… N-Nanako… resting in the woods… under the water…" As I approach the door and kneel to it, I get the black and white images of Jun Okura stumbling upon Nanako's limp body. The Ohnishi girl is floating lifelessly on the surface of a stream; the stream I washed my face with (Chapter 1 reference). Nanako's blood drips and falls into the water as Jun pull out her body and sobs heavily. The blood droplets falling into the water quickly morph into the ones I see down the white cheeks, and the ones that fall into the blackness. "I saw her… rampage… killing… spilling… causing the curse… giving us the goddess' pain… Giving forth our bloodless faces… dieing… I… I-I… I saw it…" It looks like in the images that Jun Okura in her silver kimono, puts on the black wig to make her look like Miaka Aragaki. However, the villagers mistaken her for Miaka's sister, Mika, because Jun often called out against Miaka. She slaughters and destroys the village. Blood covers her silver kimono. After she has slaughtered most of the village, she takes off the black wig, discarding it down a well along with the bloody kimono. That reminds me… I fell on a bloody kimono down a well (Chapter 2-3 reference). Jun has killed the remainder of her family. She's killed off everyone. She's alone. Jun's hands bleed from the destruction of a projector and a room as she grieves (Chapter 3 reference). "I want them back," Jun sobs. "The Adrianna… a grieving curse… An aftermath of the Defacement Ritual… Tanaka, he… He didn't want the outsiders knowing…The… The entire village… swallowed by the pain and suffering from every Defaced. I… I saw it in my dreams… Nina… she saw it, too…I-I-I…I tried to tell everyone… Kill the woman… Kill the woman in the lighthouse… If you kill her, the Adrianna curse won't happen… kill her…" Kaname's voice gets very weak and seems to fade. The scratching stops. Suddenly, a loud stomp and Kaname's scream comes from the other side of the door. I gasp and fall backwards. The camera's sensor function goes crazy and my heart races.

"I couldn't kill you." A growling comes from behind me. I freeze and look around. I am face to face with… her. It's her! I recognize her! I can see her pale brown eyes, black, long and sleek hair, and that voice… No, not that one; it's usually softer. Why…? Why is she so angry? Wait… why is she calling me that…? That's not my name, is it? It's me…?

"Brianna… Your sister wants to see you…"

End

Chapter Twelve

Any and all reviews welcomed!

I will revise if needed!

Next time: Knew You

Thank you!

Author's Note

At the end of chapter 11, it stated this one was to be called "Mirror, Mirror." I had to make some creative changes. I hope the ritual is coming to light for you. I tried to make the text on it, not too cheesy and cliché, but still informative enough. Now, since the beginning of this fiction, I have mentioned "dream like" things as well as certain "sharp pains." I based this fiction solely on all of the Fatal Frame's, however when I started this one, FF3 was still just a rumor mill, so I took from the rumors and made it what it is. Now that I've beaten the game (happened when this chapter was halfway finished) I can expand that part of the plot. There WILL BE a sequel. This fiction won't detail everything. It will, however, continue with previous subplots (Jun/Nanako, Kaname/Nina, etc), but Gerald Hemmingway's story will take place more in the sequel. I will say this, don't expect all the loose ends to tie together. Mika/Miaka, and the rest of the Aragaki family are pretty much loose ends. The basic story was naturally solved, but the daughters are a complex pair.

However, I want to warn you about the next chapter. It might piss someone off. Haha. No, really. It's going to twist a lot of things around. I apologize for that, but it'll let the main character get in touch with who she is. (She has been a mystery since the story began). I just wanted to warn you.

I honestly believe it might be the most helpful chapter, hehe. But, we'll see.