Crimson Butterfly
A Fatal Frame Fanfiction
By Chendzee'a Li
www.chendzeea_li@hotmail.com
All characters belong to Tecmo.
Chapter 4
Kusabi
The courtyard was oppressive in size but not nearly so much as the house. The estate was built on a small island in the styles of old. The building looked far more like a Shinto temple than a house. The courtyard shrouded in mist was illuminated by several ornate oil lamps that their job only marginally. Looking towards the house and judging by the size, Mio assumed the place belonged to the most powerful family in the village. Fitting then she surmised, that it was probably the home to the ceremony master that the strange young man had mentioned. Looking around she spotted a plaque by the gate denoting that the house belonged to a family by the name of Kurosawa.
Through the thick mists, the sound of many footsteps caught Mio's attention and she walked forward warily. Ahead, barely visible she was both thrilled and horrified to spot Mayu. She was entering the building through the main door and on either side of her walked a quartet of tall ghostly figures. Each figure wore long crimson robes and carried a long staff adorned with dual chimes that sounded with each step. Within seconds the precession entered the building and shut the door behind them.
"Mayu!" Mio shouted, rushing frantically after them. She'd made it halfway across the courtyard when a manic, shrill, female laughter echoed through the darkness. Mio skidded to a halt as a young woman appeared before her; a woman dressed in a white, bloodstained kimono. Tossing her head back the girl laughed insanely then vanished without a trace.
Stiffening, Mayu glanced around nervously waiting for her to reappear. When no attack came, Mio hurried towards the front door; it was heavy and creaked loudly as she opened it. A dull gasp of air billowed out from the bowels of the house as she entered. It stank with such a stench of decay and death that Mio at once wanted nothing more than to run away and never look back. The notion was as absurd as it was fleeting, bringing Mayu's face to mind she stepped forward. Something caught her eye, obscured by the shattered, bloodstained tapestries and broken lattices. A face, peering out at her. Mio's eyes widened and she back stepped. Her flashlight flickered.
"Oh no…" She mumbled tapping it lightly. "Not now…"
Between flickers, she caught brief glimpses of figures in the darkness. Blinking in and out with the light they moved purposefully closer, visions of the long dead. Panicked, Mio turned towards the door only to have it slam in her face, then with one last flicker, the flashlight died.
"Not now…" Mio repeated but her plea was ignored. Alone in the darkness, she had only the sound of her own frantic breathing to keep her. That, and whatever horror dwelled her. Overwhelmed, she nearly fainted. She hated this place, hated it more than anything she'd ever seen. Something hung over the house, more so than any other place in the village and she knew that whatever it was, it would kill her. Looking longingly back towards the front door she closed her eyes trying to dispel her weakness.
"Mayu…" She whimpered softly then turned back to peer into the inky depths of the house. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, taking what they could from the moonlight streaming through cracks and windows. The place was a shambles. Furniture and debris was scattered about haphazardly while a thick layer of dust and cobwebs coated everything. Hanging tapestries hung in tatters from the ceiling blocking her view in places but she did notice dark stains on the walls, splatters and streaks of what could only be blood. She tried to ignore the grim thoughts in her mind and focused on a small set of stairs leading deeper into the house. Taking them one at a time she ventured onward.
"The twins who will become the sacrifice have returned…." A ghostly voice chanted behind her. Spinning around so fast that she nearly tripped Mio saw a figure behind her. It was one of the robed men, getting a better view of him she saw that he wore a small headpiece, from which a hung a cloth that totally shrouded his face.
"No!" Mio said defiantly, raising the camera. Before she could use it however, the ghost simply vanished. The word: sacrifice, crept into her mind and promptly snuffed out her meager resolve.
"No…" She repeated, trying to find her strength.
"What if she's dead?" A thought crept into her mind.
"No…" She whimpered again.
"Then we could both die if I go on." A black, shameful feeling washed over her as she realized she was trying to rationalize a reason to leave.
She choked, nearly collapsing into tears. At that moment she hated herself completely. Biting her lip, she denied her cowardliness and continued on with tears in her eyes.
"Mayu…" She cried weakly then stumbled forward. "I'll find you… I promise."
******************
The house was large, a sprawl of twists and turns that only heightened her fear, she could easily imagine the place shifting behind her like a living thing, sealing hallways and blocking her escape.
"The Kusabi is coming…!" A ghostly voice whispered, it's tone fearful.
Mio didn't want to know and tried to ignore it. Seeking comfort, she worriedly fingered the pendant Mayu dropped. Upon contact she staggered, as a new vision appeared. It was Mayu, standing confused and alone in a moonlit hallway.
"Mayu…" Mio whispered, fully entranced. Oblivious, Mayu moved forward, further up the hall. As she did so, a trio of apparitions rounded the corner. In terror, the trio tripped over each other trying to escape some unknown horror. Ignoring Mayu completely they ran past and vanished.
"The ritual…" Mayu whispered. "Don't leave me…."
Slowly Mayu turned the corner from which the ghosts had fled. A large door lay open waiting for her and from beyond it shone an otherworldly light. Compelled to enter, Mayu limped inside. The ruins of a large sitting room lay before her. The ceiling had collapsed in places partially burying the large sunken fireplace at the heart of the chamber. Standing amid the rubble, surrounded by crimson butterflies was the woman in the blood stained Kimono. Laughing maniacally, the young woman seemed oblivious to Mayu's presence.
In a flash the vision was over and Mio fell back against a wall. The sound of the woman's laughter still echoed in her ears taunting her briefly before fading. The vision fueled her resolve and spurned her onward with a new fire. Moving quickly, she searched room by room until finally, she saw something familiar. It was the hallway Mayu had passed through in the vision. Moonlight filtered into the darkened walkway casting long shadows that crawled along the wall. Bloodstains covered the wooden floors but Mio took some comfort in the fact that they were in no way recent.
As she moved onward, she noticed one of the shadows shimmering slightly in the darkness. Pausing, she raised the camera, she was no fool and wasn't about to poke her nose into the unknown. As if enraged by her common sense a figure burst from the shadow. A man, tall and imposing, he lumbered towards her, smoke trailing his ghostly form. The spirit was hideous to behold, its body torn and covered in vicious gouges and slashes. Its face, a terrible ruin, was in worse shape. It's jaw hung agape, dislocated, while one eye bulged wetly from its socket.
The sheer hideousness of the apparition made Mio want to vomit. Her stomach roiling she nearly dropped the camera. Quickly regaining her control, she stepped backwards in order to avoid the creature's wild lunge. Off balance, the thing looked up at her and gurgled incoherently. Mio clicked the shutter and the camera fired. To her surprise, the phantom recoiled but remained standing. Concerned, Mio moved further down the hall to put some distance between them. The ghost seemed unable to manage anything more than a slow lumbering gait, for that Mio was thankful and brought the camera to bear once more. This time, the flash had the desired effect and the spirit collapsed to its knees.
"I'm sorry…" It muttered pitifully then vanished.
Mio stared at the spot curiously, something didn't seem right.
"My arms!" A woman screamed in terror behind her. Mio turned in fright only to come face to face with a horribly mutilated woman. Lunging forward the woman passed clean through her. Mio gasped in pain as the unimaginable cold surged through her. Staggering, she lost all strength and stumbled against the wall.
"The Kusabi…!" The apparition cried out, collapsing to its knees. Looking up through pain blurred eyes; Mio saw that woman's arms were severed at the elbow leaving behind ruined stumps. Like the male ghost before, this entity was just as mutilated, if not more so.
The horrifying visage of the spirit actually aided Mio as it prompted a surge of adrenaline that quickly brought her back to her senses. Weakened by the attack, she found herself barely able to move. The ghost too, seemed to be having trouble and remained kneeling on the floor wailing wildly. With deliberate focus, Mio took the opportunity to raise the camera. Taking aim she clicked the shutter only to have the ghost vanish without a sound.
Mio stood motionless with a wide-eyed gaze.
"That was too easy…." She thought worriedly. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. Spinning around, she brought the camera up. Nothing was there. Unnerved, she turned to get out of the hallway. The ghost screamed in her face and lunged. Caught completely off guard, Mio screamed herself and brought the camera up more out of reflex that conscious thought. Hammering on the shutter button, the camera fire once, then twice and finally a third time. The trio of flashes flung the phantom back up the hall where it howled in pain before vanishing in a blur of red streaked light. Startled and confused by the rapid series of events, Mio just stared blankly trying to convince herself that she was still alive. The whir of the camera seemed to confirm the notion and she finally allowed herself to breathe.
Examining the camera, she noticed some of the ruins marking the camera flickered with a dull blue light then faded. Mio hoped the device still worked, it felt hot in her hands and that worried her. However, her primary concern was Mayu, and without a second thought, she hurried up the hall as fast as she could. The encounter with the ghosts left her tired, sore and hungry. Her movements were labored and stiff but she managed to make her way. Rounding the corner at the end of the hall she encountered a large door. An insane, female laugh echoed from beyond the door then faded. Mio paused, her hand trembling. Again the thought of flight crossed her mind, but she battered it away and pulled the door open. Inside she saw the remnants of a large chamber and at its heart sat sunken fireplace surrounded by wooden lattices. The chamber was dark as pitch making it hard to see and the only illumination was a dim otherworldly glow coming from the fire pit. Mio stepped further into the room this is where Mayu had gone, she was sure of it.
"Mayu!" She called out hopefully. Moving deeper into the room it became harder to see. Mio's blood began to chill as a feeling washed over her. Something was wrong, very wrong. Her heart began to hammer in her chest she could feel something coming. Her foot hit something in the darkness tripping her. Stumbling, she nearly fell but caught herself on the lattice. Looking down, she screamed at what accosted her eyes. Bodies, scores of them, all torn and mutilated. Their blood forming ankle deep pools in the recesses formed by spilled entrails. Mio heaved, her eyes bulging in horror.
The room filled with a bright, iridescent light, showing the true extent of the carnage. Mio was certain the bodies weren't here when she entered the room. Not that it mattered; they were here now and were everywhere. Loosing all reason she staggered backward. Her footing was treacherous as she stepped on organs and stumbling on severed, the ground was slick with it. Screaming again in hopes to banish the horror she turned to flee. Insane laughter filled the room and at its heart a woman appeared standing atop a mound of bodies. She was young, in her teens. Dressed in a white kimono drenched in blood the girl was a vision of terror. Mio backed away from her as she looked up. The woman's eyes were shadowed by the fall of her hair but her thin lips curled into a wild smile. Her throat was red and saved by what looked like rope burns. Cackling, the girl spread her arms and the room began to shake. At that moment, one of the corpses littering the ground grabbed Mio's ankle. With a shout of surprise, she kicked and screamed in hopes of jarring it loose.
"Help me…!" The corpse gurgled, blood spewing from his mouth. "The Kusabi!" It whispered, going into spasms. An earsplitting shriek filled the air and a horror bore from hell rose from the floor beside the insane girl. Huge, the phantom was a vision Mio would see in her nightmares until her final days. More mist than anything the massive spirit towered over her. Its head was a mummified skull trailing a billowing mane of white hair with the hollow pits of its eyes roiling with black smoke. From it's broken lips and rotted teeth wailed the eternal scream of the damned. Shrouded in ruined white robes the entity was bound in biting ropes locking one of it's arms to it's side while it's lower body faded into white fog. Its free arm was kept close to the body, its fingers flexing eagerly as it approached. Casually the thing reached out and swiped at the body clutching Mio's ankle. The body corrupted at the touch, immediately boiling over with maggots and a stinking foulness.
Mio nearly wet herself, free and insane with fear, she charged headlong for the nearest door. Behind her, the giant ghost raged and screamed while the phantom woman laughed. Mio leapt out of the room and crashed headlong into a railing.
"Everyone is dead… why did you run…?" A voice called out. At first Mio thought it was Mayu, but the tone quickly grew mocking and she realized it was the woman in the bloody kimono. "You should have stayed with your sister… Go ahead everyone…. Die…" The ghost giggled from inside the room. Jumping to her feet Mio slammed the door and ran from it. Looking around wildly, she found herself outside in a small garden. At the center of the garden stood oddly quaint tree and fountain. Nearby, a staircase lead up to a covered balcony and Mio ran up it without looking back. Reaching top, she finally looked back to see if was followed. All was quiet and she allowed herself a moment to calm down. Her hands were shaking terribly, she'd never been more terrified. Breaking into tears she sat on the steps and cried.
Her sobbing was interrupted by the tinkling of phantom bells and terror swelled once more. Gasping, she looked around franticly, she didn't have the strength to run anymore. Movement caught her attention on the far side of balcony. Squinting, she caught a glimpse of someone in red surrounded by glowing red butterflies. It was Mayu.
"Mayu!" Mio screamed, her voice cracking. Staggering wildly, she hauled herself to her feet with such speed that she nearly went over railing.
"Mayu!" She screamed again forcing herself to run. Out of breath and on the edge of exhaustion she gave chase. "Mayu please…" She called once more. Arriving at the darkened corner of the balcony she slumped in weary misery. No one was here, but there was a door.
Opening the door, she staggered inside, every muscle ached, she wanted to give up, she wanted to die.
"Mayu…" She whimpered again, moving feebly up the hall. She came to a large door. Trying it, she found it locked and moved on.
"Perform the ritual with Sae alone…." A man whispered from inside the room, causing her to pause. "Yae… why did you leave…?" The ghostly voice sighed mournfully, trailing off.
Mio stood a moment, pressing her ear to the door, hoping to hear something useful or perhaps Mayu. She heard nothing more but the steady thrum of her own heart in her ears. Trying the door once more, she shook her head grimly and continued on. She had no idea how long she wandered, but it was quiet, and she counted her blessings. The silence made her feel a little better but she was still exhausted. Luckily she was too tired to worry and stumbled about with only one thing on her mind, her sister.
Her search brought her to a small bedroom. The room was dimly lit by moonlight that shone through a small round window. Bookshelves lined the walls and unkempt desk beside a door towards the back of the room. Passing the bookshelf. Mio jumped with a start as a tall man appeared and looked at her casually. Dressed nicely in a travelling Kimono the apparition held a journal.
"Munakata, that was quick, did you find Mitsuki?" It asked, then faded.
"What?" Mio blinked. The ghost didn't appear hostile and if anything she got the impression it was oblivious to her presence. Near where it appeared a journal lay on the ground. It looked a lot like the one the ghost held and Mio quickly put it in her backpack in hopes that it contained some useful information. Seeing the ghost made her feel better, she had a sense that it was somehow trying to help her. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and continued her quiet search. Walking to the back of the room she opened the door. It was storeroom of sorts. Cramped, it held nothing more than a few foot chests, several old kimonos and a dressing screen. A large unwieldy oil lamp sat atop one of the chests illuminating the room in its dim glow. The oil was apparently fouled and the fire sputtered irregularly causing the light to flicker. The room gave her the creep sand she was about to leave when something behind the screen caught her eye, another door.
Cautiously, she stepped closer to investigate. Sure enough there was another door hidden behind the screen. Opening the door slowly, she poked her head in. The room beyond was small, ornate and lavish. Intrigued, she stepped inside a looked around. The first thing she noticed was a large tiered display lined with ornate female dolls dressed in ceremonial robes and kimonos. All the regal looking figures had duplicates that sat at their sides.
"Twins." Mio realized and her blood chilled.
"We promised we would always be together." A voice whispered from the far side of the dim chamber, whoever it was sounded young. Sneaking closer, Mio could make out small kneeling figure silhouetted behind a screen. The figure held something, but through the screen she couldn't tell what it was. "But you went away…and everyone died…" The voice sighed. "Everyone died…" It whispered again.
Mio rounded the screen, camera raised in expectation. What she found nearly caused her to faint. Mayu lay at her feet, seemingly unhurt and fast asleep.
"Mayu!" Mio stammered, dropping to her knees. "I found you!" She sobbed.
"Mio?" Mayu whispered dreamily, opening her eyes. "There you are…"
"I'm here…" Mio smiled, choking back tears as she pulled her into a tight embrace. "I found you…" She gasped weakly. "I found you…"
End Chapter 4
To be continued.