Woo hoo! So here is the next installment in this here little story. :D

I just wanted to thank everyone for their reviews. They're really too kind. Thank you Goldbryn, EtherealShadow, Lain-sama, Ex-Animeaddict (How can you be an Ex-anime addict? I thought it was a life time following :D), and Sarah KOM (Hey, even if you don't like twincest, at least they're cute, right?)

So, yeah. I tried to make this one longer and it just kinda... came out boring. Oh well! Hope you enjoy and I shall get on the last part (next to the epilogue) soon. :D

And... Disclaimers: Fatal Frame II belongs to Tecmo and Sony.

"Itsuki! Itsuki!"

Itsuki looked up from the waters under the bridge, the movement of his shadow scaring away the koi that'd gathered to eat the bread he was dropping into the water for them. "Huh? Oh, hello, Yae." He smiled at her, the girl blushing prettily. But not as pretty as Mutsuki, Itsuki decided silently.

"Itsuki..." Yae looked at him with sad eyes, her lips turned down into a frown. "I was speaking to father today and... and he said..." She looked away, down into the murky water of the pond. Itsuki dropped another ball of bread in, fish hurrying to the surface to get it first. He knew what she was going to speak of and briefly wished she would hurry so that they could get it out of the way.

"He said that... the ritual... Oh, Itsuki!"

Itsuki stared at the water, his face neutral but inside his heart aching with a pain so fierce that even the gods looked away in shame. "I know, Yae. Father told... Mutsuki and I about it last night." The image of Mutsuki's face burned in the back of his mind, the way the other had stood stock still, no emotion radiating from the usually emotional twin.

Yae stood silently next to the boy, watching the koi with Itsuki until the sun disappeared behind the top of the mountain. Only a faint pink along the horizon left of its light guided Itsuki home.

Itsuki sighed heavily and pulled his yukata around his shoulders tightly as he walked through the house. It was quiet and dark, even the moon wasn't giving off enough light to accommodate Itsuki's path up the stairs to his room. His slippered feet thudded softly on the wooden floors and shadows danced about the large clock hall. This was the last night he and Mutsuki would be able to sleep in the same room. After this he would be sent over to the Kiryu house to stay in a room identical to the one that Mutsuki would remain behind in. Then they would begin the cleansing for the ritual, releasing their memories and ties.

Or at least that's what Mutsuki had to do. Or so he'd told Itsuki this. The older brother was afraid for his younger brothers safety. How could they make him forget his family? No... This didn't seem possible or very unhelpful to the ritual. Or so he believed.

A soft sound from his fathers room made Itsuki jump and hide in a nearby closet. A faint crack of light appeared and hushed voices drifted out of the room. Itsuki frowned and carefully crept out of the closet, creeping silently towards the doorway. He knelt down just outside the door, his ear pressed against the wall in an attempt to hear more of what was said inside.

The voices hissed on for a moment before pausing, scaring Itsuki to press back into the shadows next to the doorway. What if they'd heard him? Surely father would be terribly distraught if he caught his eldest son snooping when he should be in bed. Nibbling his lower lip, Itsuki waited patiently, his body stiff so as not to make any sound, till the whispering began once again.

"-should take the elder there tonight. Without waking them from their slumber." The mysterious voice mumbled. Itsuki thought it sounded distinctly like Mr. Osaka.

There were a few grumbles that Itsuki knew was his father. The old man took to grumbling and mumbling when something upset him, and Itsuki sure knew how to upset him.

"Yes. It was done fifty years ago, with the Kiryu twins." That voice... was Mr. Kiryu, it had to be. Itsuki frowned, confused as to what they were talking about so late at night. Licking his lips, he pressed forward, resting on his fingertips to get closer to the crack in the door. The light barely brushed along the tip of his nose and Itsuki paused in fear as the voices stopped abruptly again.

After a few moments, the gruff voice of none other than Mr. Kurosawa spoke up. "Yes. Itsuki will be taken tonight. It is the proper way."

Tonight? Taken? As in... away? From Mutsuki? But... But not yet! Not yet! He still had this one night with his brother! He'd been told he had this last night! Itsuki began to tremble violently as he slowly stood up, ignoring his fathers voice as it began to speak and hurried his way back to his bedroom where his brother was sleeping, waiting for him.

"Mm... Itsuki..." Mutsuki rolled over, rubbing his eyes as he slowly pushed himself up on an elbow to look at the other boy who'd shaken him awake.

"Mutsuki, Mutsuki... brother, wake up."

"I'm awake, I'm awake..." Mutsuki grumbled, irritated to be woken so late at night. Had Itsuki just gotten back?

"Shh! Keep your voice down." Itsuki reached over and placed his hand over Mutsuki's mouth, cutting off the others questions to where he'd been. Mutsuki frowned, his brothers hand warm and sweaty against his mouth. "Mutsuki... I... I love you. You know this right?" Why was Itsuki being so weird? He never said he loved him unless provoked. And why was he trembling?

Mutsuki reached up and took the others hand from his mouth. "Itsuki... what's wrong?"

"They're going to take me... Tonight."

"What? Take you? Where?"

"Duh, Mutsuki! Where do you think?"

"Don't get angry with me!"

"Shh! Shh, shh!" Itsuki's hand clapped on Mutsuki's mouth once more. "They're taking me away to the Kiryu's tonight."

Once more Mutsuki removed the hand. His lower lip pouted out and his eyebrows drew down in concern. "Why?"

"I don't know why, Mutsuki... I just... I just wanted to warn you so that you wouldn't be afraid when you woke up."

"Itsuki, I-"

"Shh! I think someone's coming... Hurry, lay down!"

Mutsuki felt tears prick his eyes as he did as he was told, his body curling up into a ball. The warmth of Itsuki's body as the other enveloped him didn't comfort him, the sound of slippered feet padding down the hallway towards their room frightening him more than even the angry thunder. Clutching at his brothers bare chest, he tried to calm himself as the footsteps stopped right outside the door, a flickering light from a candle showing under the doorway.

There was a soft rumble from Itsuki's chest and Mutsuki started at the feel of it under his fingertips. He looked up at his brother in question, but the other just stared down calmly, continuing his humming. It soothed him, Mutsuki realized as his eyelids drooped. The familiar tone of the hum and the warmth of his twins body, the arms wrapped securely around him. There was a sharp pain in his chest as Mutsuki realized this was probably the very last time he'd ever be held by his brother like this again. Ever be this close to him... Except for the ritual.

This thought startled Mutsuki so much that his eyes snapped open once more. But the familiar warmth was gone, his brothers body replaced by a pillow and the morning sunlight filtering through the paper screen window.

Itsuki sighed as he stared at the two dolls facing each other in front of the Earth gate. It'd taken him three days to figure out how to get it open, but he'd finally succeeded. The mechanisms that worked the dolls and gates were complex and Itsuki briefly wondered just how long it had taken the village to build it. And if they'd had to order the parts from far away.

Probably, he mused as he climbed down the ladder into the tunnel that led back to the Tachibana house. He hadn't been allowed to leave the Kiryu house since he'd been taken that night and the Kiryu house master had told him he wasn't allowed to be tainted by the outside world. Not until the night of the ritual would he be allowed to leave the confines of the house. It was infuriating.

But what irritated Itsuki the most were the masks the ritual partakers wore in his presence. He was allowed to wander the house during certain times of the day (all other times he was confined to his room) and during that time, the women were kept out of sight and all the servants and the Kiryu house master (or just Mr. Kiryu as Itsuki had figured out the first day) all wore very well made oni masks. They were indeed frightening but Itsuki wasn't nearly as frightened of them as he was for his brothers well being. Especially if he was being treated the same way as Itsuki.

Mutsuki had always been one that needed contact. Whether it was with him, his brother, or one of the other family members. Itsuki clearly remembered a time when Mutsuki had been locked up in his bedroom for a day, for speaking out against an important guest, and the younger twin had nearly gone insane with grief. Itsuki had been allowed in with his brother after the other had been crying at the door for him for over an hour.

Itsuki paused at the ladder to climb up into the Tachibana house. His palms felt sweaty and small tremors of fear coursed through his body as he stared up. Nibbling his lower lip, he gripped the lowest rung and pulled himself up. He hadn't thought of how he'd get through to his brother after he got to the house. Hopefully luck would be with him and there wouldn't be anyone out and about.

There was a soft click as Itsuki pushed open the gateway and moved into a room he'd never been in before. In all his years living in this house, he hadn't been allowed in a couple particular rooms. This one was definitely one of those. There were a bunch of covered dolls, their feet visible under the white sheets that covered them. How odd. Frowning in confusion as he passed through towards the exit, Itsuki was kind of glad the dolls eyes were covered and they couldn't see him. It made the whole situation just that much worse. Surely he was out of line coming here without permission.

Peeping out into the hallway, Itsuki thanked his lucky stars as there was not a single soul around. A few flickering lamps dotted the way, allowing the usually shadowed hall to be illuminated during the evening. Looking around once more, he slowly tiptoed out into the hall, walking around the corner and down the hall that was made similarly to the one in the Kiryu house. Turning a corner, Itsuki paused and listened for any sounds of people coming. It was silent and Itsuki swallowed a lump of fear that was threatening to cut off his air and continued towards the room door. Hopefully they kept Mutsuki in the same kind of room he himself was in.

A small nook on Itsuki's right side was covered by a hanging curtain and Itsuki pushed it to the side as he peered at the door beyond it. Fear pounded through his veins and made his vision swim as he panted to keep up with his hearts pace. Reaching out a hand, Itsuki pushed against the door and slowly opened it, his head peeking in before he took a step into the room.

It was dark, only lit by a few red paper lamps and Itsuki sighed heavily as he stepped through the door and into the room. "Mutsuki?" He hissed, fear keeping him from speaking above a whisper. "Mutsuki? Are you in here?"

Itsuki checked behind the kimono without any luck. He checked the dressers and the bedding and the closet and the small off hallway that led to the tatami hall. Nothing. No Mutsuki. Knowing time was running short, Itsuki huffed in an irritated manner and tried to think of where his brother might've gone to. Maybe he'd gone to their old room up above the clock hall...

Steeling himself, Itsuki quickly headed out the door he'd come through and out into the hallway. Once out into the open again, light illuminating his path, Itsuki felt his heart thunder in his chest again. They'd notice he was gone soon, he had to find Mutsuki! Itsuki's slippers softly padded on the hard wooden floors as he moved towards the stairs where he climbed slowly, confused that he hadn't run into someone yet. There weren't any servants about, no hovering oni masks used to scare children during festivals and break bonds between family members during rituals.

Licking his lips nervously, Itsuki peered around the corner and took a deep, shuddering breath as he continued down the hall that his brother and he used to play demon tag along so many times before. This place didn't even feel like the home it had been less than a week before.

The barred off room loomed at the end of the hallway and Itsuki bit his lower lip harder to keep from shouting out for his brother. He didn't even know if the younger boy was in there, he only could guess. As he walked closer, the sound of a soft sniffle was heard and he briefly wondered if his sister, Chitose, was in the room. Surely the young girl hadn't been told about what her brothers were about to participate in. It would break her fragile heart, especially since she loved Mutsuki so much.

A head full of black hair was seen through the bars and Itsuki felt his feet pick up pace as he loomed closer. "Mutsuki?" He called quietly, fear lancing through his body as his mind cringed at the possibility of it being someone else.

But luck was once more on his side and Itsuki's face split with a grin as the younger boy looked up from whatever he was reading. A soft gasp from his twin as he was seen had Itsuki rushing forward faster and faster till at last the boys were clinging to each other through the bars, Itsuki's hands grabbing at his brothers red yukata, trying to pull the other closer to him.

"Itsuki! Itsuki!" Mutsuki was sobbing, his face pressing against the bars and tears falling down his cheeks as he grabbed at his brother as well. It broke Itsuki's heart and he felt a sobbing breath leave him as well. "Itsuki, I've missed you so much."

"Me too, brother, me too." Itsuki jolted as a shout of surprise came from down the hall to his left.

"What have you done! What have you done! You stupid boy!" A sharp sting as his father slapped him had Itsuki stumbling away from Mutsuki. His hand lifted to cover his reddening cheek, his eyes wide as he stared at his father, the oni mask barely concealing the rage that made the atmosphere feel suffocating.

Itsuki pleaded and begged with his outraged father, as servants came rushing in from the rest of the house and even from the Kiryu's, to be allowed to see his brother, speak to him just a little while. But his pleads fell on deaf ears as his father began to chant and the servants all grabbed Itsuki's arms and drug him back and away from Mutsuki, the younger boy watching from behind the bars the entire time, his knuckles white as he clutched at the bars and silent tears traced down his pale cheeks.

"Mutsuki! Mutsuki, I love you!" Itsuki wailed as he drug through the doorway and back to the Earth gate where he was taken back to the Kiryu house and locked away for the next three days.

It was on the last day Itsuki had to remain in his room that he began to cry. When he awoke in the morning he found his pillow wet with tears and his mind still reeling with the night terrors that had woken him so early. As the day progressed, the feelings of hopelessness progressed till finally, Itsuki was laying on the floor howling for his brother. He cried so much he cause himself to vomit his breakfast and when he was sick from lunch, the Kiryu master finally had enough and headed over to the Tachibana house and bring Mutsuki over.

Itsuki usually wasn't one to have tantrums for what he wanted, but this one time, for some reason, he found that it was the only thing he could do. He laid choking on his tears and own terrible sadness, when his brother came in, shuffling meekly over and kneeling next to Itsuki, his face looking down at the tatami that made the flooring of the room.

Itsuki shot up from his place on the ground and wrapped his arms around Mutsuki so tightly the other had trouble breathing. Soft words of love and devotion and need and sorrow flowed from Itsuki's lips faster than he even thought them. After a few moments of the embarrassing mutters, Mutsuki pried himself away from his brother and wiped at the tears that dotted his splotchy face.

"Itsuki... they tell me that you had thrown up... that you were crying... Itsuki... why?" Mutsuki's face was scrunched up into a look of pity and grief as he spoke softly.

"I can't do it, Mutsuki... I can't give you up, I can't give you away! I can't let them take you from me. We should run! Mutsuki, I know how to get away from here, I've been reading! So many others have done it, we can too! We just can't look back, Mutsuki, we can go and I can keep you for mys-" SMACK!

Itsuki stared incredulously at his brother, his cheek stinging painfully from the force of the others slap.

"Stop being so selfish! Stop making this harder than it should be!" Mutsuki's voice was raised and filled with an anger that scared Itsuki with its intensity. Why was everyone getting so angry with him lately! "I can't believe you! I can't believe you're doing this... now... We can't back out, Itsuki..." The others voice cracked and it chipped at Itsuki's heart. "This is for the village... this is for everyone. Stop being so selfish..."

"I'm not being selfish... Is it wrong for me to want you to live?"

"YES!"

Itsuki gaped at his brother. What? Why? "Mutsuki..."

"Its wrong, Itsuki! Stop it! You're being a child!"

When had their roles reversed? He didn't understand... "I just... I just..."

"Do you not want to become one? Do you not want... Do you not want to make me a butterfly, Itsuki?" Tears were spilling down his younger brothers cheeks and Itsuki felt answering tears flow down his own face. He snuffled loudly and shook his head as a low whine escaped his lips.

"Why can't we be... together like this?" He asked, trembling violently as he reached forward to grab Mutsuki's yukata and drag the other to him like a rag doll, holding him close. "I had a nightmare... about... the ritual." Silence from his other half spurred Itsuki on. "I... I failed you, Mutsuki. I failed you in a way that I can never make up. That I can never ask for your forgiveness for... Mutsuki... I'm so afraid..." He finished in a whisper, his dream once more haunting him. A shadowy specter looming over his shoulder, mocking him with a grim reality.

Mutsuki didn't say anything, continuing to half lay in his brothers lap. His arms wrapped around the Itsuki's waist and he tugged himself up so that they came face to face. "I trust you." He whispered, staring into his brothers blood shot and tear filled eyes. He sat in Itsuki's lap and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. "I trust you. Forever, Itsuki, I'll love you."

Pain flared in Itsuki's heart and his stomach twisted and churned as he looked at his brother, staring at him with trust and devotion shining in his big, dark eyes. It was almost too much. He almost burst out into tears again, tempted to just fling Mutsuki over his shoulder and carry him away. Take him away where no one could ever ask of them what had been their preordained fate since birth.

But he didn't want to enrage the other any more, not wishing to face that wrath once again. It had scared him, seeing his brother so angry and yet so full of fear. The fear that stalked them everyday of their life, just waiting for their strongest moments when it would jump out and strangle any hope from them. And now, as the ritual loomed a few short days away, the fear had gained the upper hand and was throttling every single sensible thought from Itsuki's mind.

"Itsuki..." Mutsuki murmured, shifting against Itsuki's chest and bringing him back from his dark reflections. "Itsuki... Promise me... you won't leave me." The younger boy pressed his face against Itsuki's neck, his fingers curling in his yukata and tugging them closer together, as if he were trying to crawl inside the clothing with his brother.

"I... promise, Mutsuki... I promise."

"Good... I love you, brother."

"I love you as well..."

And I will do anything for you. Even send you to a place where I can never have you again.

Blah! The ending sucks. Oh well. Well, next its off to the Hell gate. Goodbye Mutsuki! We love you!