A/N: Thanks for the reviews! By the way, I know some ideas here might not relate to you at all, but it's all part of the story. I will gather more information next time…all right…now read on…
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The Tormented
By: Elie
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This place is…
Intriguingly, she was somewhat back in the same mansion as before. The air no longer mingled with miasma and the surroundings weren't the same monochromatic picture like yesterday. It was still quiet inside, though, quickly streaming possibilities of horror into Xiaoyu's fragile mind.
Snow was still falling as Xiaoyu could vividly see it through the door's boxlike peephole. Spanning to where a faint lighted candle glowed, she turned on the flashlight she was questionably carrying to see where she really was. The same house, but not the same area… she assumingly thought, walking the path to a small hallway.
Her body was beginning to endure the cold already. Touching something hanging on her neck and resting on her chest, she looked down to see her 35mm camera again. Odd, though, that this particular object is presentagain nowthat she's back in the mansion.
The attire she's wearing to her notice, however, made her heart waver in shock. This was the clothing she had worn during the night of Jin's accident – a pink low cut top accentuated with a black lace tied in a corset style at the back. She had her silver small heeled shoes unfittingly go with a baby-blue pedal pants.
Although her assumptions were quite agreeable, she still has to prove it – that is, if she goes in further, she will get a chance to see Jin again, and or find out about this place's mystery.
However, the door is just right there at the back. She was in the foyer or entrance of the mansion. And she could still get out any minute now.
Xiaoyu shut her eyes in guilt and regret. Thinking of Jin makes her remember the accident. She blamed herself for that – of her careless driving on that stormy night…
The door is just right at her back. If she turns, then she could get out. But if she goes back, she would never see Jin…forevermore. And when she would step further, chances are…
Ting
The familiar sound of the bell tingled again, making her jolt in amazement. It was the very same sound that brought her closer to him. If she finds it again…then she would…
Ting
A shadowy figure slowly emerged from the dead side of a corridor leading to a small corner. The candle began to swoosh madly with the wind to Xiaoyu's bewilderment, and she felt her heart tighten within each flickering. Ignoring the door completely, she moved a few steps forward.
Go to the other side…Go to the other side…
Something played in her head, a song, yet she didn't care. She was too busy assuring to whose figure it was. All of a sudden, a feeling jabbed her, of which she would wholly regret – the urge of pursuing the one person she loves was too strong to keep her backing out of the game.
Go…further…deeper…go…just go in…
Yes, she was walking extremely fast toward the dark figure. No looking back, ignoring the door, abandoning the sole option of escaping… The only important thing now is to see Jin again…
The figure turned to her direction, slowly walking in front of the limelight. Suddenly, the candle soon went out and the only light alive was coming from her flashlight, which was readily aimed at that in front of her.
Jin Kazama, although dead, was appearing before her, still bearing his handsome features and the blackness of his hair. He looked somber and a bit tired. "Xiao…?"
"Jin!" Xiao cried, keeping herself composed. She knew that Jin is dead, and seeing him standing and speaking in front of her was unbelievably deniable. She hesitated in walking toward him, though, but she still did. "But you're…" she spoke but immediately kept quiet, ready to hear him speak again first.
"I know. I'm dead," He kept his head down, hiding a frown. "So…"
His pallid skin radiated a bit, remarking the unusual glow his body had emitted last time. The blue polo shirt he wore was slightly tattered, showing off a few scars on the area affected by the crash. Xiaoyu noticed these and started to burst into tears.
"Jin, I have a lot of things to –"
She was shushed by Jin's continuation. "So, don't follow me anymore. Go back, before it's too late…"
Ting
Her nerves squeezed tight, unable to accept the fact – her fiancé's death. She stared at Jin who was turning his back against her now. She opened her mouth to protest, but to no avail, Jin had already walked away, disappearing once again from her midst.
Standing defeated by her own emotions, Xiaoyu frantically fell on her knees, crying. She held out a hand to the limelight where Jin had gone, seeing that the engangement ring he had given her was shining beautifully. It was a simple gold ring with the words TOGETHERengraved on it.And yet, there are so many things that she wanted to tell Jin…so many which she hadn't told him when he was still alive. This very reason kept her going, made her survivein order to find ways to tell him even if he's dead. The chance was there earlier, but now it's gone…
What am I supposed to do now? She thought as she tried to find her lost self completely.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The repeating tingling was not the same sound as from before. It was different, very high-pitched, and hammering. Xiaoyu then stood up. Wiping her tears, she went to find where that hammering was coming from. There were two doors at the foyer area, one at the left and the other at the right. The sound was coming loudly from the right side, so, Xiaoyu didn't leave it at there. She followed her instincts.
Once she had opened the door, two figures stood afar near a hearth place. She swung the door open and went inside cautiously. There was a blood soaked yukata wearing mother and daughter, holding each other's hand protectively.
"Where is he...?"
The door immediately closed shut, making Xiaoyu stumble back. Turning to where the two apparitions stood earlier, she was surprised to see them…gone.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The sound was deafening as usual. It was coming from above. There was a staircase at the left and a ladder at the far right. Looking through the end of the Hearth, there was a big double-door ahead. Xiaoyu chose to go upstairs.
As she went on walking up the stairs, a glowing hand caught her attention. She swiftly ran up the second floor, but to her dismay, it vanished. Bizarrely, the only trace it left was an old camera.
"A camera…" Xiaoyu gasped. She picked it up and examined it. The cover was a bit rusty with small occult features engraved in it. There were the words CAMERA OBSCURA written in Japanese. She checked it out if there were still any film left. A Type-14 film was attached at the back.
All of a sudden, the tie of the 35mm camera on her neck split and it fell on the wooden floor. Her jaw dropped, seeing that it broke.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The second floor room consists of three big drawers and a broken partitioned screen. At the corner, an old faded kimono was hanging on a rusty kimono hanger. The drawers contained some dyeing materials and equipment, to which Xiaoyu had no idea of why. At the right corner, there was a door and the sound was getting louder.
Xiaoyu went inside and saw a small cubicle enclosed in the room. The sound was exactly coming from there. She found a hole at the far end of the cubicle and peeped inside.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
There, she saw a long haired child wearing a red and white Japanese handmaiden's gown, hammering a doll onto the wall – which was already filled with dolls.
Thinking of what purpose the Camera Obscura might have for her, Xiaoyu aimed it at the hole, quickly snapping a photo of the girl. Replacing the hole with her eyes, her heart gripped tightly as the girl turned to see her with a devilish smile before disappearing.
Frightened of what might happen, Xiaoyu ran as fast as she could outside the door, down the stairs, and back to the Hearth area. She almost tripped on the small teapot from running. There, she saw the two ghosts again. The mother held out her hand out to her.
"Have you…seen…him…?"
It would be wise to take their picture…she thought with a nod, and then snapped the ghosts' photo. Again, they vanished in an instant, leaving no trail of any kind.
And then it struck her. She has to get out of this mansion…escape this place…far from these ghosts…
Tripping a little bit, she ran toward the door she had gone into earlier, and dove back to the foyer. She ran and ran until something like a wind's freezing breeze made her stop.
She craned her head and saw the most hideous thing she would never forget – a topless woman, more of a ghost, whose body was covered up with blue tattoos was walking gradually toward her – moaning in pain and anguish with her scratchy voice that seemed to echo throughout the hallway of the foyer.
Xiaoyu tightened her grip on the Camera Obscura, thinking twice before taking the Tattooed Woman's photograph. However, the more she thought of it, the faster was the woman's pace to her. She just trembled in dread at the woman's fast approach while moaning something aloud.
"No one will survive..."
Then to her surprise, her flashlight went dead and the candle from earlier suddenlylit up with a blue flame, making the Tattooed Woman seem to disappear due to the dark. Then, her moans abruptly stopped – and she appeared spuriously in front of Xiaoyu, revealing that her eyes were also filled with tattoos.
"Get away from me!"
Xiaoyu dodged the woman's hand before letting it touch her, and scurried off to the right side of the corridor where the door forthe exitwas found. She screamed as hard as she could while running, tears flowing from her eyes, evading old pots and drawers which were a hustlein her way. The Tattooed Woman was just behind her, running as well.
"Let me sleep…forever…"
A freezing, lanky finger merely grazed her shoulder when she passed by a lit blue lantern and broke through the door, snow falling down her head as she continued to run and stopped short when everything she saw slowly blurred out into white.
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Xiaoyu jolted up from bed, sweating and panting heavily. She found herself back in her bedroom with no sign of sunshine coming from her window, instead, a loud rattling sound of rain could be heard.All of a sudden, a terrible pain jabbed her in the flesh – spreading, cutting right through her shoulder. She looked down at the spot and saw apurple bruise forming widely. The very same spot where the Tattooed Woman had touched her…
Then in a short while, the pain stopped and the bruise vanished. Xiaoyu grunted a bit and let out a small cry.
Her door yanked open, revealing Asuka staring at her with a worried look. "Xiao, I heard you scream. Is everything all right?"
Xiaoyu stared at Asuka for a while, now realizing that she was really back home. "Uh…yeah…I'm fine…just a bad dream…that's all."
"Oh, it must've been really bad…" Asuka said in concern, and was about to close the door when she suddenly remembered something. "Xiao, there's a letter for you downstairs. I mean…it was for my cousin, but I guess you should read it…" she corrected herself.
"Who's it from?"
Asuka thought twice, trying to remember to whom it was from. "A man named Hwoarang Kim…I'll just show it to you after you get dressed."
"Thanks." Xiaoyu replied as she watched Asuka close the door. She was wearing her peach nightgown that has laces on the edges and on the straps. She headed to her closet which was all messy with her unorganized clothes scattered inside.
"It was only…a dream?" She whispered to herself, not concentrating on what to wear. Instead, she pulled out a yellow top with laces again on the straps and gray short shorts, and put them on. She quickly remembered the letter for her. "Hwoarang…Jin's friend maybe…"
Jin
He didn't want her to be near him for some reason…The very thought made Xiaoyu writhe in anger and sorrow. Nevertheless, she must find out…but what of the Tattooed Woman? Will she die if she gets near her again? What is she supposed to do?
"I want to be with him..."
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A/N:This chapter in this story was I think the longest so far.And I'm sorry it was quite tedious. I also got rid of the Xiaoyu-ghost fighting scenes so that I can focus more on the story…I'm going to update next time, so better check it out and leave me some reviews…now...See ya!