Welp, we'll really be getting into the lore of this chapter. As I've mentioned before, I like the Fatal Frame games because of the interesting plots and the Japanese folklore that inspires them. I'll admit, some of the locations I have my characters exploring are also inspired by real places in Japan. It's all part of my research to ensure that all my readers can enjoy the story on many levels. With that said, here's the newest chapters as promised!

Chapter 9: The Unloved Maiden

In her dreams, Aimi still saw her… The Unloved Woman… Long ago, she'd gotten engaged to a samurai whom she fell in love with at first sight. They were married and…and then what happened? What had turned a loving woman into the evil hateful creature she was today? Aimi had to know… Despite her Hanahaki Disease, Aimi's ability to empathize with spirits would enable her to understand the pain of the Unloved Woman. Maybe healing the pained heart of this vengeful spirit would somehow heal her hurting heart too.

Aimi opened her eyes when she heard her name being called. It took a moment for her to realize she was lying down on the soft cool grass with Shou knelt beside her. Shou breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aimi waking up. It hadn't been easy but Shou managed to escape from those dark tunnels and from that evil woman. Now Shou stepped back as Aimi climbed back onto her feet and brushed off grass-stains from her black-pants. Her head was still spinning but she felt perfectly fine now.

"Are you okay?" Shou finally asked her. "What happened back there?"

After throwing back her auburn hair, Aimi turned to Shou who watched her every move. Aimi's heart always skipped a beat at the sight of him. She was real happy to see him. "I'm fine," she said reassuringly. Then she remembered encountering the Unloved Woman back at the mountain and the vision she saw when she touched that red spider lily.

"That woman…," Shou said uneasily. "Who is she? Why does she torment those with Hanahaki Disease?"

"It's because she suffers from the disease too," Aimi said quietly. She shook her head sadly before looking up at Shou who was listening raptly. "Her name was Hanari Kimura… Long ago, she was married off to a samurai from a prestigious family. She was in love with him, but…" Aimi remembered vividly the emotions that Hanari had been feeling. Such powerful, torturous feelings…

"How do you know that?" Shou asked curiously. Aimi always amazed him. It was almost like she had the uncanny ability to peek into people's hearts and know what was in there. Aimi was unique and it was what drew Shou to her.

Aimi avoided Shou's eyes but he could tell that she was blushing. "I uh… I just…know these things," she said awkwardly. At that moment, Aimi got the urge to throw up more gardenias that was growing inside her. Flowers that would only continue to grow as strong as her love… She had to put a stop to her own flowery curse… She couldn't bring herself to perform the Severing Ritual. And she didn't think Shou could love a girl like her… Maybe there was another way she could rid herself of the supernatural disease.

"We have to help her," Aimi suddenly blurted out. She turned to Shou with look of determination. "Hanari Kimura can't rest in peace… Her unresolved love is what keeps her here in Matsumura. We need to learn more about her."

"But Aimi…," Shou started to argue with her but stopped. He didn't like the idea at all. He wanted to leave this place right here and now. It would be so easy to walk away from all this. But deep down, Shou knew it wasn't quite as simple as that. Aimi still had the disease… Besides, he didn't like the idea of leaving Aimi to do this on her own. One way or another, he would stick by her. If this was what she wanted to do, he'd brave it out a bit longer.

With a sigh, Shou gave in. "Alright. I'll help you." Just as Aimi smiled appreciatively at him, Shou then pulled out all the notes he'd received during his own journey in the abandoned town. "We'll go to the residence of Akihiko Genda. He was a local doctor here in town. He may have the information we're searching for."

"Ok. Let's do it," Aimi agreed. Then she noticed that Shou was still carrying the Camera Obscura in his hands. When Shou saw Aimi eying the camera, he held it out to her.

"Here… Perhaps you should take this for now," Shou offered the Camera Obscura to Aimi who accepted it. "Don't worry about me. I can hold my own," he said with a good-hearted chuckle.

Aimi smiled warmly. "I'll do my best to protect you." Now with the Camera Obscura in her possession, together Aimi and Shou decided to head back to the deserted neighborhood of Matsumura.

The two of them walked back to the desolated town of Matsumura. Shou led the way as he recalled where the Genda residence was located. Finally they came upon the abandoned house where Shou went up to the front entrance and tried the door. To his chagrin, Shou had forgotten that the house was locked. Shou turned back to Aimi with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. But at that exact moment, Aimi could sense it… The door was giving off a ghostly aura. Shou moved aside as Aimi stepped up and raised the Camera Obscura and looked through its viewfinder. Snapping a picture of the door, Aimi pulled out the photograph and she and Shou studied it.

In the photo was what appeared to be another residence, but it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it was. It could be anywhere in this old neighborhood. Perhaps Genda's house-key was in another house. Now Aimi and Shou went off to explore the abandoned neighborhood of houses. Walking along the back alleys, Shou led the way while shining his flashlight over at the abandoned houses while Aimi kept an eye out for any hostile spirits lurking about. They knew the only way to find Genda's house-key was to start searching these empty houses where residents used to live.

"Where do you suppose we should look first?" Shou asked.

"Well the photo showed us a house. Maybe we should…," but Aimi was cut off when she let out a startled cry when from out of nowhere, a little giggling ghost girl suddenly appeared and ran right by her.

Shou saw the ghostly girl too and watched as she seemed to disappear into the backyard of an old-fashioned looking house. Once Aimi got over her initial surprise, she too stared over at the house where the ghostly girl disappeared. Who was that girl? Aimi decided to investigate the house and gestured for Shou to follow her. Shou nodded his head and followed Aimi to the gate which was unlocked. Upon entering the backyard, Aimi and Shou seemed to step into one large flower garden. A garden filled with bright red amaryllises… Despite the lawn's neglected appearance, beautiful exotic amaryllises grew rampant around the rundown house. However Aimi and Shou felt uneasy seeing the beautiful flowers here… A sign of another Hanahaki Disease ghost?

Aimi and Shou proceeded with caution as they stepped into the house which was falling apart due to years of neglect. But there still were signs that a family had once lived here long ago… Using their flashlights to explore, Aimi entered the kitchen-section where she saw dirty piles of dishes in the sink, and she didn't dare approach the cupboard with the smell of rotten food. Upon further exploration of the house, Shou picked up some abandoned letters sitting on a nearby table and he and Aimi began to read them. One of the letters caught their interest…

Dear Fumiko

I just want to say how sorry I am about your daughter, Misako. She was your only child and I can only imagine the pain of losing her. I'm still in shock. Misako always seemed like such a healthy girl to me. When she grew ill, none of the doctors could explain what was wrong with her. I find it incredibly hard to believe that such a young vivacious girl could die of a heart-attack.

But what really bothers me is when Misako got sick she used to complain of coughing up flower petals. It didn't seem like one of her usual wild stories at the time. And I noticed her illness began ever since she laid eyes on the new boy who recently moved into the neighborhood. I didn't want to say anything before, but I fear Misako may have contracted the fabled illness, Hanahaki Disease.

It sounded like pure nonsense at the time, but I feel really bad about not mentioning it to you, Fumiko. But you were just so heartbroken at the time that it didn't seem right to bring it up. Now I can only give you my condolences. You were always such a good friend and a good neighbor. I hope someday your heart can recover.

Sincerely, Yukiko

At that exact moment, the Ghost Girl appeared to them, completely taking Aimi and Shou off-guard. "I'm Misako…," she greeted them. Dressed in a lovely ruby-red kimono decorated with pink floral patterns, the Ghost Girl's waist-long hair was covered with amaryllises and in the center of her chest sprouted flowers. After getting over their nasty shock, Aimi looked over at the Ghost Girl standing in the living-room… and noticed that the ghost appeared to be looking directly at Shou. The Ghost Girl vanished from sight, and Aimi breathed a sigh of relief. The little girl had to be none other than Misako…

"No clues here," Shou finally said. "Let's search another house."

Aimi agreed and followed Shou toward the exit. But they haven't seen the last of the Ghost Girl whom continued to stalk their every move. Leaving the Amaryllis House behind, Aimi and Shou decided to check out the house next door. Entering through the back gate, this house was in even worse shape. The house was falling apart due to weather conditions, weeds grew rampant, and there was what appeared to be a pond where Koi used to be kept. The pond was still filled with dirty black water and was filled with water-lilies. Shou went over and tried opening the backdoor but it was jammed shut. He turned back to Aimi.

"There's no way in. Come on, we'll try another house," Shou suggested.

Aimi started heading for the backyard gate but something stopped her. That's when she sensed it… The presence of an evil ghost… Unsettling feelings started to wash over Aimi as she could sense the ghost's erratic emotions… Loneliness, Anger, and an icy cold death… Suddenly bubbling sounds could be heard in the murky pond that caught both Aimi's and Shou's attention. They both watched in horror as a ghostly woman began to rise from the waters… covered with water-lilies and dripping wet. Her pale complexion, bloated face, her blank white eyes, she stepped out from the pond…

Aimi and Shou backed away in fright as the Pond Woman began advancing upon them. The horrid Pond Woman who coughed out watery water-lilies that she continued to choke on. Aimi was frozen with fear until eventually she forced herself to move. She raised the Camera Obscura up to her eye and prepared to exorcise the ghost. Capturing the Pond Woman's ghostly image in the viewfinder, Aimi's finger pushed the shutter button. She took one photo after another as the Pond Woman moved in to attack her.

Shou kept a safe distance from the attacking ghost but he couldn't help but worry for Aimi's welfare. "Aimi, look out!" Shou suddenly shouted when he noticed the Pond Woman rearing her head back and suddenly belching out a large puddle of water right at Aimi.

Aimi gasped out-loud as the icy-cold water hit her. Worse of all, a lily-pad blocked her camera's lens, preventing its use. As Aimi furiously wiped the water from her eyes and tried prying the lily-pad off the Camera Obscura, Shou had swiftly stepped in and managed to lure the Pond Woman away from her. Aimi frantically peeled off the lily-pad while looking up in time to see Shou dodging the Pond Woman's aggressive lunge for him. Wiping the water away from the lens, Aimi raised the Camera Obscura and aimed for the Pond Woman.

Feeling all her spiritual energy poured into the Camera Obscura, Aimi delivered a powerful fatal frame that sent the Pond Woman reeling. She took a second shot, then a third, and then a fourth. Then finally the final shot was enough to exorcise the hostile ghost once and for all. Aimi and Shou watched as the subdued Pond Woman fell to her knees before vanishing from their sight altogether. And leaving behind a glowing water-lily on the ground… Aimi stared down at the water-lily and she could still sense the ghost's emotions emanating from it. Shou watched with fascination as Aimi stepped forward and reached out for the water-lily. As soon as her fingertips touched the flower, she could look into the ghost's heart.

(Flashback)

It was pure torture. Every day she'd watched him from her garden… Watching the only man she's ever loved have a family with another woman. Every day she'd come out to her garden just to watch him play in his backyard with his son, while his wife looked on fondly. She'd been engaged to him and yet he dared to fall in love with another. Now she was forced to watch her ex-fiancé live in marital bliss with another woman. Their happy family life a constant mockery to her…

Her obsession only continued to grow until it made her sick to her stomach. Soon it became too heartbreaking for her. Having nothing left to live for, she turned and headed straight for her pond… As if in a trance, all she could feel now was pain and heartache… Calmly she stepped into the pond and then with no hesitation lied back down until there was nothing left of her. All she could feel was the cold water… A life with no love was not a life worth living… This was her choice. If she couldn't have him, then she wanted nothing else in life…

She couldn't breathe… Her lungs felt ready to burst. But she closed her eyes and waited for her heart to stop beating in her chest. Darkness began to close in on her… Alone in death, surrounded by the water-lilies which were the only thing she ever loved…

When the flashback ended, Aimi felt a warm hand holding on to hers. She looked up to see Shou watching her closely with his keen brown eyes. The water-lily crumbled into dust from her hand, but she couldn't look away from Shou. He had been watching her this whole time… He saw her using her unique spiritual abilities. Now he saw that she wasn't like other girls… But Shou's expression wasn't wary or filled with mistrust. He gazed knowingly into her eyes and smiled with sincere understanding. In that intimate moment, that's when Aimi knew… Shou didn't think any less of her.

"Come on. Let's keep going," Shou gently encouraged her. It was all Aimi needed to hear…

Together they left the yard and the pond behind and decided to try another house to explore. Finally they'd come to the last house on the left side of the block. Aimi and Shou started heading for the backyard gate when they stopped and happened to carefully study the house before him. It looked familiar. Another look at the photo showed them that this was the house. The house-key for Genda's residence must be inside here. Genda must have given a spare key to a neighbor he trusted. Aimi and Shou started to head for the backyard gate but immediately stopped when the Ghost Girl suddenly appeared to them.

"Come play with me! Come play with me…," the Ghost Girl's voice echoed playfully. She didn't seem aware of Aimi's or Shou's presence and instead was leaning over the wooden fence. She appeared to be peeking into the yard of the house before them. A second later the Ghost Girl vanished… When Shou stepped forward and approached the spot where the Ghost Girl once stood and that's when he spotted the abandoned note on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, Shou unfolded the note and saw that the Ghost Girl must have dropped it just now. The note contained childish writing.

Little Girl's Note

Hitoshi, I love u! Pleeze play with me!

Entering through the gateway, Aimi and Shou stepped onto the weed-covered lawn and spotted the toys left lying around. Signs that a child used to live in this house once… Aimi and Shou made their way over to the house where Shou had to force open the sliding door in order to gain entrance inside. Aimi went in first and held up her flashlight to shine around the living-room. Like all the other houses, the residence was empty and barren with only rotten pieces of furniture left. Shou entered next and his flashlight revealed an old CRT television that was broken and collecting dust in the living-quarters.

Aimi and Shou began their exploration of the deserted residence which was filled with trash and decomposed floors and walls. The dining-area had nothing but a lone table with an Herbal Medicine sitting on top to collect… Walking by the front-entrance, slippers sat abandoned on the side. No house-key on the hook there. Aimi started to head down the hallway but couldn't go any further due to debris from a collapsed roof that blocked the way. However she and Shou could see a room on the other side. Was there any way over there?

Instead they entered the one room that was accessible to them. A bedroom with an old-fashioned tatami-bed that sat centered in the room. The tatami-bed had filthy piles of blankets wrapped together that it almost looked like a body was hiding underneath the covers… It gave Aimi the shivers. After a thorough exploration of the room, they did find something of interest. Shou had been eying an old bureau leaning against the wall and noticed that it looked like it had been moved recently…

"Aimi, look…," Shou pointed out the bureau to her. "Maybe I can move it?" Shou went over and pushed the bureau with all his strength and managed to move it to the side. From there, he and Aimi could see that the bureau had been concealing a big hole in the wall. Shou and Aimi stepped closer for a better look. The hole wasn't big enough for Shou to slip through…

"I'll go check it out," Aimi offered. "Wait here for me, ok?" With that, Aimi bent down and crawled through the hole on her hands and knees. Once on the other side, she immediately began to explore.

The first thing she noticed was that this part of the house was blocked by the debris in the hallway. At least now Aimi could finally enter the room that was out of reach. Upon entering the room, Aimi could see that it was another bedroom. Despite the room's desolate appearance, it looked like a little boy once lived in here. Aimi could even see the little ragged bed in the corner, discarded broken toys laid scattered on the ground. An old-fashioned table with game-console sat abandoned at the corner of the room. However Aimi was drawn to the old desk that was cluttered with paper wads and trash. Using her flashlight to see better, Aimi found interesting writings on some of the wadded up paper-balls.

Crumpled Notes

Dr. Genda showed me his anatomy charts today. They were really gross but cool to see. Thanks to Dr. Genda, I was feeling better again and could go outside to play. It was bright and sunny! But I had to come in early because of that annoying girl who keeps hanging around my fence. I don't like her!

Dr. Genda is friends with my dad. He even went and gave dad an extra key to his house in case of emergency. I'm friends with Dr. Genda too! I'll take his house-key and keep it safe for him. I'll put it my favorite cookie tin!

After reading from the crumpled notes, sure enough, Aimi easily found the silver-colored cookie tin. Opening it revealed the extra key to Genda's residence. As soon as she obtained it, Aimi started to walk by the bedroom window to the door and became gasped out-loud at the sight of the Ghostly Girl standing at the bedroom window… looking in at her. "Hi Hitoshi!" the Ghostly Girl called out cheerfully before vanishing from sight. Aimi stood there and waited for her heart to calm down. For some reason, the Ghostly Girl seemed to think the little boy still lived here. And yet, why did the ghost think "she" was this Hitoshi?

Clutching the house-key in her hand, Aimi quickly exited the bedroom and returned to the hole in the wall where she crawled through to return to Shou's side. With the key in their possession, it was time to head back to the Genda residence. Walking side-by-side, Aimi and Shou started to make their way to the back-porch to exit the house. However they were met by a shocking sight…

Their only exit was blocked by a wall of brightly lit amaryllises. Aimi attempted to pry open the screen-door but it was sealed tightly and wouldn't budge. It seemed that a supernatural force was keeping the door firmly closed. Before they could figure out what to do next, the sounds of a giggling girl ringing out caused both Aimi and Shou to look frantically around with their flashlights. Shou saw her first… The Ghostly Girl standing behind them… It was scary to know that the Hanahaki Disease could affect young children like her. Aimi turned around and also spotted the Ghostly Girl standing there.

"Come play with me! Don't you like me?" the Ghostly Girl seemed to address Shou and began moving toward him. The ghost seemed to think Shou was the boy she once crushed on. As much as Aimi didn't want to, she had no choice but to bring out the Camera Obscura and snap a picture at the ghost.

Feeling the power of the camera absorbing spiritual energy from the ghost, Aimi took one snapshot and then another. Unfortunately the Ghost Girl turned hostile and began to fight back. Giggling coquettishly, the Ghostly Girl turned her sights on Aimi and started to advance upon her. Aimi was too busy clicking away with the Camera Obscura when suddenly Shou shouted out to her. "What's that? Aimi, watch out!"

Too late… Aimi looked down in time to see she'd stepped right into a patch of amaryllises. Before she knew it, amaryllises were suddenly crawling up her legs and immobilizing her on the spot. Unable to move, Aimi screamed out as the Ghostly Girl reached her and grabbed hold of her. Somehow Aimi managed to shove the Ghostly Girl back with all her strength. Now Aimi furiously tried shaking off the amaryllises that clung to her legs and kept her rooted to the spot. Looking over, she saw the Ghostly Girl creating more separate patches of amaryllises that Shou was trying to avoid.

While Shou distracted the ghost, Aimi was able to break free from the amaryllises. Even though her legs were shaking, Aimi determinedly held up the Camera Obscura and continued to exorcise the Ghostly Girl before she did any harm to Shou. It wasn't easy because of the patches of amaryllises on the ground made moving around extra tricky. With the assistance of Shou, Aimi managed to deliver enough snapshots to banish the Ghostly Girl. Aimi and Shou watched as the Ghostly Girl tearfully disappear into nothingness. It was actually a sad thing to see. As soon as the Ghostly Girl was gone, the bright red amaryllises blocking the doorway all shriveled up and died. Only then were Aimi and Shou able to exit the residence.

Heading back through the abandoned ruins of the neighborhood, Aimi and Shou managed to find their way back to Genda's Residence. Using the key to unlock it at last, they both finally entered the house. Inside the residence, the place was just as ramshackle as the other houses although it was surprisingly tidier in here. Armed with their flashlights, Aimi and Shou immediately began to search the place together. Because Dr. Genda was the town doctor, they spotted shelves filled with medical books and charts. A creepy-looking anatomy skeleton stood silently in the corner, earning a shudder from Aimi who looked warily over at it. There was nothing of interest in the kitchen. Now Aimi and Shou went further the down the hallway where they opened the first sliding screen-door they came to. Entering this room, they saw right away that this appeared to be an office.

Stepping into the room, Shou went over to gaze out the window where he could see the broken-down house next door. Meanwhile, Aimi had gone over to the desk which was filled with all kinds of documents. However she didn't find any useful information there. Just regular medical charts among other trivial paperwork… As Aimi turned away to explore some more, she froze when she first saw it. The Camera Obscura warmed in her hands and her sixth sense kicked in… Across the room, Aimi could see a shadowy ghost-like figure sitting on an abandoned chair with its head down. The ghost didn't appear to be hostile and seemed to ignore their presence.

Shou caught the alarmed look on Aimi's face and also turned to look at the chair which was empty. And yet… He could still sense an unsettling presence despite it being invisible to his eyes. Aimi decided to take a picture of the ghost which could only be identified as a "Sitting Visitor." The ghost vanished and Shou suddenly had the strong need to reach for Aimi's hand. But then Aimi turned around to face him and he could see the inner strength in her eyes. He gave her brave smile which she returned.

Aimi then shined her flashlight over at the old bookshelf. While examining some of the book titles, there was one that did catch her eye. Taking it out, she saw that it appeared to be a folder filled with some neatly hand-writing inside. It looked like Dr. Genda wrote this.

Genda's Note 8

Summing up everything I've learned in the town, I was able to obtain all the info I needed about the fabled disease, Hanahaki Disease. A supernatural illness that curses those with unrequited love… From what I've gathered, the Hanahaki Disease does seem to come in stages. The following below is the 3 stages.

Stage 1: The patient harbors unrequited romantic feelings for the object of their affection. The deeper their love grows, the stronger their longing becomes. Around this time, the patient complains of chest pains and trouble breathing.

Stage 2: During this time, the patient contracts the disease and begins to vomit out petals. The flowers can be different and be based on the patient's favorite flower or personality traits. At this early stage of the disease, the patient starts out throwing up flower petals and complains of their lungs feeling ready to burst.

Stage 3: This is the final stage of the disease. The flower petals become full-on flowers and the patient has tougher time breathing and suffers pain in their neck, chest and lungs. By now their unrequited love has grown stronger than ever that it's all but consumed them. It's at this point that the patient must make a crucial decision on rather to have their roots cut, permanently erasing their romantic love, or to succumb to their heart's desire.

Judging from the urban legends that surround the town of Matsumura, there were many patients who've chosen to embrace their fate. They travel to the forbidden Shadow Meadow where it is said the heartbroken are put to rest. A place where one becomes one with the garden… There are no pictures of this meadow and the local priest strongly forbids anyone from going there.

As Aimi's eyes read the words on the note, she could already feel the growing pain in her heart and in her lungs… Suddenly she felt as if she'd swallowed an ice-cube because she felt so cold all over. It was like a cruel reminder of what terrible fate awaited her if she didn't rid herself of the Hanahaki Disease. And when Aimi looked over to Shou who was studying a hanging scroll and Ikebana flower arrangement in the corner alcove, she couldn't control the powerful feelings she felt every time she laid eyes on him.

Shou turned around at the alarming sounds of Aimi having another coughing fit. Shou rushed to her side as Aimi vomited out bright beautiful gardenias onto the tatami-floor. Using all her physical strength, Aimi knew she had to keep a firm grip on her emotions and not allow them to overtake her. It was the only way to keep the disease from claiming her. It took a few minutes but as soon as she got it under control again, she looked up to see Shou's growing concern for her. After giving him her reassurances that she was ok, together they continued to explore the doctor's residence.

Leaving the office behind, they headed further down the hallway where they reached the last unexplored room. Sliding the screen-door open, Aimi and Shou stepped into what appeared to be the doctor's bedroom. Like everywhere else, the room was also messy and littered with trash and neglected furniture. But the tattered bed looked to be in good shape and there was also a desk here and bookshelves filled with more books based on medicine. Shou carefully eyed the book titles on the shelf but nothing caught his eye. Just regular books and tomes…

However Aimi was approaching the desk and shining her flashlight over some documents on the desk. But what really drew her attention was the old-looking notebook sitting on the desk. From the looks of it, it appeared to be an old storybook of some kind. Aimi waved Shou over and together they started flipping through the book and realized it was some old fairytale. Perhaps a fairytale commonly told around these parts of Japan?

The Princess and the Flower

Long ago, during the Edo period, a princess fell madly in love with her groom-to-be.

Although she was a doting and faithful wife, her husband never paid any attention to her.

She offered him her eyes so she could always gaze lovingly at him, he rejected it.

She offered him her arms so that she could always embrace him, he rejected it.

She offered him her lips so that she could always kiss him with passion, he rejected it.

No matter what she offered him, her husband wanted none of her love.

One day, the sad princess was taking a walk through her favorite garden.

When she reached out to pick a flower, she accidentally pricked her finger on a thorn.

To her surprise, a drop of her blood dripped to the ground and a flower grew in its place.

A Red Spider Lily…

Intrigued by the flower, the princess took the red-spider lily with her.

She decided to offer the flower to her husband in the hopes of earning his love.

But when she finally found her husband, she met a heart-crushing sight.

Her husband was in the loving arms of his mistress, whom he truly loved all along.

Heartbroken, the princess fled from the scene. She ran all the way back to her garden.

Weeping with loneliness, the princess took a knife and pierces her own heart.

From her heart spilled forth more Red Spider Lilies…

(To this day, Red Spider Lily still symbolizes "to never meet again.)

Once the story was finished, that's when Aimi finally understood it for the first time. It was all starting to come together now. The woman in the orange kimono… Aimi knew who she was and why she was here. The princess was the first sufferer of the Hanahaki Disease and her ghostly existence only caused others to suffer from their unrequited love too. Even in death, she was still plagued by her loveless curse…

Now that she knew what she was up against, Aimi already made up her mind. She turned to Shou. "She can't move on. Her heart won't allow her to rest. She's suffered for so long… Her heart, her feelings…"

"What are you saying?" Shou narrowed his eyes into a concerned frown. "What do you plan on doing?"

Aimi knew it was dangerous. There was a good chance she probably wouldn't come back alive. She might finally succumb to the disease. But maybe this was the only way. It was the only way to settle the matters of her heart once and for all. "I'm going to Shadow Meadow," Aimi said quietly.