Final Chapter: Red Spider Lily
The second Shou stepped through the door; he wasn't prepared for the blast of icy air to blow into him. It was practically like a freezer in here. After crossing a rock bridge to the other side, that's when Shou found himself stepping onto a large underground field filled with bright red spider lilies. The air in here was so thick that it was almost too suffocating to breathe. Shou was chilled to the bone as he began walking among the sea of red-spider lilies. Deeper and deeper he went that Shou felt like he'd been walking for hours. All around him, the beautiful red lilies shimmered in the dark and every now and then, Shou could have sworn he heard ghostly whispering coming from the flowers…
Just when he was wondering how far he'd traveled, Shou stopped when he spotted something from above. At the top of the mountainous roof, he could make out a circular hollow with light shining down… That must be the Hollow of Comfort where one could safely view the Forbidden Garden down below. As Shou walked further and further out into the garden, the air only grew more oppressive. It got so bad that it was starting to give him a dizzying feeling. Shou had to stop to clear his mind because the atmosphere down here was so overwhelming. But then that's when he heard a voice… Shou looked up and saw someone standing not too far away in the meadow.
"Aimi!" She was here. Her back was to him but she seemed to be really out of it. This whole place must a negative effect on her due to her sensitive sixth sense. But he finally found her. "Aimi! It's me!" Shou hurried to her at once.
Aimi didn't answer but instead kept murmuring nonstop to herself. "I'll never stop loving him… Here I can never stop loving him…" Trapped with her own thoughts, all Aimi could think about was how this was so much better. She would accept the disease… She wouldn't have to sacrifice her feelings. She was so caught up with her emotions that a loud shout suddenly snapped her back to her senses.
It took Aimi a moment to realize that she wasn't alone here in Shadow Meadow. She heard someone scream her name and it brought her back to earth. "Shou!" she spun around and saw him. Before her very eyes, vines slithered up from the red spider lilies and entwined around Shou's neck, his arms, legs, dragging him down to the flowery depths. "Shou!" He came for her. Despite everything, Shou risked his life for her.
"Shou! Hold on! I'm coming!" Seeing Shou in danger finally prompted Aimi into action. She raced through the red lilies, trying to make her way over to Shou who was being wrapped up in vines. Upon reaching him, Aimi frantically tried ripping the vines apart. It was no use. But then Aimi remembered the Spiritual Shears and pulled them out to start clipping at the vines.
The air down here was so stifling. And it was taking all of Aimi's mental power to ignore the otherworldly emotions of the dead that was wafting through the air like a poisonous miasma. This was definitely no place for the living… Aimi was working furiously to cut the vines and free Shou but it was proving too difficult. More and more vines snaked around Shou's body and pulled him down into the fields of red spider lilies that he was practically hidden from view. Suddenly the air turned ice-cold that Aimi could see her breath coming out in puffs. And then she heard that familiar horrid voice. That emotionless dead voice filled with hatred and resentment.
"You'll remain unloved…too." Standing not too far away in the meadow was Hanari Kimura herself. Aimi stared at her. The Kimura princess who'd spent centuries suffering from unrequited love. And she continued to suffer from Hanahaki Disease even in death. In that very moment, Aimi realized she didn't want to suffer Hanari's fate too. Hanari's love had become her tragedy…but Aimi wouldn't go down the same path.
"You're wrong…," Aimi spoke softly. Now she knew how she truly felt. But above all, she understood Hanari's pain. She knew what had to be done. Aimi looked down upon realizing that Shou had shoved the Camera Obscura toward her. Now Aimi took back the camera and decided that she had to leave Shou for the moment. Armed with the Camera Obscura and the Spiritual Shears, there was only one thing she could do for Hanari now. Perform the Severing Ritual…
"You'll be unloved too!" Hanari's cold voice raged at her. As if sensing Aimi's rejection, this sent Hanari into a murderous attack. This would be the final battle… The key would be to calm Hanari's restless spirit. "I was never loved! I wanted love! All I have is love! My love is forever!"
All around her the red spider lilies glowed vividly as Aimi prepared to do battle with the Unloved Woman. All around her she could feel the anguished emotions of the dead. All of those who never found love… Hanari floated threateningly toward her, red-spider lilies sprouting from her face, her neck, her orange-kimono, her dirt-stained waist-long hair. The red lilies on Hanari's ghost shimmered too and it appeared that she was connected to the garden itself. This would be Aimi's most deadly spirit to face…
Aimi raised the Camera Obscura and tried to catch the Unloved Woman with the viewfinder. Once she managed to align her shot, she snapped a photo of the evil spirit and… it had no effect. For some reason, the Camera Obscura was unable to do any damage to the Unloved Woman. How was she to fight back? As Hanari advanced upon her threateningly, Aimi let out a scream as a powerful twister of red spider lilies swirled underneath the ground she stood upon. The pain was excruciating as Aimi could feel the storm of lilies slice at her very soul. So powerful that she could even hear the voices of the unloved spirits emanating from the flowers.
"Why didn't he accept my love?" "Why shouldn't she love me? "I deserve her love!" "I'll not be rejected! No, I won't settle for less!" "I've loved him since forever! Forever I'll continue to love." Aimi clapped both hands over her ears, desperately trying to quiet the turbulent voices.
"I can hear the voices… of so many unloved…," Hanari's voice floated over to her and carried a melancholy tone to it. "So many broken hearts…so much pain..." Aimi watched as the vengeful ghost of Hanari ducked down into the meadow of red spider lilies and vanished from sight.
Aimi's eyes darted all around while gripping the Camera Obscura and the Spiritual Shears. She turned around in time to see the Unloved Woman rising from the ruby-red blossoms and move toward her to attack again. If she wasn't careful, Hanari would attack with another twister. Again Aimi brought the camera up and tried to snap another photo at her target but to no avail. Why didn't the Camera Obscura have effect on the Unloved Woman? Was she truly impervious to the camera's exorcising powers? Luckily Aimi saw a patch of red-spider lilies glowing ominously and dodged just in time as another strong twister of red-spider lilies came shooting up from the meadow itself.
And as Aimi studied the Unloved Woman, that's when she figured it out. She knew what the problem was. Those red-spider lilies growing all over the Unloved Woman's ghostly body seemed to act like shields. Those flowers had to be removed… Aimi gripped the Spiritual Shears in her hand and knew what had to be done. It was a risky move and it would probably get her killed. But there was only one certain way she was going to be able to do this. Aimi stood still and waited for the Unloved Woman to come after her. And just as the hostile ghost reached out her hand in attack, Aimi immediately slashed the shears at once.
The Spiritual Shears grew warm in her hand as she slashed at the red spider lilies, cutting off three. The Unloved Woman let out an ear-splitting scream that sent shivers through Aimi's entire being. Then the Unloved Woman cringed and that gave Aimi an opening. Now she switched to the Camera Obscura and using her strongest film, Type-Zero film, snapped a photo of the vulnerable ghost. This time, Aimi could feel the full power of the Camera Obscura and she knew it had an effect.
Suddenly two powerful twisters of red-spider lilies whirled around her and Aimi had to move to keep herself from being sucked in. The Unloved Woman was attacking again and she'd still had more red lilies growing all over her. Aimi knew there was only one way to appease Hanari Kimura's spirit now…
As soon as the red twisters died down, Aimi again waited for the Unloved Woman to come toward her once again. If she didn't time it right, she could be killed right on the spot. Just as the evil spirit reached for her, Aimi was ready and furiously slashing at more Red-Spider Lilies, cutting off four more lilies. Then quickly switching to the camera to snap more shots of the Unloved Woman… Aimi cried out when three twisters trapped her in the center where she could feel the slicing petals cutting at her while trying to keep herself from being pulled in. It was proving trickier each time.
Once the red twisters vanished, Aimi turned around in time as the Unloved Woman was moving in for the kill. There were only five red-spider lilies growing on the Unloved Woman now… Aimi would be able to do more damage if she could chop off more of the flowers. With careful timing, the Unloved Woman tried reaching for her and that's when Aimi attacked with the Spiritual Shears. More and more Red Spider Lilies fell off the dead woman's body, rendering her more exposed. As Aimi used the Spiritual Shears over and over, that's when she noticed the shears in her hand was growing colder and colder. It seemed the shears was starting to lose its power.
Up to four twisters whirled dangerously up from the field of red lilies and Aimi was forced to retreat for now. But as she tried dodging the powerful twisters and sharp petals, that's when she noticed it. The Unloved Woman had one more red-spider lily left… A lone lily grew in her chest. Once Aimi cut that flower off, the Severing Ritual would be complete. It wouldn't be easy with the four twirling twisters moving through the meadow. Forcing Aimi to constantly be on the move while trying to face-off against the Unloved Woman…
In her heart, Aimi could feel the Hanahaki Disease finally reaching its final stage. There was no going back after this. Maybe she could finally put her own feelings to rest once and for all… Gripping the Spiritual Shears tightly in her right hand while holding the Camera Obscura in her left, Aimi gathered all the courage she had left and prepared to finally finish this.
With no red-spider lilies left to shield her, Aimi was able to use the full extent of the Camera Obscura by taking one powerful photo after another. Each hit draining the Unloved Woman of its spiritual energy until finally the malevolent ghost was on its last legs. Aimi's finger pressed the shutter button and took the last shot… The Unloved Woman let out a blood-curling scream before sinking down onto its knees in the field of red-spider lilies. It was now or never. Time to finish this… Gripping the Spiritual Shears in her hand, Aimi cautiously approached Hanari Kimura and prepared to cut the last red-spider lily.
Without warning, Hanari started coughing up uncontrollably and seemed to spit out more spider lilies deep within her own womb. Aimi felt terrible pain in her stomach that before she knew it, she fell onto her knees too and was vomiting out white gardenias clogged within her throat. Already it felt like her lungs were about to burst and Aimi realized she couldn't breathe anymore. Time was up…
The pain was excruciating. If she didn't do something fast, Aimi would finally succumb to the disease. Still holding the Spiritual Shears in her hands, she knew there was only one thing she could do. This decision would cost her everything but she had no other option… or did she? In between her coughing fits, Aimi was able to look over to see the long dead Unloved Woman suffering just as much as she was. It came down to two choices. Either Aimi sever her own attachments forever or she severed Hanari Kimura's bond for good. She would make a sacrifice but which one was the correct one?
Option 1: If you want Aimi to use the Spiritual Shears on Hanari Kimura, head to Ending A
Option 2: If you want Aimi to use the Spiritual Shears on herself, head to Ending B.
Okay my reading troopers. This is it. The choice you makes will determine what ending you will get. But which ending will you get? That depends on which option you choose. I hope you make it a good one! Thanks so much for reading my Fatal Frame story. It was fun writing! And now without further ado, go see which ending this will earn you!