You Promised…Remember?

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Fatal Frame II.

Chapter Four

Something Lost

Mio…you left me. After all that we have been through-after you promised,-you abandoned me. And you did not even have the courage to tell me to my face-you ran away like a coward! I find it hard to even look at you now, but I really have no choice, do I? You are still my sister, and I cannot help but love you. But things can't go on like this. Something has to change…

-

I did not want to see Mio. It had been a week since she had moved out and left me all alone, but I had not even been able to find the strength or will to get out of bed in the morning. I had not been to work at all since then, either. Mio no doubt had to have noticed this by now-her daughter, Hikaru, was in my class. She picked her up after school everyday, which was partly why I had not felt like going. Plus, being surrounded by little children would only serve to remind me of one of the reasons Mio had gone away from me.

A sigh escaped my lips, as my boots crunched the multi-colored leaves under them. It was the end of November and very cold out. I shivered, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my brown wool coat. Despite not wanting to see my sister, I hated to think of her worried about me, so I was on my way to her house to show her I was alright. For some reason, I had decided to just go around the back, instead of knocking on the front door.

Mio's new house had a small wooden deck and one of those sliding glass doors in the back. I could see her through the door, back to me, with her husband. They were playing happily with Hikaru and Sakuya, laughing, without a care in the world.

Despite the cold, my body suddenly flooded with heat. I could feel my long-hidden rage welling up inside, threatening to break free. At the same time, I felt something else leaving me-my restraint was waning. My whole body was shaking, fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles were turning white. Memories of all Mio's broken promises suddenly rampaged my mind.

We were just little kids, running through the forest. I could see Mio just ahead of me on the narrow dirt path. The forest scared me…I did not want to be left alone…I called out to her, begging her not to leave me. She just taunted me, telling me to hurry up, or she would leave me behind. I had been so upset with her, that I let my foot slip and fell down the mountain. It had hurt, but the look of remorse on her face when I came to had been priceless.

The door swung shut, trapping me in the cell room. Through the small window, I begged Mio not to leave me, but she insisted she had to get the key and would be right back. My cries meant nothing to her. The minute she had left, I had blacked out again and wound up somewhere else.

We were running up the stairs that led to the shrine-our only hope of escaping this village and its ritual. The villagers were soon on our trail, carrying their torches and scythes. With my aching leg, I was unable to keep up with her and was quickly captured. I called out to Mio, but she was too slow to rescue me.

Mio was getting married. The day we escaped the village, she had promised to never let me go again. And yet, she did. She let me go and ran off into the arms of some man, leaving me out in the cold.

I came home to an empty house. There was a note for me, from Mio. She had grown tired of living with me and had moved out while I was at work.

Something hit my ankle, bringing me out of my trance. Looking down, I saw a black-and-white checkered ball. It was a filthy, disgusting thing, not even fit for usage. What kind of parent would make their child play with such a ratty old thing?

"Aunt Mayu?"

It was then I noticed that I was not alone. Eight-year-old Mariko was standing there, staring at me. Her eyes were bright and lively, just like her mother's. The wind had messed up her hair, which was down today, and she was breathing heavily, no doubt from running around in the freezing cold, kicking a ratty soccer ball.

I gave her a smile. "Hello, Mariko. Out practicing, I see?"

She nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

"I noticed your ball is a bit…rundown. Why don't you ask your parents for a new one?"

I watched her pout. "They said they might get me one for Christmas, even though I can't practice too good with this one, and that is a long time away."

"Well, I happen to have a soccer ball I could give you. It was mine when I was younger, but I never got a chance to use it because I hurt my leg soon after that."

Mariko's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"Come on, let's go get it." I put my arm around her, leading her back towards my house, my anger forgotten.

-

"Mayu?!" choked out Mio's tearful voice over the phone, when I picked it up.

"Mio? What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"It's Mariko-she's missing! I've looked all over, but I just can't find her! Have you seen her?"

"No." I tried my best to remain calm, for her sake. "She probably just wandered off-you know how kids are. Not a day goes by that I don't think one of the kids in my class has gone missing, only to notice them right there in front of me."

"You think so?"

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "She'll turn up, you'll see. Why don't you go check the woods out back of your house? I'll stay here, in case she should turn up."

"O-okay." Mio sounded slightly reassured. "Thanks, sis, and…I'm sorry." She hung up.

I set the phone down in its cradle. Poor Mio. Worrying about someone you love is the worst kind of pain-no one knew that better than me.

How does it feel, Mio? How does it feel to long for someone you adore-to wonder if they will ever come back?

My memories overwhelmed me again, all of a sudden. Mio had fallen asleep on the couch after an active day playing outdoors. She looked so angelic and helpless, traits which she never possessed while awake. I hadn't been able to resist climbing up on top of her, straddling her. My hands traced her delicate features, eventually clasping around her delicate neck. I found my grip tightening, choking the life out of her. My sister awakened at once and tried to push me off of her, but for once, I was the strong one. She cried helplessly, before surrendering to unconsciousness. I finally realized that there was no pulse under my hands-my sister was dead.

I walked into the living room, where Mariko lay unconscious on the couch. To the casual observer, it was an innocent enough scene-a child fast asleep on the sofa of her only aunt. But to someone who bothered to look closely enough, they would notice the strange red mark on her neck and note that she looked paler than normal.

Sitting down gently beside her, I pressed my fingers to her wrist, then let out a sigh or relief. "Thank goodness…"

"…for a minute there, I thought it was Mio I had killed."