A/N: This was a fanfic of FATAL FRAME using my OC's from ZKD. However, Paladin never completed it. So, I decided to just share it as part of my anthology. It's Halloween, right?
XXX
ZKD: FATAL FRAME
"What did you call us in here for?" Takada asked impatiently as he, Ryuki, and Tazuka entered Ichijyo's office. Their friend/boss was looking at some files on his desk.
"A mission," Ichijyo answered as he closed the file. "Tell me, do any of you believe in ghosts?"
"Hai," Ryuki nodded.
"Yes," Tazuka nodded
"No," Takada denied.
"Well, I might get three positive answers before the mission is through," Ichijyo chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a nineteenth-century era photograph. However in the photo was a woman in a bloody kimono and her neck slashed open. However, the scenery behind her was actually visible. They could see through her. "Tell me what you see."
"Kami," Ryuki gasped.
"At first glance, a dead woman," Tazuka grimaced.
"A good photo trick," Takada shrugged.
"That photo was taken by a special device called the Camera Obscura," Ichijyo explained. "It's a very rare device since there are only four known in the world. Believe it or not, the Camera Obscura is capable of taking clear, defined, and undeniable pictures of ghosts and apparitions."
"Sugoi!" Ryuki gasped. "But…where did such a camera come from?"
"It was made in the nineteenth century," Ichijyo explained as he pushed the file forward. "The inventor was a man named Kunihiko Aso. He was an occultist who dabbled in western technology. Through some experimentation, he managed to create the Camera Obscura, a camera which was able to physically contact the spirit world by taking photos of things that lived there."
"Incredible," Tazuka gaped. "You mean he scientifically proved ghosts exist?"
"Dude, he's my new best friend," Takada gaped as he looked over more photos the Camera Obscura took and pictures of the object itself. "Did he create anything else?"
"A Spirit Stone Radio," Ichijyo answered as he gestured to some filed further behind the camera. "Kunihiko managed to discover that spirits could energize certain crystals or minerals with energy. That radio could sense the energy those stones gave off and play the energy as audio, usually getting words. The radio actually permitted people to hear the spirit world."
"Damn," Takada blinked in shock. He never thought of something like this before! "Please tell me there's more!"
"The last major invention was a film projector," Ichijyo spoke, referring to more of the file. "At first glance, it doesn't look too special. But it's the mechanics. This projector was actually able to see the movement of spirits and ghosts that regular lenses can't. Really, this man was either a certifiable genius or an authentic lunatic. Either way, his work cannot be denied."
"I am going to offer a blessing to him next time I pass a temple," Takada practically drooled over the new science. "So, what about these cameras you seem so interested about?"
"Like I said, four of them were made," Ichijyo explained. "However, I may have gotten a lead on one."
"Really?!" Ryuki gaped. "That's great! But…why do you need us to go in and get it?"
"None of Aso's inventions have pleasant history," Ichijyo explained. "After he died, his works were sold off to collectors. They were people who either were drawn to their function or because of their artistic appearance. However, most of the collectors ended up dead sometime after obtaining one of the devices. Some were dead by strange circumstances and others by suicide."
"What…do you think happened?" asked Ryuki with fear.
"My best guess?" Ichijyo sighed. "They saw too much in the camera lens…or they used the other devices too much and they prodded something that didn't like to be bothered."
"So basically, these devices attract spirits?" asked Tazuka.
"Probably not," Ichijyo commented. "More like the devices are drawn towards places with turbulent spiritual activity. Many of the people who died were in old or abandoned places where ghosts have been said to collect. They probably wanted to use the devices to see if they worked. As for the ones who committed suicide, they probably were simple collectors who couldn't take what they were shown."
"So that's why you want us to get the Camera Obscura," Takada frowned. "We're more experienced with this sort of thing than the average operative or civilian."
"Exactly. The one I've tracked down can be found at the Himuro Mansion," Ichijyo answered.
"Lemme guess, it's a supernatural hotbed," Takada frowned.
"Extremely hot," Ichijyo replied. "The Himuro family was an extremely secretive and close family. Rarely did anyone go to meet them. However, when they were all alive, three children would vanish from time to time. Locals would blame it on demons. Female screams were heard coming from that place from time to time when one would be brave enough to get close. Further research only mentioned something about a 'Rope Shrine Maiden'. What that is, I don't know."
"What happened to this family?" asked Ryuki with a shiver.
"Slaughtered," Ichijyo answered. "The lord of the manor went insane and slaughtered everyone in the house before killing himself. The grounds went abandoned after that."
"No one tried to buy it?" asked Tazuka.
"One man did. A folklorist," Ichijyo replied. "He and his family moved in. My research tells me that he had the camera when he went in. However, his wife hung herself after moving in and his daughter was sent away to live with relatives. The man himself vanished. As to my knowledge, the Camera Obscura is still there. The house has been abandoned ever since."
"Damn," Takada frowned. "Something tells me we're really stepping into it this time."
"We are Takada," Tazuka sighed. "We are."
"Well you won't be going in alone," Ichijyo added. "I'm also going in with you. I want this camera and with its history, you might be running into ghosts or…something worse."
"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded.
XXX
The journey out to Hirumo Mansion was not pleasant. After Takada learned where it was, in the middle of nowhere, he complained and started packing everything technological he thought might come in handy. Of course, that filled the trunk space that had and left little space for Ryuki, Ichijyo, and Tazuka to put their things.
"Do you…need this stuff Takada-san?" asked Ryuki as they drove down the road.
"Hey, we're heading into unknown territory for something that is most likely cursed," Takada retorted. "We need to be prepared for anything."
"Good words Mutt," Ichijyo commented from the driver's side. "However, not much of that junk is going to help us against ghosts."
"I don't believe in ghosts Scaleface," Takada shot back. "I refuse to believe that your whacked out camera actually caught a ghost on film. I'll admit that it caught something, but unless I see the thing in action then I refuse to believe it."
"You'll get your proof," Tazuka frowned from his passenger seat.
"A vision nii-san?" asked Ryuki.
"…" Tazuka didn't answer.
-VISION-
The boys were standing in a ruined room with a rafter hanging in the middle and a hole in the floorboards that was seeping a green gas. Stairs led to a landing above. It looked like a Japanese home of the past to be sure, but it was very old.
-FLASH-
Ryuki was holding an antique camera and was looking at it curiously. Ichijyo was walking around in the hallway they found it in. Takada was making faces in a mirror at the end of the hall while Tazuka himself was looking up at where ropes hung from the ceiling.
-FLASH-
The boys were in some kind of ritual room where large Buddha statues were standing. Each one had a bloody ring around its neck. However, the boys were dodging something. It was blurry, but it looked like a man in priest robes holding a sword and wearing a demon mask. Ryuki was holding the camera he found to his face and was flashing pictures. Something which seemed to cause the spirit pain.
-FLASH-
The boys were being overrun by a source of incredible darkness and evil. It looked like a shrine maiden, but her hair was covering her face and the mass of evil behind her was reaching out with numerous arms, gabbing at the boys, hoping to destroy them like it did the others.
-END VISION-
"We'll find it," was all Tazuka said.
Ichijyo frowned as he looked over at Tazuka. Tazuka no doubt saw something incredibly unpleasant.
XXX
The village near the mansion was as far as the boys could take their car. There weren't any roads to get to the mansion. Only a dirt path. It took all of Ichijyo's negotiation skills just to get that out of the people. Apparently, they weren't the only ones heading there either. A novelist, his editor, and a man from a magazine apparently wanted information headed up there. They had been gone for a while. Then a boy their age, if not older, came asking about the novelist before he headed after the group.
"It seems we may not be the only living people heading there then," Tazuka commented as he heard the news. "Some company may help."
"That was days ago though," Ichijyo argued. "Either there's another road leaving the mansion which the locals don't know about, or those people are still up there."
"Think something's keeping them there?" asked Ryuki with a frown.
"We'll find out," Ichijyo shrugged. "Now grab your packs. We have to walk from here."
"Jeez," Takada sighed. "I hate the boonies."
"Quit complaining," Ichijyo sighed as he yanked his pack out of the car. "You need the exercise anyway."
"Yeah, sure," Takada grunted.
The boys got their packs on and headed into the forested hills surrounding the area. The path to the mansion was easily found, but it didn't look used too often. That didn't deter the boys, but it was a long walk. The sun had set and the moon had long since risen by the time they reached the mansion.
"Woah," Takada gasped as they finally came across the building.
The Hirumo mansion was a huge building with large outer walls and gates to keep people out. Inside was a gentle river with a small bridge and stone stairs that led up to the main house. The moon and darkness hid the age of the house, but it looked like an amazing place.
"It looks beautiful, in a scary sort of way," said Tazuka.
"I guess," Ryuki agreed. It still gave him the creeps.
"It must have been something back in the day," Ichiyo commented.
"Well, let's just go in and find this weird camera of yours," Takada sighed. "The sooner the better."
Just before they were going to set foot on the grounds, they heard a snapping sound. Turning quickly, they saw that they weren't alone. In this case, it proved to be a girl their age with red/brown hair who was wearing a white shirt over a red halter top, a denim skirt, and knee-high boots.
"Um," she blinked at seeing the boys.
"And who are you?" asked Ichijyo with a frown.
"Miku," the girl answered. "Miku Hinasaki."
"Well hi Miku-chan," Takada grinned. "My name's Yoshiyuki Takada. What's a girl like you doing all the way out here?"
Takada was stopped in mid-flirt when Ichijyo tugged his ear, "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"He has a point," Ichijyo sighed as he looked to the nervous Miku. "Just what are you doing here?"
"Um…my brother, Mafuyu," Miku replied. "He…he said he was coming here, looking for someone. He hasn't been seen since."
"The boy the locals said was coming up here," Tazuka frowned. "Did he say who they were?"
"Um…Junsei Takamine," Miku answered. "He and his assistants Tomoe Hirasaka and Koji Ogata came with him. No one has heard from them since they got here."
"Oh no," Ryuki frowned, looking back at the mansion. He then looked back to Miku. "Are you going in?"
"I have to," Miku frowned. "But, why are all of you here?"
"There's something in the house we're looking for," Tazuka answered. "We believe its there anyway. Now, since you introduced yourself, my name is Tazuka Mizuki."
"Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa."
"Ryuki Leonard Hasuma."
"Hello," Miku bowed. "So, we are heading in together?"
"I think it would be safer," Ichiyo nodded. "I would prefer you stay out while we search, but it doesn't seem that you'll listen will you?"
"No," Miku denied. "I came here to find my brother and that's what I'll do."
"Then well help!" Ryuki nodded.
"Thank you," Miku smiled.
The four boys and one girl turned back to the house and made their way towards it. Walking up the stone steps and past the overgrown foliage, all five of them reached the front door. It was understandably unlocked, which allowed them all entrance inside. They shuffled inside before Ryuki shut the heavy wooden door behind them. As the sound echoed in the room, Ichijyo felt his senses spike to a height he rarely felt. Oh yes, this place was definitely haunted.
A bell jingled.
"Huh?" Ryuki blinked as he and the others turned to see what made the noise. They didn't see anything, but Miku could have sworn she saw a young girl in a kimono with long black hair.
"Did anyone see something?" asked Tazuka.
"No," Ichijyo frowned. 'I did sense a presence though.'
Tauka looked forward and saw that the room was exactly as his vision foretold. Looking around, he spotted some doors. On the wall was a mounted demon mask of some kind. All in all, exactly the kind of place where ghosts would hang out.
"If we're searching, then let's search," Takada grumbled. "We'll find the kid and the camera in no time."
"Camera?" asked Miku in confusion.
"Hai," Ryuki nodded. "There's supposed to be a special camera here. It can see ghosts and catch them on film."
"It…can?" Miku asked in surprise.
"We have photos from the thing to prove it," Ichijyo nodded. "I don't expect to find it easily though."
Stepping onto the wooden floor which creaked tiredly, the five youths walked around the fallen support beam and spied a door. Ryuki reached it first and opened it with a slow creak.
'The ropes…there are more ropes now…'
"Huh?" Miku gasped, turning to the source of the sudden noise. She and the boys turned quickly and thought they saw someone standing behind a paper separator. He was dressed in green with black hair and a vest. However, he was there for a moment before he faded out of sight.
"We're starting to see things," Takada sighed. "Let's just keep going."
"R-right," Ryuki gulped.
Ichijyo whispered to Takada, "Do you still have that Psychokinetic Energy Sensor that R&D gave us?"
"Yup, hold on," said Takada as he reached into his jacket and pulled out something resembling a PDA. "I don't know what we're looking for here. Could be nothing."
"Just keep your eyes open," advised Ichijyo.
The teens walked into a hallway with ropes hanging down from the rafters. Tazuka frowned at the sight. Takada looked forward and noticed a mirror at the end of the hall, "Hey, didn't know they had mirrors in a place this old."
"You'd be surprised," Ichijyo sighed.
"Hmm?" Ryuki blinked as he looked at the end of the hall. Curious, he stepped forward and in front of the mirror. Reaching down, Ryuki found that he was looking at an antique camera.
"Ichijyo-san," Ryuki spoke up as he picked up the camera and the notebook underneath it "Doesn't the Camera Obscura have signs carved into the rim of the lens and is colored gold?"
"Yes, why?"
"I found it," Ryuki answered, holding the camera up. "Miku-san, you said your brother's name is Mafuyu. I think I found his notebook."
"And my mother's camera!" Miku gasped as she trotted over to Ryuki. Taking the notebook, she opened its pages.
Himuro Mansion Investigation
Himuro mansion was once the home of a large landowner that owned vast areas of land. They also say that the site had some special significance that had to do with the Shinto rituals in the region (I couldn't find any detailed books about these rituals, though)
The last master of the Himuro family line massacred his entire household. Later another family tried to live there but disappeared. Because of incidents like these, no one tries to visit the mansion and it lies in ruins.
Maybe that's why there aren't any accounts of the Shinto rituals and why the exact place isn't recorded anywhere.
September 24th
I've had a bad feeling ever since I came to this mansion. I'm leaving notes in this notebook in case anything happens to me. I've got to find Mr. Takamine and the others fast…before I'm too late!
"Judging by how the notebook and his camera are here, I'd say something did happen to him," Ichijyo frowned.
"Mafuyu," Miku frowned sadly.
"Um…Miku-san?" asked Ryuki. "You said this camera belonged to your mother. Do you wish to hold it?"
"It's okay," Miku replied with a shake of her head. "It seems like you were looking for that camera. You can call it your reward if you can help me find my brother. It gave me the creeps sometimes."
"If you're sure," Ryuki frowned.
Suddenly, another bell rang. The group turned to the source and spotted a girl in a kimono and long black hair in the mirror for a moment before she vanished again.
"Who…was that?" Takada asked. The PKE Sensor had spiked when the bell rang.
"I think that would be obvious," Ichijyo frowned. "A ghost."
'Yaminekoryu?' Ryuki asked his demon within.
'I wouldn't be concerned with that one, Aibou,' Yaminekoryu answered. 'She doesn't seem to be malevolent here. However…I'd be wary if you see more anywhere. There's a lot of evil in this place and I don't think it will stay sated on the girl's brother and his friends for long.'
Ryuki nodded. He never doubted his inner demon. While Ryuki himself didn't have the ability to sense spirits, having a demon sealed within him compensated for that.
"OK, I'm not saying I believe in ghosts now, but there's definitely something abnormal here," spoke Takada, "And I don't like it." Takada was a rational person and hated things he couldn't explain. Heck, trying to discover more of Ichijyo's 'magic' still gave him a migraine.
"Well, as long as we stay together in a group, we'll be safe," said Ichijyo. 'I hope…'
Tazuka examined the mirror for a second. It was a risky chance, but maybe he could get a vision if he touched it. It could be an important clue. Items in places like this tend to absorb psychic energy around them and judging by the looks of things the mirror was saturated with it.
His hand touched the surface and he let out a gasp as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
-VISION-
Tazuka was looking down a hallway from the perspective of the mirror. Three people were walking. One was an older gentleman while another was a younger man…like the spirit they saw in the entrance room. The third was a woman in red.
They weren't alone
At the opposite end of the hall was a young woman in a priestess outfit with messy black hair that covered her eyes. Pale arms grasped at the air around her. Her gaze was locked on the trio
-FLASH
Tazuka could see down the hall again. This time though it was a horrifying scene. Pale arms were reaching through the walls trying to grab a person who was running through them. It was a young man who was wearing a black shirt with a white button-up shirt over it. He had dark jeans and black boots on. His hair was brown and he seemed to bear a resemblance to Miku. Looking past his shoulder, the same girl with the arms and messy hair was visible.
"Miku," the boy gasped before the arms grabbed him.
-END VISION-
"Nii-san!" Ryuki cried as Tazuka was pulled back from the glass. "Daijoubu?"
"Yes," Tazuka gasped, getting his breath back.
"A vision?" asked Ichijyo.
"Visions?" Miku gasped.
"Yeah. Tazuka can see things when he touches objects, but only when there's enough spiritual energy in the air," Takada explained. "This place fits the bill."
"So I'm not the only one," Miku spoke softly, she then gasped. "Tazuka, did you see Mafuyu? Is he okay?"
"I saw three adults being stalked by a dark force," Tazuka reported. "I also saw a young man getting grabbed by the same force. I assume that's him. I don't know what happened to him though."
Miku nodded, taking solace in the fact that her brother was there. If he was still alive or if he had joined the spirits was another matter.
"We should keep moving," Ichijyo spoke up. "We know Mafuyu went this way. We had better keep moving."
"Right," the other teens nodded.
Turning right at the mirror, they found a small door. Opening it, they entered a small storage-like room. It wasn't much. It had a few antiques with some suits of samurai armor in the corner.
"Hmm?" Ryuki blinked as he looked at an ornate lion mask. "Hey, I found some herbal medicine."
"Keep it," Ichijyo replied. "It could come in handy. It preserves really well too." He was examining some drawers before he produced a black notebook. Curious, he opened it, "What's this?"
Plot of my next work –Junsei Takamine
A series of murders in a country village. Dead bodies turn up one after another. Murders that resemble cruel Shinto rituals of legend in the area. The acts of a man sworn to revenge, and the strange correlation between those acts and folklore.
The man is gradually more and more influenced by the legends. The story will be about the man, proceeding in parallel with the tales of the local lore. Records of past discovered after an earthquake. The story gradually blurs between the present and the past.
June 24th – About Himuro Mansion, Himuro Mansion is known as the home of a large landowner that controlled the region. But they say it was originally built for performing a certain Shinto ritual, passed down through the generations
But the people of that time kept the ritual a deep dark secret. They were even forbidden from speaking its name out loud. Today, almost no accounts of the ritual exist, besides a smattering in local folklore.
"Interesting," Ichijyo frowned as he looked over the notes. "It sounded like it would have been a good book too. A shame." Pocketing the book, he noticed an old newspaper clipping that was under the book.
The earthquake the other day destroyed all five mirrors (the Holy Mirrors) which were artifacts kept for centuries in five shrines. Those five mirrors represent the five gods which protect this region.
Most commonly known for the 'Five Gods Festival' held every 10 years when all five mirrors are gathered in one shrine. The priests of the shrine hope this isn't a bad omen.
"Might be a clue to the current situation," Ichijyo commented as he pocketed the article with the book.
"Look what I found," Takada spoke as he came out form a nearby doorway. He was holding an old packet of film. "It says Type-14 on it. It looks like it was made for the Camera Obscura."
"Keep it then," Ichijyo replied. "Who knows what we might see."
"Hmm," Ryuki pondered as he lifted the camera to his eyes. He looked through the viewfinder at the stairs ahead of them. What wasn't there before suddenly appeared a boy their age wearing a white shirt and jeans with brown hair.
"Woah!" Ryuki gasped, accidentally hitting the shutter button, making the camera flash.
"Ryuki," Ichijyo frowned. "Film for that camera is hard to come by and we can't afford to let it go to waste."
"But...I…I saw something!" Ryuki tried to defend himself.
"Did you, Otouto?" asked Tazuka.
Before Ryuki could answer, the camera spat out a small picture. Holding it up, the group saw it appear before their eyes. Everyone was surprised to see the boy Ryuki spotted ascending the stairs in the frame.
"But he wasn't there when the picture was taken!" Takada cried out.
"Mafuyu!" Miku gasped.
"We didn't see him but the camera did," Ichijyo frowned. He looked to Miku. "I don't think I need to tell you what that most likely means."
"My brother is alive," Miku retorted. "I know that much for sure."
"Your decision," Takada shrugged before he threw the film to Ryuki. "Reload that baby and let's keep going. Maybe if we follow Mafuyu's ghost here we'll see what happened to him."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded. He knew how to work a camera, even old models like this. He was a member of the photography club for a while.
"Be careful with that thing, Otouto," advised Tazuka. "You don't know what else it's capable of."
"It's a paranormal item," added Ichijyo. "That means it's unpredictable."
Ryuki nodded. He would keep the Camera Obscura safe. It was important to their mission. However, a groaning noise captured their attention from the floor above. Warily, the group traveled up the stairs and fanned out. Miku reached a door and tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Even stranger, she could hear something moving on the other side.
"This one's locked," she reported to the boys. "I can't open it."
"I found more of that herbal medicine," Tazuka reported from a doorway. "Looks like the stairs down here are ruined though."
"Then we'll head back down the stairs," Ichijyo nodded. "Perhaps we left a clue behind downstairs somewhere.
It wasn't much, but there were more things down the wooden steps than there were upstairs. The four boys and the lone girl walked out onto the slightly groaning floor with few ideas as to what to do next.
Then a bell rang.
Ichijyo perked up and looked to near a small fire pit that was situated in the room. Tazuka and the others slowly followed his gaze. Sure enough, the young girl from the mirror was standing just outside the radius of light that Miku's flashlight afforded them. Both sides just seemed to stare each other down.
"Konnichiwa," Ryuji bowed politely to the little girl. "We apologize for just barging in, but it couldn't be helped."
"You're being polite to a ghost?" asked Ichijyo.
"She was here first," Ryuki argued.
The girl remained silent. Instead, she started walking towards the group. Miku flinched while Takada was about to pull something. However, the girl just stopped before the flashlight could illuminate her face. She then pointed at Ryuki, or more specifically, the Camera Obscura in his hands. After a moment, she then started pointing at a divider that was leaning against the wall, almost hidden by the stairs.
"Does she…want you to take a picture?" Miku asked softly.
"Maybe," Ryuki shrugged as he turned to see the girl again. However, she had already vanished again.
"In my experiences, when spirits have something to say, you had best listen," Ichijyo commented. "Ryuki, try to see if taking a picture of this divider will do something."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he held the camera up to his face. He then noticed something odd. "There's a blue light at the top of the viewfinder when I point it at this divider."
"That might mean it senses spiritual energy," Ichijyo replied. "Take a picture and see what happens."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded before he hit the shutter button. A bright flash went off, capturing the divider on film. The Camera Obscura made some noises as the people got their eyes readjusted. Ryuki caught the photo as it slid out of the machine and held it up. At first, there was just a picture of the divider, but suddenly the divider faded away to reveal a door.
"Um…I think there's a door behind that divider, minna-san," Ryuki replied. He was pointing at the divider he had just taken a picture of.
"Then let's find out," Tazuka commented as he reached to move it. "I might need some help with this."
"I'm in," volunteered Takada. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of this creepy place."
Ryuki looked towards Miku who looked fearful. "It's alright, Miku-san," he said. "We'll help you find your brother."
"Thank you," she said, smiling.
A scraping sound was heard as Tazuka and Takada got the divider moved completely. Sure enough, there was a wooden door that had been hidden behind the divider.
"Whew," Takada whistled. "Whoever that little kid is she sure knows her stuff. That camera too. Man, I'd love to take it apart to see how it works."
"Best to avoid that right now," Ichijyo replied. "Let's continue."
The group of five entered into a long hallway. It didn't look terribly special and there were some dimly lit lanterns in the corners. Logically, that meant that someone had come in before them and lit them for light. However, logic didn't always apply when it came to spirits.
'I can't find the key…where is it?'
"Did…anyone else hear that?" asked Miku.
"Yes," Ichijyo frowned. "Takada, Tazuka, you two check the end of the hallway. Ryuki, Miku, and I will check things out on this end.
"Right," the two boys nodded as they started walking.
All of them turned a corner and saw a pair of doors at the end of the hallway and another door to the side. Directly to their left was another wooden door. Tazuka and Takada stepped forward while Ichijyo looked around the room as if trying to see through the walls.
"I think…that we're alone in here," Miku commented.
"For the moment," Ichijyo agreed. He looked to see his two teammates were already coming back. "What's the verdict?"
"The sliding door is sealed by some force," Tazuka explained. "I couldn't bring myself to open it."
"The other door was nailed shut. None of us are getting through it tonight," Takada sighed. "So it's either try this door or back the way we came."
A spiritually sealed door was nothing new to Ichijyo, but he didn't want to force it open here. Not when he didn't know exactly how many ghosts he was dealing with or how powerful they were. No, they would play the ghost's games for now. However, once Ichijyo knew the situation, they were going to begin playing by his rules.
"Through this door it is then," Ichiyo sighed. "Come on."
Softly opening the door with a creak, Ichijyo walked through with his friends and the girl close behind. Entering, it seemed that they had entered someone's bedroom. Motioning for silence, the group continued walking along the floorboards and onto some tatami mats. Tazuka noticed a chest of drawers at the opposite end of the room. Knowing that information was key in a situation like this, he began to search. His quest bore fruit when he came across an old news article.
Late yesterday, a human body with no limbs was located at Hirumo Mountain, located in the southern region of the prefecture. The body's head, hands, and feet were torn off. The police are investigating this as both an accident and a murder
The body has not been identified but believed to be a man around the age of 30. The police are also taking into consideration that a body was found in a similar condition in the same region 15 years ago.
"Think it's connected?" asked Ichijyo.
"Might be, might not be," Tazuka replied. "We'll have to see what further information we can get."
The team leader nodded as he looked around the room. For a second, Ichijyo saw a man in green and brown walk towards the closet.
"Something useful might be here," Ichijyo commented. Miku's shiver only seemed to enforce that decision.
The young men and woman walked across the room towards the only closet. Ichijyo slid the door open slowly. Nothing threatening popped out, however, Miku noticed a tape recorder on the shelf.
"Here's something," she spoke as she reached out to get it.
As her fingers were about to touch the surface, there was a thump and a body dropped next to the recorder. The face was etched with terror and the skin had gone pale gray.
"AHHH!" four of the five teens cried out. Ichijyo flinched for a fraction of a second before the dead body faded from sight.
"I hate it when they do that," Tazuka sighed.
"Right," Miku sighed. She reached out to take the tape recorder which had somehow turned on. It was playing an odd warped voice in a loop. Hitting the stop switch, she let the voices stop. "It's covered in dust, but it should still be useful. There's a white-labeled tape with a number 1 inside too."
"Then listen to it while the rest of us explore the room," Ichijyo replied. "Leave no stone unturned."
"The mansion was nowhere to be seen on a map. So we finally had to ask the locals how to find it. They told us that Himuro Mansion had been empty for several decades now. The same ones who told us where it was also warned us not to come here, which was quite disconcerting."
"The locals tried to give me the same stonewall treatment when I was asking about it," Ichijyo frowned. "Obviously they knew a lot more about the history of the place then they let on."
"That or they're terrified of what's supposedly in this place," Takada sighed. "Well, let's get searching."
As the boys were about to start walking, a soft sliding noise stopped them. Looking over, they saw that a door had opened on its own. Ichijyo ordered his group to ignore it unless something came through. Miku decided to keep her eye on the door as she rewound the tape and hit the play button, hoping to hear more.
Ryuki, meanwhile, was looking through the viewfinder of the Camera Obscura, hoping to find a hidden clue. Takada made a comment, "This feels like a detective game or something."
"Except this is real," added Tazuka. "So, does this make you a believer?"
"I'm not saying there are ghosts here," Takada spoke, "But there's definitely something off about this place and I don't like it."
Ichijyo let his senses scan the room. This whole mansion was saturated with spiritual energy so it was difficult to focus. Something horrible had definitely happened here. The dead body confirmed it.
"Found more of that film," Takada reported. "But this one is called Type-37. I think it's a stronger brand."
"What did I say about the film?" asked Ichijyo.
"Save it," Takada nodded. He tossed the case to Ryuki. "Here you go. You're the one with the camera."
"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded.
"Is there nothing else?" asked Ichijyo.
"No," Tazuka replied.
"Then we move on," the team leader nodded.
The group then moved into the next room of the house. This one seemed to be a kimono fitting room from how the old kimonos were hung. Walking past a row of the formal clothing, Ryuki noticed another bottle of herbal medicine. Never one to turn down something useful, he picked it up and pocketed it. Following his friends, they got to the main part of the room.
"An old mirror stand," Tazuka observed. "It looks like the mirror has long since gone missing."
"Hmm," Ichijyo pondered. Something felt odd about this room.
Miku and Ryuki walked over to a nearby window, having noticed something odd. Upon close inspection, it was a white-labeled tape with the number 2 written on it. Curious, Miku leaned down and picked it up.
"This might come in handy," Miku smiled.
"Let's hope so," Ryuki nodded.
'Aibou! Behind you!' Yaminekoryu cried out.
Ryuki's eyes widened as he twirled around. His face then paled as he saw…something… struggling to walk towards him and Miku. The young woman turned to see what Ryuki was looking at and nearly screamed at the sight.
The being stumbling towards them looked like a man in modern clothes, but he looked twisted and warped. His eyes were pure white and his skin was a deathly gray. There was possibly a rope around his neck and he looked deranged.
'Aibou! This one isn't like the girl! He's become warped by this place! You have to fight him or else you'll join him!' Yaminekoryu barked at his partner.
"Otouto!" Tazuka cried, seeing the ghost lumbering towards the pair.
"Huh?" Takada blinked as he looked up. "Oh, no way!"
"Ryuki! The camera!" shouted Ichijyo.
"R-right!" Ryuki gulped as he brought up the camera.
He could see the ghost through the camera lens, but it kept shifting in and out of sight as it moved. As he kept the lens trained on the ghost, small kanji were lining up on the bottom of the viewfinder. The ghost then seemed to about to lunge and the circle in the viewfinder suddenly turned yellow. Acting on instinct, Ryuki hit the shutter button. The flash went off without a hitch.
"EEEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the ghost screamed, stumbling back as if struck by something. Red energy rose from its spectral body as was pulled into the camera. The ghost clutched his head as he stumbled backward. The area around him began to glow blue and warp before being compressed and changed into a small blue sphere. The sphere then seemed to break apart.
"Did you get him?" Miku asked with a gasping breath. Her heart was beating furiously.
"Maybe," Ryuki answered with a shudder. The camera made noises and another photo fell out of the mechanism. Ryuki caught it and held it up. A perfect shot of the ghost they had just fought.
"Did you see that?" Takada gaped as he and the others ran to their friends. "He looked like he just got shot just because of the picture."
"He probably felt like he did too. The Camera Obscura isn't your average piece of equipment," Ichijyo commented. "Apparently it pulled energy from the ghost with the picture. It's most likely what powers it. It's possible that's how the camera manages to get ghost images onto the film too."
"So what happened to the ghost then?" asked Tazuka.
"Ran away," Ichijyo replied. "Whatever happened to that man, he probably wasn't used to what the camera was doing."
"He looks kind of young to be a ghost in this house though," Miku commented as she looked at the photo the camera had produced. "I don't think I recognize him."
"Unfortunately, I do," Tazuka said darkly. He was examining the photo like everyone else. "He's one of the people your brother came in here after."
"Oh no!" Miku gasped. "Then that means…"
"Whatever's haunting this place got him," Ichijyo frowned. He then turned to Takada. "Believe in ghosts now?"
"Getting there," Takada sighed. "Did you two find something before our creepy friend decided to try and make a pass at you both?"
"Another tape," Miku replied as she held up the item she and Ryuki discovered. "I was going to play it when that…man came at us."
"Don't let us stop you then," Tazuka gestured. "I think we should all hear this."
"Right," Miku nodded. Bringing out the tape recorder, she switched out the tape before inserting the new one and pressing play.
"It seemed dangerous to walk through the mountain at night. So we decided to spend the night here and continue our way in the morning. I have been through several rooms already. Unlike the exterior, the interior is still in quite good shape. A little earlier, I thought I saw a white shadowy figure of a woman in the hallway near the entrance. I'll keep track of such sightings and publish them in a writer's account."
"I don't think he will," Tazuka sighed. "Miku, did your brother tell you why Takamine and his two assistants were here?"
"Well, he said that Takamine was going to publish a new book and was here for research," Miku recalled. "Umm, Tomoe was his assistant so she'd go with him. I think the other man was an editor to a future supernatural magazine."
"Looks like this article got the jump on him," Takada frowned. "Now he's become part of it."
"Yeah," Ryuki nodded. "But…how did this happen?"
"Despite appearances, ghosts and spirits can be extremely powerful," Ichijyo warned. "Obviously this one has become powerful enough to kill. That's rare since it takes the right environment and circumstances for it to happen."
"Considering the history of this place, I think this qualifies," Takada sighed.
"I would say so too," Ryuki nodded as he raised the camera again to look for more possible clues. "Hm?"
"What is it?" asked Miku.
"That mirror stand in the corner," Ryuki commented. "It's making the blue light in my viewfinder light up."
"It is?" Ichijyo blinked. He looked to the mirror-less stand and stepped closer. As he did, he began to feel the spiritual energy coming from it. "Well, I'll be. The editor's spirit must have been drowning out the feeling."
"Let me take a picture," Ryuki called as he stepped forward. Getting the stand in sight, he snapped another picture. The photo took a minute to develop and pop out. Picking a scrap of paper up, Ryuki's eyes widened to see the photo begin to change. It started as a photo of the mirror stand and it turned into a photo of a lion mask sitting on a chest of drawers near a fireplace. "Sugoi."
"Hey, you didn't take a photo of that did you?" asked Takada.
"No," Ryuki denied. "I just took a picture of the stand and it turned into this."
"It might be a clue then," Tazuka suggested. "Whatever spiritual presence is connected to this stand obviously made contact with that mask too."
"Then we know where we need to go," Ichijyo nodded "Thankfully it's not far."
"Yeah," Takada agreed. "We just have to find that mask."
XXX
"Otouto looks like you're that camera's keeper. Keep it safe and it'll keep us safe," advised Tazuka.
"Hai, Nii-san." Ryuki obeyed.
Exiting the kimono room back into the previous room, Miku decided to try to talk to Ryuki, "You and your brother must be really close."
"Yes, even if we're not related by blood."
"Huh?" Miku wasn't sure what that meant. "So, you're adopted?"
"Well…actually, I adopted him as my older brother."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I never grew up with an older brother. All I had was an older twin sister and…we don't get along all that well. I don't know why. When we met Tazuka, he treated me like a younger brother. I grew to like the attention and ever since then I've been calling him 'Nii-san'."
Miku nodded, understanding the situation. It was like a very deep friendship that turned into a brotherhood.
"Ryuki-san, do you think my brother turned into something like…that man?" Miku asked.
Ryuki answered, "Honestly, I can't be sure, but we'll help you find him."
"Why do you care so much? We've only just met."
"Why not? It's the right thing to do, isn't it?"
"Well, I suppose so," Miku nodded. "You just don't see many people risk themselves like this all the time."
"People do it all the time," Ryuki replied. "We just don't hear about it as much as we should."
The group came out into the hallway with lanterns. Ichijyo was in the lead with Takada following. Miku and Ryuki were talking softly with Tazuka taking up the rear. The eldest boy was glad that even with this world of terror they stepped into, Ryuki could still relax. As they turned the corner though, Tazuka spied something moving through the wall and lunging at Miku!
"Look out!" Tazuka cried, pushing Miku forward just as the ghost wrapped his arms around Tazuka.
"GAAAAAHH!"
-VISION-
Tazuka was closely following a man he recognized. It was the same man whose ghost they had just met. He was running in fear of something he had seen. Running through a door in the lantern hall, he ended up in the joined room. Panting, he discovered the closet and quickly dove inside. He shut it as quickly as possible, leaving only a crack for him to see through. After desperately trying to get his heavy breathing silenced, he spied the source of fear.
It was a white-clad woman who had long dark hair. She was partially engulfed in a mass of darkness and had pale arms. The editor held his breath, hoping that the monster would move on, leaving him alone. It seemed to stray for a moment before passing on.
"Whew," he sighed.
That was when the eye of the women rose from the bottom and peered inside the closet. The man screamed in fear as numerous arms grabbed him, cutting off his screams
-END VISION-
FLASH!
"RAAGH!" the ghost cried as it dropped Tazuka and stumbled backward.
"Keep your hands off my nii-san!" Ryuki cried as another charge flew through the camera. He hit the shutter again, hitting the ghost a second time.
"AHHHHHH!" the ghost moaned as more power was drained out of it. Stumbling further back it warped and twisted into a blue orb before vanishing.
"Tazuka-san!" Miku cried as she ran to the downed boy. "Are you okay?"
"Feels like I was frozen and electrified at the same time," Tazuka groaned. "I might need, medical attention."
"Try some of these medicines we've been picking up," Takada offered. Tazuka jerkily took the wooden vial and swallowed the herbal remedy. Immediately the freezing electrified feeling began to go away and he was able to get to his feet.
"Holistic medicine is a wonderful thing," Tazuka sighed. "Did he get anyone else?"
"No," Ichijyo replied. "Just you." Now ichijyo was cursing his foolishness. This place was hounding his senses so badly, he couldn't sense when a ghost was coming. Weakened as it was from the first bout, the residual energy probably hid it.
"I thought that thing would take longer to come at us though," Takada frowned. "We don't even get one hundred steps and it comes back! Why?"
"He noticed us," Ichijyo answered. "I've seen him wandering here or there but didn't think too much unless he became a threat. Now he is. When ghosts notice something they want, they go after it. Apparently, this one thinks we have something. My question is where he latched onto us."
"That closet we found the recorder in," Tazuka answered. "That was where whatever the source of this evil is found him and killed him."
"How do you know that?" asked Miku.
"Because when he touched me I got a vision," Tazuka answered with a sigh. "One I'm not eager to relive. The terror that man was feeling was incredible."
"Nii-san, are you alright?" Ryuki asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. It's just a little draining that's all. The vision…was horrifying."
"Just don't strain yourself, nii-san," Ryuki advised.
"I don't know if I even have a choice, otouto," Tazuka answered.
"Still," Ichijyo sighed as he scooped up the two pictures that the camera made of the ghost. "We have to get going. Ryuki, how many shots do you have in that camera?"
"Ten," Ryuki answered. "Then we'll need to get the film that Takada found."
"Okay," Ichijyo nodded. "Let's get that mask and see what the spirits find so damn interesting about it.
Everyone nodded in agreement and finally managed to get to the end of the hall. Exiting through the door, they were back in the room where the lion mask was placed. Takada made a straight beeline for the mask and inspected it. After a moment, he got results.
"There's a mirror hidden behind this thing," he reported, producing a red hand mirror. "Looks to be the same shape as the indent in that kimono room."
"Then we found our clue," Ryuki nodded. "We'd better head back and see where this takes us."
"Agreed," Tazuka nodded.
The group made swift tracks back to the kimono room where the mirror was supposed to go. Miku just turned the corner in the lantern hall and gasped in fright.
"What?!" asked Ryuki as he got the camera ready.
It turned out that the doors Tazuka couldn't open before was a closet in which the ghost of the editor was crouching inside. He was staring at them with his white orbs. The situation tensed for a moment before the door shut itself.
"Should we-?" asked Ryuki.
"No, let him stay where he is," Ichiyo answered. "It's where he feels safe."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded.
The five teens reentered the kimono room and stood up to the mirror table. Takada produced the red mirror in question and set it inside the indent. The item fitted perfectly and there was a small clicking noise. Miku looked down and saw that a drawer had moved slightly. Grabbing the handles, she pulled the drawer open to reveal a rusted bronze key and a photo.
"It's the editor!" she gasped as she picked up the photo. "When he was still…alive?"
The photo looked fine at first with the editor standing somewhere in the house. Suddenly though, ropes appeared wrapped around his neck, ankles, and wrists.
"Kami," Ryuki gasped. "How did-?"
"I'm not sure," Tazuka frowned. He picked up the bronze key. "But ropes seem to be becoming a theme here. First that hallway, and now this man. At least now we might be able to get deeper into this place and find Mafuyu."
"Help me…the ropes…help…the ropes…the rope…THE ROPES!"
The four teens turned and saw their ghostly friend had returned for round three. He was reaching out for them with open hands. He was still moaning about ropes and help.
"I got it!" Ryuki called as he stood in front of his friends and charged a shot. He was about to hit the shutter when the ghostly editor rippled out of sight. "Huh?"
"Left!" cried Miku.
Ryuki turned immediately to his left and saw the ghost ready to lunge. Swiftly turning, he hit the shutter button, bringing a flash. The man screamed in agony, but Ryuki wasn't done. Getting another shot charged, he unleashed a second blast, pushing the ghost farther back. He then got a third shot and hit him again. The ghost screamed in agony as he twisted into a blue sphere again. This time though, it seemed to linger before being sucked into the camera.
"Woah!" Takada cried. "I think you finally got him!"
"It appears so," Ichijyo pondered. "Enough exposure and the spirit itself will be drawn in and sealed in the film. Not a good way to enjoy the afterlife."
The Camera Obscure spat out three photos, all of the same subject. However the third was much clearer than the other two. Ryuki captured all three photos and slipped them into his pocket.
"Alright, I guess we've sealed one spirit. Who knows how many others there are in this house," said Ryuki.
"Still, it's a good thing we have you holding the camera," said Tazuka thankfully. "You're the best shot we've got."
Blushing, Ryuki answered, "I'm not that good, nii-san."
"Don't be so modest, otouto. You've got amazing reflexes. It's a good thing we had you hold onto the Camera Obscura."
"Keep it up and you'll get a pay raise," stated Ichijyo.
"Yatta," Ryuki grinned.
"So, where does this key go anyway?" asked Takada, referring to the key that was clutched in Tazuka's hand.
"I think I might know," Miku answered. "Remember when we first entered that dragon mask room and we went upstairs? There was one locked door and I remember that the lock was made of brass like this key."
"So we backtrack again," Ichijyo nodded. "And we don't have the editor here to harass us anymore. Hopefully, his two comrades and the boy haven't suffered a similar fate but…"
"You never were an optimistic one," Tazuka sighed.
The group made tracks back to the room where Miku supposedly saw the brass lock. Travelling through the lantern hall they reached the room where their target was. As they entered the room though, they heard the padding of feet running up the stairs next to them. All five teens turned to see what it was but found nothing.
"I think our tiny friend is telling us we're on the right track," Tazuka spoke as he headed for the stairs.
"I like her," Ryuki smiled. A bell jingled in the darkness.
"I think she likes you too," Takada laughed. "C'mon, let's see where this takes us."
The group traveled up the stairs and ended up at the door where Miku said was the owner of the key. Sure enough, there was a big brass lock. Bringing out the key, Tazuka inserted it and the lock was undone.
"Here we go," Tazuka steeled himself as he pushed the door open.
Slowly entering, the group found a large room with a sturdy oak table. In the left corner was an urn on a shelf. Obviously, this was a place where meetings would be held in the presence of ancestors. All five slowly stepped into the room and fanned out.
Takada was looking over the urn to see who it was when he spied a book underneath it. It was green and written in charcoal ink. Picking it up, he discovered that he might have found some research notes from the editor before he…kicked the bucket.
Secret Rituals of the Himuro Family
Any customs and rituals have been passed down through generations of the Himuro Family. Most of them are lost. The only things we have left are some documents which record these rituals as legends.
Hardly any of the oral history remains. This is because all members of the Himuro family are dead, and all those close to the family have kept quiet about the ritual.
One ritual, in particular, performed on December 13th, is shrouded in mystery. People who lived near the mansion stayed inside that day, and even now it is considered bad luck to leave your windows open that day.
I can only assume this is because of the cruel nature of the ritual. But, the truth is unknown.
"Woah, bad mojo," Takada grimaced. Something big was going down in this place and it might be the reason why all this freaky stuff was happening.
In the meantime, Ryuki had spotted something on the table. It looked to be a rock, but it was so finely polished it actually reflected. He could see himself in it. There were protective symbols carved into the back of it. Considering it useful, he pickedit up and tucked it in his pocket. Considering the nature of this godforsaken place, they needed any edge they could find to counter this unholy threat.
'Sensing anything, Yaminekoryu?' asked Ryuki.
'Besides the malice, evil, and growing bloodlust in the air?' asked Yaminekoryu. 'I think you may have caught the attention of the source of this problem, but it's like it doesn't care. Something else is holding its attention.'
'Is that good for us?' asked Ryuki.
'Maybe if you don't get in any more fights with ghosts, but I'm not holding my breath in a blood-drenched place like this,' Yaminiekoryu snorted. 'Just keep that camera loaded or else bad things might happen.'
"Otouto," Tazuka called, "We're moving on."
"Oh, coming," Ryuki nodded, following his friends behind a divider. Miku was already opening a pair of sliding doors. "Anything interesting?"
"Just some hints at some bad mojo and Miku-chan found some medicine," Takada shrugged. "Nothing major."
Miku slipped the doors open and the group continued on. Of course, that stopped quickly when they found themselves on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. There was another building there and path even farther back. A scraggly and dead tree looked over the dirt and stone path.
"Hmm," Ichijyo frowned as he looked around. His eyes landed on a paper window next to them. However, he could see the shadow of someone inside. It lasted for only a moment before the shadow faded out of sight. "I know where to go next."
"You do?" asked Tazuka.
"Either our short friend or another spirit showed us the way," Ichijyo replied as he headed back inside. The group followed in confusion. Ichijyo didn't hesitate as he turned to the right. However, there weren't any more doors on the right save for the boarded-up doorway and a solid wood door next to it. However, there was a door on the left. Ichijyo didn't stop as they reached the next room
Inside was a decorative room with dolls and a trunk on the ground. Directly in front of the group was a camera with a glowing blue lens. Stepping forward warily, Ichijyo examined the machine.
"Ichijyo, you shouldn't go so fast," Tazuka sighed. "We can't afford to get separated."
"True," Ichijyo nodded as he drew back from the old camera. He was holding five packets of Type-14 film. "However, this was for the upkeep of our only weapon."
"Hey nice job, snakeface," Takada grinned. "More film means more shots to snap up ghosts."
"Correct," Ichijyo nodded as he handed the film over to Ryuki, who pocketed the cases of film. "Now we continue moving. Look for whatever might be useful."
"Right!" the teens nodded. Despite not being part of the team, even Miku was getting used to having Ichijyo in charge. He was good at the role. Filling her part, Miku examined some of the trunks, what she found was another case of Type-14 film and a red notebook. She gave the film to Ryuki, but she opened the notebook to read to the others.
August 20th
It seems that a folklorist named Ryozo Munakata was studying about the rituals passed down in the Himuro Mansion. He supposedly left a book about his research, but I can't find it anywhere. I wonder if there's a copy in the library somewhere?
August 30th
I still can't find the book. I'll have Koji Ogata in the editing department do a search for it. I doubt he'll be able to find it, though.
"This must have been left by one of the researchers who came here," Ryuki muttered. "I hope nothing happened to this one."
"They left something else too," Ichijyo answered as he retrieved something from the dolls on the chest of drawers. "Some audio notes as well."
He tossed the tape over to Miku. The tape had a red label on it, marking it as different from the white tapes that they had found so far. Miku quickly retrieved the recorder and replaced the white tape with the red one.
"We discovered some disturbing photos in a chest of drawers. Could these be the folklorist's children mentioned in Koji' notes? The photo is quite old and shows some kids playing tag. In the bottom corner of the photo, there's a faint image of a girl in a white kimono. Her finger is pointed in this direction and her eyes are as if she is making some kind of silent accusation."
"So our little friend has appeared before," Ichiyo pondered. "Well, we had better get moving. I still wish to explore that side of the room where I saw something."
"You sure you saw something?" asked Takada. "Then why'd you turn left?"
"Because something was there," Ichijyo answered. "The room where I saw it was burnt out and rotten. However, I did see a normal door that looked like it would still work. I just didn't lead over there in case another ghost decided to attach itself to us."
"So you mean to let it move away before we risk going near there," Tazuka nodded.
"Exactly. It could be malevolent and even with the Camera Obscura we can't take any unnecessary risks," answered Ichijyo.
"Us being here is already a huge risk," remarked Takada. "The PKE Sensor is getting some pretty high readings here." He then cursed, "Oh, crap!" The PKE Sensor was sparking and spewing smoke. Alarmed, Takada dropped it.
"So much for the PKE Sensor," said Ryuki, frowning.
"Damn thing must've gotten overloaded with all the bad mojo in this place," said Takada. "Don't know if I can fix it."
"Don't waste time that we don't have." Ichijyo knew what had happened. Obviously, the machine was unable to take the strain of all the psychokinetic energy in the mansion. Machines had limits. Smart Brain tech was no different. "Let's go."
The five teens traveled across the room and through a narrow corridor. They passed a shredded paper door that revealed an empty and destroyed room. Ichijyo kept his eyes on the wooden door. Grabbing the handle, he swung it open. It was a plain hallway, but there was a closet to their left.
"Might as well examine all things here," Ryuki commented as he held the camera up while reaching to the closet handles. Pulling the handles, he opened the doors. Inside was pretty much bare with only a pack of film. It was the Type-37 kind. That suited Ryuki just fine.
"Let's go then," Ichijyo commented. He led the group down the hall towards a second large mirror. As they got closer to it, they started hearing voices.
'There are rope marks on my body…just like Koji…'
"Again with ropes," Tazuka frowned.
"We'll figure it out," Ryuki assured his brother as he brought up the camera.
Miku was about to keep moving when she heard something crinkle from underneath her boot. Looking down, she found it was pages from a book. From the handwriting and the designs on the paper, it was from the red book she found before. Picking them up, she began to read.
August 27th
The more I find out about the Himuro Mansion, the creepier it gets. I'm sure it's the perfect subject matter for Mr. Takamine's next book but, to be perfectly honest, I don't like this assignment one bit. It gives me a bad feeling…
There's no way I want to go to that mansion. But it's my job, right? I guess I'll have to go. And I wouldn't want to waste the chance to work with Mr. Takamine just because of a little uneasiness.
It doesn't help that I have a sixth sense for the supernatural, either. There is such a thing as knowing TOO much, sometimes…
"That sounded ominous," Tazuka frowned.
"Apparently this place was giving her signs before she got here and she still came," Ichijyo sighed. "Still, we have to keep going if we're going to determine their fates."
The group continued on and continued on forwards. There was a short trip of stairs downward which wasn't too hard to navigate. As they got off the stairs, Miku spotted someone walking around the corner to their left. "Mafuyu!"
"Huh?" Takada blinked as Miku headed for the corner. "You saw him?"
Miku's elation was stopped short when she heard someone coming towards them. Ryuki had the camera ready as he went to retrieve Miku. As he got to her, their new guest found them.
He looked like a regular villager from ancient Japan. He wore villager clothes, but his hair hung down on his head. His skin was pale gray and his eyes were white. However what was odd was that his arms were much longer than the average span and he was hunched over.
"What…is that?!" Takada gaped at the deformed ghost.
"Give back…give…back…give back!" the ghost moaned as he began to reach for the pair.
"An evil spirit!" Tazuka shouted, alarmed. "Otouto, shoot it now!"
Ryuki reacted quickly and held up the Camera Obscura. The markings on the bottom of the screen lit up quickly and Ryuki had his finger on the shutter button. However, before he could press it, the ghost shifted to the side and out of the viewfinder.
"Kuso!" Ryuki cursed under his breath as he and Miku started backing away. He kept trying to put the ghost in sight, but it kept swerving and shifting to invisibility.
"Give…back!" the ghost moaned as he suddenly lunged at the pair.
"Say cheese!" Ryuki grinned as he aimed the lens at the lunging ghost.
FLASH
"URAAAHH!" the long-armed ghost bellowed, stumbling back while clutching his face. Ryuki kept the pressure on as the sigils lit up again. The ghost began to swerve again to avoid the attack. However, Ryuki was prepared. He followed the pattern by swerving his head and tapping the shutter button.
The ghost roared again as it stumbled in its tracks. Ryuki could tell that he was getting close. Getting the charge as high as he could in a short amount of time, Ryuki hit the stunned ghost again.
"GYAAAHHHHHH!" the long-armed ghost roared before he warped into a small blue orb before vanishing.
"Whew," Ryuki sighed as he let the camera down. The device whirred and spat out three pictures of the long-armed ghost. Miku recovered them and examined them.
"Just what the heck kind of freak was that?!" Takada gaped.
"Obviously either someone who crossed the Himuro family or someone who served them," Ichiyo frowned. "I haven't heard of one like that though."
"Give back," Tazuka frowned. "What did he mean by giving back?
"Obviously it's what's keeping him from crossing over aside from the force calling the shots here," Ichijyo frowned. "Something was taken from that…man and he wants it back. Desperately so it seems."
"For a moment I felt bad about him," said Ryuki sadly.
"He tried to rip off you to shreds and you feel bad for him?" asked Takada incredulously.
"Lay off him, Takada. Otouto can't help but be sympathetic for some of the spirits trapped here," said Tazuka in Ryuki's defense.
"Fine. Still, the kid's too nice for his own good," said Takada.
"Which just proves he's more human than you and I could ever be," quoted Ichijyo.
"Miku-san, are you alright?" asked Tazuka in concern. Blushing, Miku nodded. "Thank goodness. It's a good thing you have Otouto here to protect you."
"Ah ha ha ha," Ryuki chuckled modestly. "You all would have done the same."
"Now that the victory party is over, let's get moving," Ichijyo sighed as he headed to a nearby door on the right. "Shall we?"
"Ikuzo," Ryuki nodded.
The group shuffled into the room, which seemed to be some kind of basement storeroom or something. No one could be sure. Takada was scanning the room when he saw some papers blowing in a slight breeze. Walking over to them, he snatched them up.
"These look like the ones Miku is collecting in the red book," Takada observed. "If you would do the honors Miku-chan?"
Miku rolled her eyes and took the pages. Scanning them over, she found that they were indeed from the red book. Finding the first of the two pages, she began to read.
September 10th
I clearly saw the image of a woman, In front of the mirror near the entrance. She had long hair and a white kimono. There were ropes tied to her arms and legs, and she dragged them around when she walked. I think I heard Koji talk about something like that, too.
There is something VERY wrong about this mansion.
"It seems like it was beginning to dawn on her," Tazuka observed. "I only hope that she listened to her instincts."
"But we still have to be sure," Ichijyo replied. "So let's keep going."
Tazuka agreed and headed to the pair of sliding doors that were down in the room. Oddly enough, there was another pair of sliding doors. Tazuka passed through them to open up to a third pair of doors. Finally, he found himself looking at paper doors that were torn up with an entry gap. Tazuka peeked around the entryway and spotted something on the ground along with a door.
"There's something wrapped on the door," Tazuka spoke as he looked at the door. "I can't open it. There's something else though. It says its sacred water." He walked back to the entryway with what looked like a small glass bottle with a paper attached to it.
"That will come in handy if it's real," Ichijyo told his friend/ally. "In both healing wounds and other things."
"Good to know," Takada nodded as he ducked into the broken hallway on the opposite end. "But I think I got more research into this bad mojo now." He returned holding charcoal ink pages. Flattening them, he began to read.
The Mystery of the Rope Maiden
Among the few documents found on the ritual, mention of the "Rope Shrine Maiden" is made many times. Her arms legs and neck are bound by five ropes. However, no documents discuss the role she plays in the ritual.
One theory is that she was a sacrificial lamb, but I find it hard to believe that such a cruel ritual was ever practiced.
"Hmm, this offers a little more insight," Ichijyo frowned. "The red book mentioned a girl with ropes tied around her arms and legs. The picture of the editor also had ropes on his arms and legs."
"Do you think whatever happened here has to do with this Rope Shrine Maiden?" asked Ryuki.
"With all the mention of ropes, I'd bet a fair sum that it does," Ichijyo pondered. "The question is who was this Rope Shrine Maiden, what was her role in these rituals, and what happened to her?"
"Maybe our little friend can shed some light on the subject," said Tazuka.
"If she can stick around long enough to give us a decent answer, that is," scoffed Takada.
"I think she might already be," Miku added. "I mean, she's been pointing us in several directions and we've been finding all sorts of information along the way. I think if we keep going in the direction we've been going, we'll find the answers."
"And your brother," Ryuki added, making Miku smile.
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Takada as he filed the pages into his green book. "Let's keep going."
The group got their motion again and began heading for the exit but that was when Ichijyo felt a weak spike in the spiritual energy. Looking around, he saw something that looked like a heat mirage coming at them, "Move!"
Everyone ducked, Tazuka keeping his arm over Miku as the entity flew overhead with a low moan. Ryuki rolled over and held the camera to his eye. He managed to get a brief glimpse of a sunken face with a skinny body with ropes tied around him and his arms hanging down. However, only two symbols turned blue before the ghost turned invisible again.
"He's fast! We have to keep moving!" Ryuki warned his friends as he got to his feet.
All five of them made their way to the exit with Ryuki keeping an eye out for their speedy assailant. Looking out, Ryuki suddenly felt like an electrical and freezing sensation barrel into his chest, "AUGH!"
"Otouto!" Tazuka cried as they saw the spirit taking form again, having completed an attack.
Gritting his teeth, Ryuki pointed the camera at the skin and bones head of the ghost that had grabbed his chest before hitting the shutter button. The camera flashed, making the ghost reel back in pain. Panting, Ryuki kept the camera trained on the recovering spirit before unleashing a second blast, making the spirit screech in agony as the camera drew more energy. The floating spirit writhed as it coiled into a bright blue ball before vanishing.
"Ryuki!" Takada called to the shivering young man as they ran to his side. "Hey, you okay kid?"
"A little pain," Ryuki grimaced. "It's fading though."
"I'd feel better if you'd use some of the medicine," Tazuka sighed as he produced some of the herbal pills from the wooden vial. Ryuki nodded and swallowed a few. He sighed as the numbing pain in his torso faded away.
"That thing didn't even look human," Takada grimaced as he plucked up the photos of the ghost fell out of the camera. "Yeesh. I was right."
"My best guess is that it was drawn here from all the spiritual power here," Ichijyo replied. "Or perhaps the blood spilled here."
"Either way we'll be seeing it again knowing our luck here," Tazuka frowned. "We had better keep moving before it decides to come back. Otouto, are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"Hai, nii-san," Ryuki nodded. "Let's keep moving."
The group went back into the hallway and took a collective breath to try and get the adrenaline out of their system for the moment. Miku was shivering slightly, but Tazuka tried to comfort her, which seemed to be effective.
Walking through the hallway to the right of the door they came out of, they began to catalog where the doors were. Takada noticed that the first door they passed had some kind of puzzle lock mechanism but chose to ignore it. They passed by an open window where the night light was leaking into the area. They passed by a second door and as they were walking, Miku noticed a crevice in the wall. There was a piece of paper sticking out of it.
"I think I found something," Miku called as she cautiously picked up the paper. "It's an old news article."
On the night of the 3rd, the police received a report that four children failed to return home after 9 pm. There is an old superstition in the surrounding villages about children being snatched away by ghosts, and some villagers indeed suspect this is what happened to the four children.
"Great," Takada frowned, "More bad mojo. We're getting pretty close to the deep end for this."
"I think we've only scratched the surface," Ichijyo commented. "The worst is definitely yet to come."
"Then we'd better try to explore a little more," Tazuka spoke. "We need to find out where Mafuyu and the others went. The ghosts are getting more numerous and more violent."
"Right," Miku nodded. Looking around, she spied a door. Walking over to it she opened it with the boys close behind. Walking through, they were met with a divider before heading to their immediate left. Ryuki took the lead since it was a new room and there might be a ghost somewhere. As he reached the end of the divider, there was a small table with a red box and a scroll on it. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.
Strangling ritual
On the 13th day of the 12th month, a maiden, cut off from the world for 3665 long days, shall be torn apart to provide power for the rope.
"Kami," Ryuki gaped. "Is…is this real? Did people do this?!"
"Maybe," Ichijyo replied. "It might just mean symbolism though. Lots of rituals use symbolism rather than actual actions described in their scrolls."
"3665 days," Takada read. "That's a little over ten years. Ten years of no contact with the outside world."
"It might explain why the grounds are so big," Tazuka frowned. "This house can become one's whole world for ten years."
"Why are the numbers written differently?" asked Miku. "They're written in red ink."
"It might be a clue for a later puzzle," Ichijyo answered. "We had better take it with us."
Ryuuki nodded and rolled up the scroll before sticking it in his pack. The group walked into the main section of the room and found dozens of ornamental candles sitting on a cloth-covered shelf that looked like it hadn't been disturbed in ages. Miku gazed at the candles before she noticed something between two of them. "Hey, more red book pages!"
Snatching up the pieces of paper, she read them aloud.
September 11th
I saw that woman in the white kimono again. She's trying to tell me something. She knows I have this special sense for ghostly things…the woman's name is Kirie. So, that's Kirie, huh?
I shouldn't get any closer than this. I don't want to get any closer…I'm scared.
"So we now have a name to the face," Takada pondered. "Well, that's good I guess. It might help make learning about this place easier."
"Hey, I found something," Tazuka called out. Everyone turned to him as he revealed a glass orb that looked like it could start glowing at any minute.
"A spirit stone," Ichijyo answered. "Sometimes common in the mystic world. Basically, it's like a spirit energy battery. It might come in handy sooner or later."
"Do you think the Camera Obscura can use it?" asked Ryuki. "It might boost its power."
"We'll have to check sometime," Ichijyo replied as he stepped towards the exit of the door. There was a paper talisman on the door. As Ichijyo reached out to grab the handle he felt a presence pushing him back with equal force. He couldn't reach it much less open it. "We've hit a wall it seems."
"You can't open it?" asked Ryuki. He walked forward to the door but found he couldn't get any farther than Ichijyo. "Hmm. I have an idea." Raising the camera, he took a picture of the talisman planted on the door. He didn't fail to notice the glowing filament above the viewfinder.
A picture slid out to reveal the photo Ryuki had taken. It looked like the door and the talisman on it. However, the photo then began to change. It looked like some storage dressers behind a ladder with a white patch which looked somewhat like a face.
"I think this might be what's keeping the door shut," Ryuki spoke as he revealed the changed photo.
"Well that's just great," Takada frowned. "We've never seen that place before."
"We might have, but not at that angle," Tazuka commented. "What do you think Miku?"
"Um," Miku flushed slightly. "Well, it doesn't look familiar to me."
"Well, there's at least another door out of here," Ichijyo commented.
With mumbles of agreement, the group headed to the door that was next to the doll tables. Ryuki took the lead and grasped the handle before slowly opening the door. The five teens entered a dark room filled with ruined wood structures. Takada saw an old camera to the side. Heading over to it, he noticed that there was a wood canister of herbal medicine and several packets of Type-14 film.
"Hey kid," Takada called before he tossed the film to Ryuki. "Some more ammunition for you."
"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded as he pocketed the film. Checking the film, he saw that he had about three shots left. Taking one of the packets of film, he loaded it into his camera, turning the film counter up to 13.
Tazuka walked around the rubble on the floor and saw a door. It was a double door but had what looked like a round plate in the center of it. However, the plate looked cracked old. He could make out the Himuro family crest, but whatever the plate was for, it wouldn't be able to get the job done now. What he did find though was a scroll on the floor in front of the door. Picking up the scroll, he opened it.
Five Stones Document
Give thanks to the five gods' protection
Place the stones, representing the five mirrors, in the correct location.
"Odd," Tazuka frowned. "I think we're missing something here."
"Perhaps we are," Ichiyo nodded as he leaned down and picked up some pieces of paper. The pages were styled after the papers in the black notebook that Ichiyo had picked up earlier. "More information."
September 13th
We found Ogata's body. His head, hands, and feet were strangled off…what happened to his body is just like the strange deaths that occurred here long ago. There was a photo of Ogata near him. In it, there was something that looked like ropes on his neck, arms, and legs.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the Rope Shrine Maidens in the legends around here, the girls had ropes tied to their necks, arms, and legs too…?
Tomoe is acting strangely. She had been mumbling nonsense all morning. Something about ropes…and mirrors…I can't blame her for going to pieces, though, after seeing what happened to Ogata.
"So we weren't the first ones to see that picture we found in the kimono room," Ryuki frowned as he heard the words.
"Strangled off?" Miku gasped. "That's horrible! And this happened to the Rope Shrine Maidens we heard about too?"
"We know that's how Ogata died," Ichijyo frowned as he placed the papers in the book he found. "We still don't know if that's what happened to the girls here. We just know that Rope Shrine Maidens got tied up in a similar way. Maybe it was a ritual that went too far. I don't know. We don't know enough."
"True," Ryuki nodded.
"There's not much else here," Tazuka frowned. "I think we had better backtrack to the hallway again. I'm sure there were some doors there that we hadn't gone through yet."
"Agreed," Ichijyo nodded. "We might find the place in the photo so we could continue on our way."
"Or some more valuable clues," added Ryuki.
The teens backtracked through the doll room and back into the hallway. Recalling a door, Takada led the way down the wooden walkway. Passing by the spot where the moonlight snuck through an open window, Takada revealed the door he had spied while they were traveling to the end of the hall.
"I noticed this the first time around," Takada explained as he revealed the door. "It looks like a lock, but there's no spot for a keyhole or anything like that."
"I'm not surprised," Ichijyo pondered. "See the symbols that circle around the center? They're numbers. They start at zero and circle around from the left counting up from one to nine."
"Then it's an old combination lock," Tazuka realized. "But…the four wooden circles below it indicate that there are four numbers to the combination. With ten numbers to choose from, we have countless combinations to choose from."
"Ummm," Ryuki spoke up. An idea came to him. "We've seen that rituals and such are important here, right? Why not try the date of the rope ritual? December 13th?"
"You know…that's a good idea," Takada nodded. "Okay, let's give it a shot."
Reaching to the stone circles, Takada pressed the symbol for one, making a stone sliding sound. He then moved on pressing number 3, then one, then number two. When the button finished sliding back into place, a loud click was heard from within the door.
"Hey, we did it!" Takada grinned.
"Good job Otouto," Tazuka smiled.
"That was very smart Ryuki-san," Miku nodded.
"Arigatou," Ryuki grinned.
Ryuki stepped in forward with the camera at the ready in case a spirit decided to play rough. The room itself was filled with trunks and boxes, obviously a storage room. As the group came in, a bell rang. The attention of the five teens snapped forward to see their tiny ghost friend, assumedly named Kirie, appear. She was pointing to the left at something. She was there for a moment before she vanished again.
"I think Kirie is showing us the way," Tazuka spoke.
"Arigatou, Kirie-san," Ryuki smiled.
"Everyone else fan out," Ichijyo ordered. "Ryuki, see what Kirie wanted us to see. She hasn't steered us wrong just yet."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded. He walked forward and stood where Kirie was a moment ago. Looking to where the small ghost was pointing, he noticed a wooden ladder and a red trunk behind it. Pulling out a photo he took, he realized that it was the same place as where photo he took of the talisman revealed.
"It's here," Ryuki gasped to himself.
Ryuki stepped forward and positioned himself like in the photo.
'There's something here alright,' Yaminekoryu agreed. 'It's strong too. Not as powerful as some of the ghosts you've seen already, but it is powerful enough.'
"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he raised the camera. The blue filament was lighting up again, indicating that there was indeed something there. Placing a finger on the shutter, he pressed it and took a picture. The photo itself slid out of the camera and Ryuki caught it, seeing it as a perfect copy of the previous photo, but this time a true face was visible. It was the picture of a beautiful woman's face.
"I got it!" Ryuki called. "It's the same place as when I took the photo of that talisman!"
"Hmm?" Ichijyo pondered as he walked to the area. He felt a lingering spiritual presence, but it was rapidly fading. "So it might have affected that talisman now?"
"I'm sure it did," Ryuki nodded.
"Found another spirit stone!" Takada called from the second floor.
"I just found some medicine," Miku called, showing a wooden bottle of medicine.
'You know, this is starting to look like a scavenger hunt, except with more things at stake,' said Yaminekoryu.
'And a lot of questions that need answering,' Ryuki agreed.
"So that force blocking the door in the candle room might be gone now?" asked Tazuka while Takada climbed down the ladder.
"Well, there was a spirit in the spot," Ichijyo answered while pointing at the area Ryuki had photographed. "The Camera Obscura might have managed to seal it."
"Well, there's no harm in looking is there?" asked Miku.
"No there is not," Ichijyo agreed. "Let's get moving."
"Hai!" the group nodded.
XXX
The group had gotten into the candle room without incident. No ghosts had attempted to stop them along the way. Now would be the acid test to see if they were capable of getting through the door that blocked them before. Ichijyo took point and was the first to reach the door. The spiritual presence was gone, which allowed him to at least touch the door. Looking for the talisman, he found the ashen remains of it stuck to the door.
"Looks like that ghost in the storeroom was keeping this door shut," Ichijyo replied. "Then we can continue on."
The group was met with the cool night air as they stepped out. Of course, their gazes weren't immediately trained on the scenery.
"There's blood on the floor!" Miku cried out.
"Huh?" Takada blinked before he looked down. He paled at the sight. "Whoa. You're right. Someone sure didn't stand still for it."
Walking forward, there was a divider keeping a door and a pathway in the courtyard. Ichiyo motioned for Ryuki and Tazuka to go to the door while he, Takada, and Miku followed the blood. The brothers came up to the blue door, but they weren't able to touch it. Another talisman was stuck to the front.
"You know what to do Otouto," Tazuka whispered.
"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he held up the camera and snapped a quick picture. The photo quickly fell out. Like the one before, this one changed into a picture of a waterwheel. Obviously whatever was holding the door closed could be located there. Turning around, they made their way back to the group which was following the blood.
That group didn't have much luck either. They found the end of the trail, but it stopped just before the stairs in a small pool that was soaking into the wood. It was still fresh, but there was no sign that it had ended in a death.
'What are you trying to say?'
"I hate ghostly voices like that," Takada shivered as he heard the female voice.
"Get used to it," Ichijyo frowned as he saw Tazuka and Ryuki approaching. "How was the door?"
"Sealed like the last one," Tazuka answered. "The source is assumingly coming from a waterwheel somewhere on the land."
"Wonderful. The blood trail wasn't fruitful either," Ichijyo frowned as he looked at the pool. He then raised his hand to reveal some pages with blood staining the edges. "But not entirely fruitless. More of Takamine's notes."
"Let's hear them then," Takada said impatiently. "This is creeping me out."
September 13th
Tomoe's condition is getting worse and worse. She can't stop shaking, and she's mumbling the same words over and over. I don't know if what's happening is supernatural or not. But in case, I think we'd better leave as soon as possible.
Tomoe is in such bad shape, she can't even move. I guess I'll have to look for a way out myself. Even if we waited for help, I doubt that anyone would come looking for us…
"That Tomoe woman did have a sixth sense," Ichijyo sighed. "This place must have been getting to her. If she was muttering through, she might have gotten a clue as to her surroundings though."
"But with everything else, it was overwhelming her," Tazuka sighed. "And when Takamine had to look for a way out alone…"
"You don't think something happened to her?" asked Miku.
"Her odds didn't look good," Ichijyo frowned. "Being alone and with a sixth sense might have turned her into a beacon for whatever is controlling things here."
"Or driven her insane," added Tazuka.
"Well, we still have to find her," Takada sighed. "So let's just check out that next door before we see the courtyard, okay?"
"Let's do it," Ryuki nodded as he headed for the door. However, the group tried to follow when they saw him use the camera. Looking to his friends, he sighed. "This one is sealed too."
Plucking up the developed photo, they saw that it changed from a door into a picture of several dolls lined up on a white cloth-covered shelf.
"Think those ghosts have gotten wise to us?" asked Tazuka.
"Possibly," Ichijyo frowned. "I am starting to become concerned. We've met three ghosts who can cause bodily harm, know there's one with the capacity to kill, and several which can hold doors shut with their will. This is much bigger than even I expected."
"So…are we in over our heads?" asked Takada.
"That depends on how many more surprises are waiting for us," Ichijyo sighed.
"But we've been through tough jams before," reminded Ryuki. "And we've always come up on top."
"Yes, Otouto, but how long can our luck last?" Tazuka asked. "That camera is probably one of our only lines of defense against the things here."
"We'll get out!" Ryuki insisted. "That's a promise!"
"Same old Ryuki," Ichijyo sighed, but Miku seemed to take heart in his words. "Okay, we'll have to cut through the courtyard. Keep your eyes open for anything odd."
Walking back to the stairs, the group stepped onto the stone walkway in the courtyard. The ground was bare of any grass and stone monuments were on the ground with a torii gate or two. At the side was a smaller building. Stepping over to it, Tazuka noticed that there was a Himuro family seal on the door that was cracked and broken. At the bottom of the stairs was something of interest.
"Another tape," Miku observed as she picked up the item. "It's a red one too. It might be from Tomoe."
"Let's hear it," Takada nodded. Miku agreed and slipped the new cassette into the player before she hit the play button.
"We looked all over the mansion, but we still couldn't find Koji. While true that this mansion is huge, I'm certain we would have found him by now. Could he have already left? He's been saying something about those ropes since we took some photos yesterday."
"Was it just me or did I hear something aside from the lady's voice coming from that tape?"asked Takada. He was referring to the faint whispers which were part of the background noise on the tape.
"Probably not," Ichijyo frowned. "Judging by the content, this tape was made before they found the remains of their friend, but he had already gone missing. This might mean that the spirits were already targeting her."
"Her odds suddenly started going even further down," Tazuka grimaced. "We better move on if we hope to find a clue."
"Right," Ryuki nodded.
The group then moved to the back of the courtyard to a door which led even further back. Tazuka grasped the thin wood and pushed, allowing the door to open. The group stepped forward and into the moistening air. Entering the threshold of the room, they found themselves at the edge of a body of water. Several stone lanterns were littering the area and it looked like there was what used to be a bridge leading out to a small island in the water. A creaking noise caught their attention and they turned to see a waterwheel spinning with the current beneath it.
"Found our waterwheel," Ryuki sighed as he began prepping the camera.
"Found another tape!" Miku gasped as she walked over to the wheel to grab a red tape which was at the base of the wheel itself. As she laid her fingers on the tape, she suddenly started seeing things.
-VISION-
Miku could see Tomoe standing next to the waterwheel in the room she and her friends were standing in. She was holding her neck and it looked like she was struggling to breathe. As she was struggling, rope burns began to appear around her wrists and neck. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and stiffened. Slowly turning around, her gaze landed on what appeared behind her. A woman with dark hair in priestess garb with ropes around her arms, neck, and legs.
"No!" Tomoe gasped as arms reached out of the darkness for her.
Things faded for a moment but quickly returned. Tomoe was on the ground, obviously dead. T the entrance to the room, Takamine was gaping at what he was looking at. The female spirit was next to his deceased assistant.
"Oh," he gasped. "Kirie,"
-END VISION-
When she came to, Miku blushed when she realized Tazuka was holding her.
"Miku-san, are you alright?" Tazuka asked.
"I'm…fine," she told him.
"What did you see?" questioned Ichijyo.
Tazuka spoke sternly, "Let the girl recover for a minute before you start grilling her."
"I'm okay," Miku insisted as she got to her feet. Tazuka helped her steady herself as she took a breath. "Tomoe…Tomoe is dead. She died right here. There were rope burns on her wrists and neck. Takamine saw it happen…but I think that a ghost named Kirie did it."
"Kirie?" asked Ryuki. "As in the girl who helped us?"
"No…this girl was older," Miku answered. "She was dressed like a priestess and had all these arms floating around her."
"The same woman who grabbed Mafuyu," Tazuka frowned. "Now we know what happened to two of them. Takamine and Mafuyu are unaccounted for though."
"I still have the tape," Miku spoke as she procured the red tape. "I think we should listen. It's always helpful."
"Agreed," Ichijyo nodded Miku nodded as she slipped the tape into the player.
"I found Koji. His death was just like the one in the mountain village. His head and limbs were severed. I can't believe what's happening!"
"This was probably her last tape," Takada sighed.
"Yes," Ryuki nodded. He held up the Camera Obscura. "Could everyone please move? I need to take a photo of the wheel."
The group moved to allow Ryuki his space. As he placed the camera to his face, Ryuki spied an image of a woman who was phasing in and out of the wheel. She wasn't moving, but there was a dark look in her eyes. Ryuki didn't hesitate as he hit the shutter button. The camera flashed and the woman vanished. The camera spat out a photo of the woman. It was clearer, and the woman's clothes looked like they were dragged into something. Her cause of death might be obvious.
"Looks like the photo was right," Ichijyo frowned as he felt a spiritual presence fade. "That door you and Tazuka found might be unlocked now."
"The light isn't fading," Ryuki reported as he began viewing the scenery of the area they were in. As the viewfinder landed on one of the lanterns, the circle in the viewfinder lit up. He then snapped another picture. As the photo slid out of the camera, the photo changed. Unlike the lanterns which were dark, the one he photographed was lit.
"Interesting," Ichijyo frowned as he eyed the photo.
"Should we try lighting it?" asked Ryuki.
"Not yet," Ichijyo denied. "Let's go with what we know first. If we have to come back here for something, we'll light it then. We have no information as to what will happen here if we do. Keep it in mind though. We'll move on to the room we assumedly unsealed."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded.
Traveling through the exit, the small group walked back through the courtyard. They made sure that they kept an eye on their surroundings though. None of them wanted to get caught off guard by another rogue spirit of some kind. Ryuki and Tazuka especially didn't want to go through the experience of being touched by a ghost again.
"So, which door was it again?" asked Takada as they reached the house.
"The blue one on the right," Tazuka answered.
"Oh, let's get going then," Takada nodded.
The group of five traveled to the right, Ichijyo noticing that the blood which they had found upon entering the area had vanished. As they got closer to the door, the air suddenly was filled with the echoes of a baby crying. Miku gasped while Ryuki brought up the Camera Obscure should another spirit come out to attack. The cries continued for a moment before they faded away again.
"Oh please don't tell me," Takada gulped.
"Madmen and true monsters rarely care who they kill," Ichijyo sighed. "I suspect that the child we just heard died a long time ago. We should keep going."
"Yes," Miku nodded, brushing past the boys. She stopped in front of the door as she reached for the handle. "The talisman is gone. I can open it."
"We're ready," Ryuki nodded as he raised the Camera Obscura.
Miku gave a short not before she pressed the latch and opened the door. Slowly opening, she entered with the four boys following close behind. Inside proved to be what looked like an ornate playroom for children. The only flaw was the hole which seemed to be made in the floorboards near the center of the room.
Kirie…Kirie…
"She was here," Ichijyo pondered, hearing the ghostly voice. "The woman. She must have been trying to find out about this Kirie girl."
"But which one? The little girl or the one who seems to be manipulating this place?" asked Ryuki.
"That is the million Yen question," Ichijyo sighed. "Okay, everyone look around."
Ryuki first took notice of the doll which had long black hair and in a white kimono. It was roped off from everything else almost as if in reverence. Still, it fit with the theme of ropes that they had been discovering thus far. Ropes were becoming part of everything.
Miku slightly pushed aside a divider to reveal a small sleeping space, and more pages from the red book which they now knew came from Tomoe.
September 12th
My sixth sense tells me that some children are playing here. I can't see them, but they keep calling to me. Are they playing tag? Or hide-and-seek, maybe? They might be the children in that photo.
There were human heads in that room…so many of them! They were cut off by the Himuro family's master…They were all trying to tell me something.
I should never have come here. I should have trusted that sixth sense of mine.
"A room full of severed heads?" Takada asked with a pale face. "All of them were cut off by the Himuro family's master?"
"Remember how I told you that the man went insane and killed everyone?" asked Ichijyo. "Apparently this is one of the things that he did. Still, the question is what were those victims trying to tell her?"
"Well, we could try finding that room she wrote about," Ryuki offered. "You and Nii-san are capable of seeing and hearing spirits. Maybe you could decipher what they were trying to say."
"Provided they weren't silenced by the force that rules this place," Tazuka commented.
Ryuki was examining the tables filled with ornate dolls on red cloth when he saw something sparkle. On further examination, he discovered another one of the spirit stones. He recalled how Ichijyo explained that they held a battery of spirit power. Deciding to keep it, he kept it clutched in his hand. Looking down the rows of dolls, he suddenly gasped in realization.
"Hey, there's a ghost here which is keeping the other door shut!" he gasped while raising the Camera Obscura. To no surprise, he spotted a child ghost hiding behind the self, watching them all curiously. Ryuki didn't hesitate in snapping a picture, causing the ghost to fade away.
Ichijyo perked up when he felt a spiritual presence suddenly fade away, "So the other locked door you found should be open by now. Good. Has anyone found anything else?"
Denies were meeting him when a sudden spike it spiritual energy assaulted his senses. Looking over to a previously hidden sliding door, he caught a glimpse of something red sliding across the floor. It was heading for Takada.
"Mutt! Look out!" Ichijyo cried out.
"Huh?" Takada blinked before he looked down. His eyes widened when he saw himself looking at a little girl in an oversized red kimono smiling creepily up at him.
"Play… play…let's play…play…play," the child ghost whispered as it reached out for Takada's leg.
"Woah!" Takada cried as he leaped to avoid the ghost's touch. "Kid! I'd use that camera right now!"
"Hai!" Ryuki nodded as he brought the Camera Obscura up to his sight. As he did, the spirit stone in his hand flashed and energy leaped from the glass orb into the camera. Ryuki gasped, but the sigh tin the camera suddenly changed. Normally when he viewed through it, things in the distance got fuzzier, giving him a range of only a few feet. Suddenly though, the wall of fuzzy view suddenly got further away as the orb vanished.
"Ryuki!" Ichijyo snapped.
Ryuki went into action. He spotted the ghost child creeping across the floor, trying to see which one of them to try and grab onto next. Her giggles were echoing through the air. She managed to hold still for a moment, allowing Ryuki to get a picture of her. The child thrashed with a scream of pain, but Ryuki didn't relent. He tried to get the charge of the camera up for another shot, but that was when the child herself turned invisible.
"Where'd she go?" Ryuki blinked, trying to get her in the viewfinder again.
"Ryuki! Look out!" Miku cried out, pointing at the floor. Ryuki looked down to see the ghostly child smiling up at him.
"Woah!" Ryuki cried as he snapped another picture. It made the child thrash in pain and gave him time to get away. Charging up another photo, he got her in the crosshairs again. This time he managed to get another shot.
"Waaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" the little girl cried as she slowly warped into a blue sphere than vanished into the air.
"The little tyke has an impressive set of lungs," Takada sighed as he rubbed his ears. "Think she's gone?"
"For the moment," Ichijyo sighed. He looked over to Ryuki who was examining the camera. "What happened to you? You froze."
"Oh, I found one of those spirit stones," Ryuki explained as he opened his hand, only to find white dust. "The camera absorbed the energy. The range of the camera got farther. I can take pictures of things from a greater distance."
"Interesting," Tazuka pondered. "So the camera used the energy from the stone to perhaps repair itself to a better working condition?"
"Or an upgrade," Takada added.
"Wow," Miku admired. "I had no idea that my mother's old camera could do something like that."
"Very rarely do people with occult items discover what they have," Ichijyo explained. "I can name several instances where people who have possessed such items have caused disasters because they didn't know how to use them properly."
"Wow," Miku shivered.
"Well, at least the Camera Obscura seems to be functioning in our favor," Tazuka nodded. "In any case, shall we continue on?"
"Glady," Takada shivered. "That kid creeped the heck out of me."
The five teens exited the doll room, finding nothing left in there to find. They traveled through the hall and reached the walkway next to the courtyard. As they reached it, however, they heard footsteps on the roof above them. They were only there for a moment before to their horror, a body dropped from the roof before stiffening with a sickening crack, much like a hangman's noose. It was a woman who was facing them, but her head was gone, actually leaning behind her thanks to her broken.
"Oh god!" Takada gagged.
The woman's body was still for a moment before it suddenly twisted around. Her eyes were staring at the group while her mouth hung open. Gasping for breath, she reached out with her reverse hands towards them.
"Stay back!" Ryuki cried, quickly snapping a picture of the broken-neck woman. She cried in pain and swung backward as if struck. Then amazingly, she swung to the side as she attempted to reach for them again.
"It hurts…IT HURTS!" she moaned as she made a grab for Ichijyo.
FLASH!
"Eyaaahhhh!" the broken-neck woman cried out, swinging backward again. Her body quickly warped before changing into a small blue sphere. The sphere then vanished in a haze of blue light.
"Nice shot," Ichijyo nodded to Ryuki, who had used the goth's shoulder to keep the camera steady.
"Thanks," Ryuki smiled.
Meanwhile, Miku was trembling slightly from seeing that ghost appear. It had frightened her something fierce. Tauka was trying his best to comfort her, which was something he was good at doing. Still, Miku needed a moment to catch her breath and calm herself down. Takada meanwhile looked a little green at seeing the angle of the woman's neck as she tried to attack them.
"So not only murders but suicides as well," Ichijyo grimaced. "It seems that some of my notes were confirmed."
"Who cares if it was in your notes?!" Takada cried out. "Did you see her neck? I thought I was going to barf!"
"Oh, get a grip!" Ichijyo hissed. "It's not like we would've let you get killed anyway!"
Takada scowled.
Seeing the start of another argument, Ryuki said, "Please, now's not the time to argue."
"Ryuki-kun's right. We all have a job to do here," added Tazuka.
Ichijyo and Takada turned away from each other, crossing their arms. "Fine, they muttered."
"We better look for more clues," said Ichijyo. "Maybe the mutt can sniff them out."
Takada growled at Ichijyo in response.
"No arguing," Ryuki reaffirmed.
Rolling their eyes at each other, Ichijyo and Takada let the issue drop. With the latest specter defeated, for the time being, the group headed to the door at the other end of the walkway. Nothing horrible happened and they managed to reach the door in question. Tazuka eyed it and found the ashen remains of a talisman on the front.
"Here we go," he sighed as he opened the door and stepped through. For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of an older gentleman standing in front of a mirror for a moment before he vanished.
"Kirie…Rope…Maiden…"
"So we have a position to put with one of our two ghostly girls," Ichijyo frowned as he entered the room. He obviously heard the voice. Stepping over to the mirror, he found two items on the floor. One was a lighter with the name J. Takamine stamped on it, while the other was pages from the black notebook. "And what do Takamine's thoughts tell us now?"
September14th
The woman that Tomoe called "Kirie" looks just like the descriptions of the Rope Shrine Maidens in legends. And there's a strong resemblance too, between the way Tomoe and Ogata died and the manner of the deaths in folklore.
So that woman is the Rope Shrine Maiden, is she?
Ichijyo frowned slightly as he read over the notes. Obviously, this Kirie was the one spoke of about Rope Shrine Maidens. However, it still did not explain what the maiden's role was in the family rituals nor did it fully describe just what the heck happened in this place to cause such chaos and death.
"So which way?" asked Miku. "Up or down the hall?"
"Up," Ichiyo answered."If it turns out to be a dead end, we'll return here and go down the hallway instead."
"Sounds like a plan," Takada nodded as he hit the single plank stairs with the rest of his friends in tow. The group traveled to the top where there were a small wall and the rest of the second floor. Cautiously stepping forward, Ryuki traveled to the right with Tazuka right behind him. Both met a dead end, but there was a cutout from a local newspaper on the floor.
"What's this?" Ryuki blinked as he picked it up.
The girl, who has been found after three days since her mysterious disappearance, has been adopted. Mr. Hinasaki, a close friend of Mr. Ryozo Munakata (also missing) will adopt the girl.
The girl's parents were missing, even after she was returned. Rhe police were looking for a foster family. The girl does not remember anything from the disappearance, and three other children are still missing.
"Hinasaki?" asked Ryuki. "Isn't that Miku-san's last name?"
"It is," Tazuka nodded. "However, it might just mean someone she's related to. It might also mean that it may not have been chance that led her and her brother to this place after all."
"Not everything is up to chance," said Ichijyo. "All things are connected. A friend of my father's once told him that."
"So, you suspect someone is pulling the strings?" Ryuki asked.
"But I don't know anyone by either of those names," Miku frowned as she tried to recall if those two names meant anything to her. In honesty, she was drawing a blank on both of the names.
"Doesn't mean that Mafuyu might know, or perhaps someone in your family," Ichijyo replied. "We should keep going."
"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he pocketed the clipping.
Traveling back down the small hallway and past the stairs they came upon, the group ascended a short flight of more stairs. They didn't get too far before they found another door. However, this one was nailed shut with several boards. Whoever did it wanted to make sure that nothing was going to get through the door. Takada pointed his flashlight at the ground until he spotted some pages from the green book he discovered.
"More research," he grinned. "Come to papa." Swiping up the pieces of paper, he began to read the words.
The Legend of the Five Holy Mirrors
The Holy Mirrors, held in five shrines in this region, are most commonly known as "the Mirrors of the Five Gods." The legend tells that the five gods, before leaving this land, created these mirrors as a means of protecting the village.
Some legends mention another mirror. The story is that all five mirrors were used in a ritual to fend off a disaster. (Whether this was the Calamity or not is unknown.)
It is not known whether the ritual is related in any way to the ones performed by the Himuro family, but there is a correlation to the mirrors.
However, the actual existence of the legendary Holy Mirror, one complete mirror, has not been confirmed, and it is not known what the legend is based on.
"Well, that makes things a little more ominous," Ichijyo frowned. Seeing confused glances, he pulled out a newspaper clipping of his own. "It says here that the five mirrors, most likely the ones these notes are talking about, were all destroyed in an earthquake."
"That can't be good," Takada blinked. He glared at the pages he had found. "All I get from these things are more bad mojo. I'll bet you anything that these supposed five mirrors were what was keeping the…whatever is controlling this place, contained. Now that those mirrors aren't there, it's free to do what it wants."
"A surprisingly good guess," Tazuka nodded, knowing how reluctant Takada was in admitting supernatural happenings. "However, we cannot be sure if the events are related."
"Everything's connected," Ichijyo reminded his friends.
"Well, we can't be sure either way right now," Miku argued. "What we can be sure of is that something bad is here and we still have to find Mr. Takamine and Mafuyu. I don't want to be too late."
"We won't be," Ryuki comforted the girl. "Now, Ikuzo."
With nothing more to find, the group relocated to the ground floor. There was only one more way of moving forward and that was through the side hall. Moving past the large pane of glass which made the mirror in the corner, the group traveled in the hall. Miku was third in their line and as they stepped past the first corner, she heard the crinkle of paper as she stepped on something, "Hmm?"
Looking down, she found a scrap of paper. The designs on it indicated that it had come from the red book, but it was only a piece and the writing looked like it was written in a panic.
The mirror is breaking…smash! A broken mirror…people on the floor, all over the mansion. So many people. All those people! What are they running from? And at the end, with such desperate looks on their faces…!
Something's coming this way! From deep within the mansion…a coldness…It's colder than anything I've ever felt! I don't know anymore if this is real or a dream…
"So a breaking mirror might play a role in this," Tazuka frowned as he heard Miku read. "But it only mentions one mirror. Perhaps it is the one holy mirror that the research notes Takada found had described?"
"The Himuros were a reclusive bunch," Ichijyo nodded. "Just by walking through here I've been seeing antiques which many collectors would give almost anything for. I wouldn't be surprised if they did have this supposed Holy Mirror, but by the sounds of things, someone broke it. From what these notes describe, it may have been the trigger for this spiritual infestation in the first place."
"So, this Holy Mirror was ghost repellant?" Takada guessed.
"More like a seal that warded the spirits off, but that's a good comparison," said Tazuka.
"So, what should we do? Find the mirror and fix it?" Ryuki asked.
"We find a way to end this nightmare for good," Ichijyo resolved.
XXX
A/N: Sorry, that's all he wrote before he ran out of ideas. Anyway, more are coming and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!