A: Sorry for being so long… writer's block hijacked my mind again and well you know…
This chappie is filled with ironic humor and emotional outbursts because I'm in one of those weird moods, because writers block is driving me nuts and because I haven't had a decent night's sleep since starting this chapter…
Also FYI: Kin is a very girly girl, not like the normal heroines, she is the opposite but really stubborn and a bit stupid: p… so don't hurt me if she's clingy and slightly neurotic crazy…okay? You may read on… thanks…
THANKS to the Reviewers & Readers: sych77 & akai tsuki (thank you…)
Disclaimer: I don't own Fatal Frame II… Just the characters I made up are mine. So please don't sue me.
Recap of the last chapter
The skies glowed at this point, glowing crimson. It was a larger then life moment but Kin couldn't enjoy it… she was far too terrified… and as on cue, the ground rumbled, as if a great hungry dog was growling under it, finally awaking from its deep slumber after the ages…
Something brushed past her, her gazed dropped from the skies and aimed at the boy standing in front of her.
"It… is beginning…" he whispered mystically.
Flutter Away Butterfly…
By Yunnie Yuae
Chapter Five: A Knight in shining armor…
"W-what did you say?" Kin stammered weakly. Her hand on her chest as she tried to calm her heart which was without doubt trying to have a heart attack despite her best efforts to keep calm…
The boy ignored her, keeping his eyes aimed at the sky. His breathing growing deep… the ground shook again, trembling so hard that Kin fell against one of the altar stones, her weak knees finally giving away. A crimson colored stone was at her feet. She stared down at it for a moment before touching it lightly…
It was cold beneath her fingers; it was like death… suddenly echoing all around… voices…her hands beginning to twitch… They were screaming; she was starting to hear sickening screams echoing in the background, and it hurt so badly, like a white hot blade plunging into her mind, burning into her consciousness.
She let go of the stone terrified… then looking sideways attempting to find where the noise was coming from. 'But no one's here' she noticed miserably, trembling under the pressure of it all.
But she could still hear them, the screams tore into her soul, it wasn't possible that they weren't real… it just wasn't. A single tear rolled down her cheek…
"Please stop, please I can't stand it anymore"
The boy stood in the clearing just before the deity stone: the passageway to the other world… when he thought about it, it sounded so stupid but this was no laughing matter. For the short period of his life he'd known many people who'd gone past this stone and never returned…to the legendry lost village … the land of death …
He stuck his hand in his pocket one last time to make sure he had his inhaler, then took a deep breath and stepped over the deity stone…
"Please…. Please…stop" Kin sobbed silently, trying to drown out the hellish screams, feeling her body shudder and spasm uncontrollably, then something unexpected happened that penetrated into her consciousness freeing her from the pain and sorrow…
"Kin?" a very familiar voice breathed, wrapping its arms around her, pulling her up. The connection broke… the screaming stopped. Kin leaned forwards resting her head on his chest; she clung to him, grateful to her savior…
"I was so scared" she whispered, crying silently against him.
"Shhh…" the boy soothed, holding her tightly "I'm here now…" that was when she finally recognized the voice, for a moment she froze. And then…
"KYAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" she screeched abruptly, apparently trying to break his eardrums screaming. Then she shot backwards like he was infected with something dangerous…
When she finally calmed down she shot an angry look at him "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
"What?" Toshiki glared at her, lifting his shoulders in an irritated manner "I came to save you idiot" he'd empathized the last word so thoroughly that Kin gritted her teeth loudly.
"I do not need saving…" she retorted, clenching her fists so hard it hurt "I can take care of myself thank you…"
"Oh yeah" he replied dryly "Like the time you stayed home alone once and attacked the pizza guy because you thought he was a killer/rapist or whatever…"
Kin flushed, "at least I don't spy on my neighbors because I have no life…"
"You don't know anything about…" he began.
"So you admit that you spy on me…" Kin interrupted almost gleefully.
"Will you get over yourself?" Toshiki burst out looking at her like she was mad "I wasn't spying on you okay, I was looking out for you because you might be stupid enough to get lost and come here… which you did admirably…and…" he stared at her in the eye "I was only trying to protect you"
"But you can let my brothers die here right?" Kin reminded him harshly. Her voice cracking when she said this…
How could he even think of putting up this façade when she already knew what kind of person he really was… oh how she wished she could find some sort of an understanding with him but it only made her hate him more… whatever the reason was, he was gutless to even think of abandoning her brothers. Sure even if it risked her life, she wouldn't let anything happen to them because she wasn't the type of person to let someone else die for anything… even death.
It took a moment for him to answer…
"Kin… you have to–" Toshiki stopped unexpectedly, his eyes going wild at something behind her.
"What?" Kin asked, suddenly terrified that it might be another ghost.
"It's a ghost, get behind me" Toshiki ordered fumbling to open his backpack. She rolled her eyes at him before following his order. Her eyes on the ghost, which was moving towards them from the darkness of the forest…
"Hey" she exclaimed recognizing the ghost… she stepped away from Toshiki and stepping in front of it.
"What are you, Crazy?" Toshiki yelled pulling out a strange looking camera "get out of the way!"
"Are you crazy? That's a camera!" Kin exclaimed suddenly and he stared at her weird.
"Step out of the way Kin…" Toshiki said clicking…
The flash went off, almost blinding her… The blinding light made her dizzy and she shook her head trying to regain focus when the blasted thing went off again. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remain calm enough to not rip his head off and kick it over a wall…
"WILL YOU STOP THAT?" Kin shouted at him.
"It's not working" Toshiki looked up from the view finder for a moment then clicked the shutter button again.
"Argghhh…." Kin screamed lunging at him, and tackling him hard on his stomach.
"Hey… Ow –" he cried out when he hit the dirt, a sudden pain erupting from his elbow as he landed on it.
"Are you alright?" ghost boy came close enough to be audible "What the?"
Toshiki narrowed his eyes at Kin then pulled up the camera again pushing the shutter button again at him.
The boy seemed not to be disturbed by the blinding light… in fact he half-smiled at Toshiki and pointed at the camera with a funny glint in his eyes…
"I believe I've seen that before…" he said to no one in particular…
"Why doesn't it work?" Toshiki glared at the camera, then at Kin, certain that she'd had something to do with it.
Kin glared back "Maybe because he's NOT a ghost…" she replied sarcastically.
"Believe me he's definitely a ghost. I know him… he's Itsuki Tachibana, he hung himself a year after he killed his brother…"
"I do not-" Kin started outraged but she got interrupted by Itsuki.
"He's telling the truth…I am dead" he replied ruefully.
"Told ya"
Kin stared at Itsuki incredulously, her eyes wide with so many emotions that it was difficult to foretell what she was thinking… truth be told she wasn't even sure herself…
It was…. almost hilarious really… the whole situation was just uproarious, funny how a seemly perfect normal/romantic afternoon turned into a mad dash to rescue the insolent little brats… then getting spirited away to this stupid place which was totally outrageous. Even funnier was the fact that her great savior turned out to be non other then another dead guy… who killed his own brother!
And what was even funnier was how she got sucker punched by the fact that her crush for the last few weeks: Toshiki "Dickhead" Makimura turned out to be an grade A bastard who had the nerve to tell her to ditch her five year old brothers in the forest, rightfully knowing that they would come to this god forsaken place in the first place… yeah it was just one big comedy…. All of it.
"Kin are you okay?" Toshiki asked in ac low voice. Kin looked up at him; he was still aiming the camera at Itsuki.
Kin sighed gulping down the huge lump in her throat. She gave up trying to hold back her tears of anger and degradation… she bit her lip, staring at the boys. "I don't care…" She replied her voice shaking through her tears "I don't care if he's a ghost or if you are a sexist pig… or whatever… okay" she gasped shaking slightly "I just want to go home… With my brothers… and…" she paused trying to catch her breath.
"Kin?" Toshiki said lightly, voice full of undiluted sympathy… yeah right.
"…I don't care if you don't help me… I'll find a way out" With that she slumped, grabbed her bag from the ground and took off towards the cemetery alone.
The boys stared dumbfounded at her back as she disappeared into the darkness…
"She's a funny girl" Itsuki said to Toshiki after a few seconds…
"Uh huh…hilarious" he replied exasperatedly then remembered that he was taking to a ghost "You're dead right? Why are you immune to the camera?"
"I don't know…" he kept staring at the ground gloomily "…I'm exactly not sure I'm a ghost either… I know I'm dead, and I don't feel it. can't breathe in air, can't even feel the blood pulsing in my veins but I don't feel cold; I'm solid enough that I can't go through walls … I just exist… just feel regret…"
"Boy that sucks" Toshiki grunted, a tiny bit sarcastic, putting down the camera then gave him a stern look "here's the deal, if you attack either one of us, I will not hesitate to kick your ass so bad that you'd start regretting over one more thing… just that we're clear on that okay?"
Itsuki stopped, staying quiet for about a minute then he inquired curiously "kick-what?"
Toshiki sighed "just don't attack us"
"What do you mean attack you?" Itsuki's eyes narrowed suspiciously "why should I want to attack you?"
"Forget it" he started walking towards the cemetery too "Let's just go and save her alright?"
"You don't trust me, yet you ask for my help?" Itsuki asked, falling to a step behind Toshiki as they made their way into the forest…
"Kin trusts you; it's a good enough reason" he exhaled noisily, tentatively clearing his throat.
"I see" he nodded.
There was a silence…
"What's your name?" Itsuki asked suddenly surprising him.
"Toshiki Makimura… and the girl is Kin Mukai"
"I see" he repeated in a sad tone.
"What?" Toshiki exclaimed at Itsuki, he'd half a mind to shove him against a tree and demand what he meant by the counselor type 'I see's…
"Nothing. You two seem close that's all"
Toshiki hastened his pace "believe me, we're not" ghost boy was starting to be annoying…
"Do you care for her?"
Toshiki didn't bother to answer as they arrived at the cemetery, instead he hurried inside leaving the ghost there…
"Kin?" He called into the dark looming stones not really expecting an answer…
"Buzz off Toshiki" came the reply; Toshiki ignored it and followed the voice to her location. She was glaring at him angrily; her eyes were still tear-strained as if she'd been crying the whole time…
His heart went out for her, she was crying non stop at her situation, and probably knew she might not come out of it alive. But she was trying; even through her tears and foolish petite attempts to fix it… she was still surviving and he suddenly felt a spark of admiration for her as he watched her squinting at the gravestones trying to find the right stone…
"Here" he pulled out a torch from his backpack and handed it to her. She stared at him shocked then shone the light at the grave stones with a strained look on her face. This when on for about a few minutes until Toshiki asked her what was wrong.
For some reason she blushed suddenly noticing him "I can't read Kanji letterings…" she explained sheepishly.
"Sure" he took another flashlight from the pack and glanced around reading the names on the grave markers…
"It's at the very back" Itsuki came behind them making them both jump. He led the way till they were at the very back of the cemetery there was a shrine there… with the Kanji letterings: Tsuchihara…
"Is it in here?" Toshiki asked moving towards it before anyone else. He reached out then drew back his hand quickly; backing away a few steps… something was near…
"Agrh" Kin cried out as a hand emerged out of the shrine, but he was ready with the camera, even before the ghost pulled into view, the capture circle glowed crimson, the same moment he slammed the shutter button down…
The woman's screaming echoed long after her form disappeared… Toshiki gazed at Kin who had her eyes shut, and was shivering sort of spastically. He reached out and touched her lightly on her shoulder, making her look up.
"I'm f-fine…" she shook his hand off and walked towards the shrine while he ignored her, and purposely busied himself with the camera. He stared at the ground, waiting for her to find it already so they could get the hell out of there, fast…
"It's not here…" Kin's defeated voice rose silently "The pinwheel is not here" for some reason the place suddenly went quiet with those words…
A: Sorry… bangs head against the keyboard in frustration I'm really not good at expressing stuff. Arrrghhh…it's all because of this stupid mood. I hate this chapter so much that I'm even thinking of rewriting it all. But my friend's convinced that it's ok!
Well review and tell me if I need to change this okay? I need help, about writers block, help!
Ja ne…if I meet you in this century again…