Title: Butterly's Wing

Author: Digimon Empress Yaten (de yaten)

Notes: Some violence. An AU take on Fatal Frame, I suppose.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't claim to own.

They say that a single flap of a butterfly's wing can change everything...

00000000000

A swarm of crimson butterflies was flying outside, blocking the light with their brilliant red color.

Sae Kurosawa looked out, gazing at them intently. Dozens, if not hundreds, of them... all the twin of a Remaining. Was their Remaining alive? Was her father's brother up there, watching his twin? Or watching her? She smiled, waving her hand out the window wildly. Like a child, she thought.

She longed to be with them. To be a beautiful butterfly, protecting the village. But she knew she would never become one. She had ruined her chances of a successful ritual when she had tried to run away. When she and Yae had tried to escape.

But everything had fallen apart. Sae had slipped, twisting her ankle. She had called out for Yae, cried for Yae, yelled for Yae. Yae had continued running, never looking back. Yae was gone. And the villagers found her, calling, crying, and yelling for Yae. They took her back. And now she was held inside her home, never to leave again, except when...

Her father was so mad... but they were going to continue the ritual. Without Yae. Without Yae... it wouldn't work, Sae knew. She had at first clung to the hope that Sae's anguish of dying, not at Yae's hands, but at the end of a rope would appease the demons. Even then, a small part of her knew that it wouldn't.

Sae saw a single butterfly break from the group, approaching her window. It looked odd, a bit too individual, too different. It fluttered near her face, resting on her nose. Sae looked at it with crossed eyes. How cute!

Then it stood perfectly still. Sae wondered if it had died? Could the crimson butterflies die? She didn't know. But with a strange, almost purposeful slowness, it flapped its delicate wings. Once. Only once. Sae reached a pale finger out to touch it, but it fell. It hit the floor, soundless, flat, dead.

A sudden, immense sadness. Poor butterfly. She would die, too. She would never become a butterfly, she would never see Yae again, and she would never protect the village. What would happen when her body was thrown into the Abyss? Would the Repentenance finally come? All her fault, everyone would die, suffer, horror, death, sickness... and it would be all her fault.

"Miss Sae!"

Sae turned around. Time for the ritual already?

A few villagers had entered her room, panting, exhausted. They looked ... happy?

"Miss Sae! Something truly wonderful!"

She walked towards them. Itsuki was alive? They wouldn't do the ritual? They realized it wouldn't work without Yae? She asked them countless questions in succession, not allowing them to answer.

They laughed.

"No, Miss Sae. Nothing like that. Something beautiful."

Sae felt her heart beat wildly. She suddenly couldn't breathe.

'Fluttering-like-a-butterfly-a-butterfly-oh-god-will-i-will-i-will-i'

"Miss Yae has returned."

Sae fainted.

0000000000

The room was brightly lit, many candles, quiet, peaceful. Beautiful. The room was empty, save Sae and Yae together. Connected.

Sae smiled, brightly.

Yae smiled, softly.

Sae whispered to her sister, quietly, "I want you to kill me... kill me with your bare hands."

Sae saw Yae muffle a sob. "I know," Yae said. Sae felt two soft hands on her neck, caressing gingerly, tenderly. Calm.

Sae felt the soft touch of her sister's hands, so arm. So warm... then she felt intense pressure. She couldn't breathe, she felt as if her head would burst. Sae looked at her sister. Intently. She tried telling Yae that she was so kind, so beautiful, thank you thank you thank you.

The pressure let up, and Sae heard herself whispering choked words.

"Kill me... kill me... kill me..." Over and over, she hardly knew she was saying them.

Yae began to sob.

The sound was strange in her sister's ears. Sae only heard strange murmurs, it didn't sound like sobs. It sounded like she was saying so many words, so many noises, they seemed familiar. She had never heard them before, but they were so close to her, as if she had said them before.

A pierce, loud, shrieking.

"You aren't going to leave me again? You aren't going to leave me again, are you? The two chosen to heaven, Yae. Don't leave me again. You've finally come for me, you've finally come. Let's continue the ritual, Yae. Don't leave me again..."

The shrieking was hurting Sae's ears.

Her neck was blue, purple, bruised. There were sudden dark spots on her sister's face. Saw the tears, the pain, the anguish. This is what the Abyss wanted. Pain. Suffering. Well, it was going to get it... but Sae would have her revenge. Sae would return, triumphant, as a butterfly. She would watch the village, watch Yae, watch everyone, forever.

She leaned into her sister's gripping arms, near Yae's tear streaked face.

'Have-to-say-something-say-it-say-it-say-anything-something-please'

"You aren't leaving me again, are you..."

And then everything went black.

Falling.

Falling.

Something was there with her. Something dark, evil, intent on killing her, someone, something, everything.

Falling.

She awoke, choking, choking on black, thick smoke. It sifted into her mind, covering every corner.

'Kill-kill-kill-kill-kill-kill'

A burning anger was starting to fill her. She felt hot, on fire.

Sae struggled, and began screaming for someone, for Itsuki, for Yae.

And then... red.

Beautiful, brilliant, red lights.

Sae Kurosawa flew out of the Abyss, fluttering her crimson wings.

Sae tenderly landed on her sister's nose, her wings trembling against Yae's skin.

00000000

A swarm of crimson butterflies was flying outside, blocking the light with their brilliant red color.

Yae Kurosawa looked up, gazing at them intently. Dozens, if not hundreds, of them... were they all the twin of a Remaining? Was her father's brother there, flying among them? Was he watching his brother? Or her? She waved at them, softly, a bit politely.

It had been 10 years since she killed her sister. And the killing had not stopped. A pair of twins had completed the ritual only 5 years ago, and a new ritual was set to happen soon. They had all become butterflies. But the Abyss was only going to grow stronger, require more pain, more torment. Kusabi's were sacrificed like so many rag dolls.

The latest to become a Kusabi as Ryozo, the assistant of another sacrificed man. He had come to the village when Sae and Yae were younger, but had left before anything happened to him. He wasn't dead yet, and everyone was still treating him with the utmost respect.

But he would die.

She felt a sudden, deep, carving despair inside of her. Not for Sae. Sae was happy.

For Ryozo. And for someone else... someone was missing, Yae knew that much. Someone she would never find, now that the ritual was complete, and Sae was gone.

Sae was gone, Itsuki was gone, Ryozo would die, and the despair of every ritual that took place was pressing on her heart.

Everything was falling apart... everything...

Yae Kurosawa stepped off her small stool, immediately feeling an intense pressure about her neck. Her heart raced. Her mind raced. She found herself screaming for Sae to come back. Yae kept falling down, and Sae wouldn't stop. Sae kept running and running and it was dark and

'Sae-Sae-Sae-Sae-Sae-wait-wait-wait-please-come-back-please-oh, god'

Her vision blurred. Someone was in front of her, watching her choke, watching her thrash at the end of a rope. Were they real? They didn't seem real.

Yae's neck was black, blue, purple. The person in front of her began to become clearer. She saw a small face, was it Sae? No, no, no, Sae's a butterfly. It was a girl, a little girl. She was crying, her eyes were red, her face puffy. Yae tried to reach out to her. Don't be sad, don't cry, please stop crying.

Yae leaned into the rope, close to the girl's tear streaked face.

'Have-to-say-something-say-it-say-anything-something-don't-cry'

"Mikoto..."

END