Author's Notes:

This Ib fanfiction is based on the ending "Promise of Reunion", taking place four years after.

Thank you for reading. (｡◕‿◕｡)

Ib (game) and its characters © Kouri

Music © YASU

Art © me

CHAPTER ONE

Red and Blue

"Hey, Ib, don't hog those! If you eat them all, you'll get a stomach ache," Garry reminded, grabbing one of the small cakes from the tray. Ib had been helping herself quite generously.

"You're already a grown-up, you don't need sweets to make you bigger. I'm still growing," Ib stated matter-of-factly, still munching on a bite of cake.

"But I paid for them!" Garry pointed out. Ib swung her legs on the fancy white brass stool she was seated on. "Eat faster, then," she replied simply. Garry laughed at Ib's bold statement and quickly snatched another cake, shoving it all into his mouth at once. Ib giggled madly at the absurd sight.

The two people seated outside the dessert shop seemed like an odd couple, surely. Even if one assumed they were siblings, they still looked mismatched. A strange violet-haired young man with a long, tattered dark coat sitting with a nicely dressed thirteen-year old girl no doubt perked some brows, but neither Garry nor Ib cared in the least how they may have looked to others. For four years these two had become the closest of friends, and were nearly inseparable.

Their friendship began after a fateful trip to an art exhibit four years prior, where the two of them had landed in a strange, twisted version of the museum that by all accounts should have killed them both. But they had found strength in each other and managed to get back to their own world, and better yet, had remembered each other despite the fact that the incident had been buried deep within the confines of their minds.

Mere days after they parted ways at the museum, Garry had appeared on Ib's doorstep to give her back her handkerchief and take her to buy the promised Macaroons. Although initially Ib's mother and father had been apprehensive about the unusual eighteen-year old that had befriended their daughter, soon they accepted Garry as Ib's unofficial big brother, and he was just as welcome in their home as any member of the family.

More than anything, Ib and Garry took comfort in one another. The dark, haphazard cluster of memories they still maintained from the world of Guertena's creations were so unreal and hazy, if it weren't for the other, they would have forgotten them long ago. Some would argue that it would be best to forget something so frightening and emotionally painful, but both Ib and Garry were certain that the events were important, and had become a part of them. They took refuge in the fact that they could share the memories with each other, or call each other if they had nightmares. Braving those memories alone, or forgetting them altogether, were sad possibilities that neither one of them wished to undergo.

Simply put, they were glad of each other.

"Nn... My stomach hurts," Ib whimpered, setting down her tea. Garry smiled sadly and shook his head. "Didn't I tell you? Too much cake. And I'm sure all the tea didn't help, either."

"Can we go to 'that' place?" Ib asked, still holding her stomach.

"Now?" Garry asked in mild surprise, scratching the back of his head and surveying the sky for a moment. "The sun will be down soon. I don't want to take you home too late," he said.

"We don't have to stay long. Mama and papa won't mind, I wanted to make sure to go there with you today!" Ib pleaded. She shamelessly gave Garry the sad puppy-dog eyes that she knew he couldn't refuse. Garry smiled and sighed in defeat. "I suppose that since you have a tummy-ache, I'll be carrying you there?"

He did, in fact, carry Ib to 'that' place. Piggyback, to be exact. He set her down when they arrived on a vast, grassy hill; the sun was setting low in the sky, and it left streaks of orange and red on the calm ocean that lay just beyond the hill.

A cool breeze blew over them, making the grass sway and whistle and causing Ib to shiver. "Perfect timing," Garry noted, sitting just at the peak of the hill, with the best view of the ocean. Ib nodded in agreement and followed his lead, sitting just in front of him. Garry moved his legs to make room for her small form, allowing her to sit between his thighs and lean against his chest. Ib liked this best of all; those silent moments where the two of them could be together, without worrying about what others might think or say. She knew this wasn't entirely normal... So did Garry. But something stronger than conventional normalities bound these two to each other, and neither of them dared question it.

Garry took off his coat and draped it over them both, finding the breeze to be a bit too cold on this side of the hill. Ib gratefully wrapped herself in it. For such an old coat, it was still very warm.

"I had that dream again," Ib said softly, her eyes fixed on the orange, watercolor sunset that was draped over the sky.

Garry frowned. "The 'portrait' dream?" he asked her worriedly. Ib nodded.

"It was the same as all the others. I was stuck in that stuffy, horrible picture frame, and I couldn't move. People were walking around in front of me, stopping to stare at me, and then leaving. I was trying to break free, trying to say something to them, but I just couldn't." Ib fell silent. "It was just like all the others," she repeated, more softly. Her voice held more frustration than fear. Still, Garry was worried. "After four years, we're still having nightmares. It makes sense, but I still really wish they would stop. Especially for you," he said, smoothing down some of Ib's hair in the back.

Ib smiled a little. "I don't know if I would call it a nightmare," she said, her smile disappearing. There was silence between them for a moment, the only sound being the whistling of the wind and the faint splash of the ocean hitting the shore.

"Garry... Do you think... Maybe... That's what Mary felt like?" Ib asked quietly, holding the coat more tightly around herself. Garry rested his forehead against the top of Ib's head.

"It crossed my mind once or twice," he sighed. Another silence. Speaking of Mary, their ill-fated friend whom they had been forced to destroy, usually left the companions with a bitter taste in their mouths. Garry hugged Ib abruptly, snapping the little girl out of her reprieve.

"It wasn't your fault," Garry said seriously, "or mine, for that matter. Mary brought it on herself. If these dreams are just your mind punishing you for what happened, well... I won't stand for it. We had no choice but to do what we did back then. You know that, right?"

Ib smiled faintly and nodded. "I know that. Don't worry, I'm not 'punishing' myself. At least, I'm trying not to."

Garry smiled, jostling the little girl from side to side in the embrace, causing her to laugh. "Good. Enough sad talk. Let's sing a song!"

"Noooo, Garry, I don't want to sing!"

"Come on, it will make you feel better!"

"Noooooooo~ It's embarrassing!"

The sun had set in the sky, and Garry hoped he wasn't returning Ib home too late for her parents' liking. They strolled up the walkway together, and Ib found the front door unlocked. Hoping to sneak in without too much of a fuss, Ib and Garry said their goodnights and parted ways.

Closing the front door softly, Ib began snaking her way stealthily through the entrance room, doing her best to avoid her father, who would normally be reading the newspaper in the parlor by this time. But she didn't hear the rustling of paper, nor did she hear the voices of her parents. Ib relaxed, realizing her parents weren't downstairs. But where were they?

Walking into the kitchen, Ib poured herself a glass of cool water. The silence in the house was almost eerie, and she found the lack of sound or activity strange. It was dark outside, but it was still early, and she knew that there was no way her parents would have gone to bed without seeing her safe at home. Sipping her water, Ib began to climb the main staircase to look for her parents upstairs and let them know she was home.

The house was dark; a certain uneasiness hung in the air, and although she couldn't figure out why, she found herself concerned.

As she climbed the stairs, she passed a large painting that had been hanging in the stairwell for as long as she could remember, a painting simply titled "Self-Portrait". It was a painting of a solemn-looking man, intimidating but handsome, his expression unreadable but his eyes burning with intensity. It was a piece that always mystified Ib, but she could never remember when it appeared in the house.

As she climbed the stairs, she avoided eye-contact with the portrait. She could never shake the feeling that it was watching her. And after her terrifying experience four years ago, she'd found she'd had quite enough of creepy paintings.

Ib reached the top of the stairs, looking around. It was just as quiet up here as it had been downstairs. "Mommy? Dad?" she called, but only more silence answered her. For a wild moment Ib felt the urge to flee and get Garry before he got too far away, but she steeled herself. She reminded herself that fears were all in her head, and continued to listen for her parents.

THUNK.

Despite herself, Ib jumped at the sound. It was coming from her parents bedroom, and it sounded distinctly like hollow wood smacking the wall. Ib remembered that her parents sometimes had what adults called, "Private Time", and wondered if this was one such case, and had almost decided to leave them alone... But there was something wrong in the house, she felt it, and she felt new worry for her parents. "MOM! DAD! I'm..." here, her voice cracked and almost failed her, "I'M HOME! Are you here?" More silence. And then,

THUNK. THUNK.

Ib felt her blood go chilly. Shaking it off, Ib made a frustrated sound and willed her feet to move. A rushing sound in her ears, Ib boldly strode down the hallway and approached her parents bedroom door.

THUNKCLINK. THUNK THUNK.

Her stomach in knots, Ib through the door open. What she saw, she hadn't been prepared for.

Ib's parents hung from the ceiling, their limbs tangled in rope and clinking against one another clumsily. The poorly lit room barely illuminated their limp forms, but Ib could make out their blank, soulless expressions, glazed over as if they were dolls. In fact, it appeared they were dolls... Marionettes, to be exact, life-size puppets of her parents, perfect down to the last detail. Their mouths were wide open and slack, exposing wooden throats. Their eyes were shiny and made of wood as well, as was the rest of them, down to their hair and their clothes, and their jointed arms and legs. Ropes bound them to the ceiling, where they appeared to be moving as if being rustled by an unseen breeze.

Ib's mouth opened but nothing came out. Unable to pry her eyes from the horrifying sight, Ib could only shake and stare until the marionette of her mother moved suddenly and violently, and then turned its head towards Ib in a swift, creaking motion.

Ib found her voice, and let loose a scream that broke the horrible silence. Backing into the hallway, the little girl tumbled over herself and fell. Now blind with terror, Ib pulled herself up and took off down the hallway and practically flew down the stairs, the rushing sound in her ears louder than ever.

In her blind haste, Ib tripped on the last step, tumbling head-over-heels and landing against the wall next to the front door. Dazed and filled with terror, Ib found she couldn't move. Her eyes were playing tricks on her now, the staircase swimming in her vision, dark shapes seemingly dancing across the landing. She could faintly hear the dull thunk-ing sounds of her wooden parents running into one another upstairs.

"IB! Ib, what's going on, where are you?!" Garry's voice broke the hallucinations Ib was seeing, and she realized that he had burst through the front door and was now looking around the entrance room frantically. He hadn't seen her as he came in; the house was too dark, and she was sitting just next to the door. She wanted to say something to him, but her mouth simply wouldn't work, and her voice seemed stuck in her throat. Thankfully, Garry turned and spotted her; he was in front of her in an instant, his expression etched with worry.

"Ib! What's wrong, are you okay? Ib, can you speak? What happened?" He was checking her all over, but still Ib couldn't find her voice. She tried and failed three times to swallow, but just continued to shake. She managed to lift her arm and point towards the stairs. Garry followed her finger, and then looked back at her seriously.

"You stay here. Don't move." Ib couldn't have even if she had wanted to. Garry was on the stairs in a second, and once on the landing, he followed Ib's panic-stricken eyes to the right, to the bedroom.

In another second, Garry was briskly advancing the stairs again, pale-faced. Once down the stairs he scooped up Ib bridal-style without a word and left through the front door, closing it firmly behind them.

Something snapped in Ib as they were leaving the house; she realized that they were leaving her parents behind. Tears clouded her vision, and she grabbed Garry's shoulder. "My- My parents, we have to go back- We can't leave them, we have to go back!"

"Ib, those weren't your parents," Garry said seriously, not breaking his stride. His current goal was to put as much distance between themselves and the house as humanly possible, as soon as possible. Ib's body shook, and she buried her face in her hands. "W-What's going on..." she sobbed.

"I don't know, Ib. But there's no way those were your parents. Please, please don't cry... We can't panic yet, we have to figure out what to do next, and where your real parents might be." Garry answered, continuing to walk. Ib sniffed, trying her best to gather her courage and calm herself. Wiping her tears, she took a deep breath. "How did you know I needed you?" she asked quietly.

"I heard you scream. Before that, I had stopped because I heard a strange noise around the house, and I was investigating, I guess. But it was when you screamed that I came rushing in. I'm glad I heard that noise."

Garry stopped walking rather suddenly, looking around them with a troubled expression. Ib looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"It's not very late," Garry remarked. Ib could hear his heart beating fast. "So... Where is everyone?" he added.

Ib looked around them as well. They were standing in the middle of a street that was normally decently busy at this hour, filled with people returning home from work, or preparing for a night on the town. But there were no cars, no people walking up and down the strip, nobody visiting the shops... There was no one.

A lone street light blinked on and off above them, illuminating the only two people left as the town continued to grow darker.