Post by lostandtorn616 on May 20, 2007 18:04:35 GMT -5
Disclaimer: I don’t own the rights to Fatal Frame, a.k.a. Project Zero; I would never be able to conjure up any sort of horror-inducing storyline as is depicted in the Fatal Frame trilogy, no matter how much thought and creativity I’d put into it.
“Talking”
Thinking to oneself
Shouting
-Whispering-
Writing
~~~Dreams/Visions~~~
~-~-~Change of Scenery~-~-~
The man was middle-aged; respectively, as both the Ceremony Master and village chief, the other villagers had privately encouraged him that his wife would be with child soon. Eventually, he came to the subtle conclusion that the Gods’ had forcibly removed his ability of procreation after he and his twin brother underwent the Unspoken Ritual years ago, and that because of this his wife wasn’t meant to know the value of being a purebred woman, of raising children.
Then, miraculously, she had burst into his meditation chambers on that fateful day, a look of pure, ecstatic exhilaration spread over her face.
“The Gods have blessed us! Oh truly, they have granted us a lifelong miracle!”
“Akina... You are... you are...?” His voice was hesitant, a noticeable hope laced about his fragmented sentence.
“Yes, yes!”
As the days progressed to months after that joyous occasion, his unconstrained happiness dwindled to the slightest bit of worry; her swollen abdomen was growing bigger with every passing day, yet she didn’t seem to be gaining any extra body fat or weight to help balance with the fragile life giving a few gentle kicks for each time she had placed her small hand over her stomach.
“This is most unusual. Perhaps we should consult the head priest?”
“No, no, darling. I assure you I am quite fine. Our baby is strong; you have felt the kicks, the strong heartbeat. Even you cannot deny that fact.”
“No, I have never doubted it; the warmth of life pulsating beneath my hand is very much strong, our child’s strength will see to it that he or she survives. But, my dear wife... Well, if you are sure...”
“I am. You have nothing to worry over. In a few short weeks our little boy or girl will be brought into the world. Are you not happy for that?”
“I am happy; very much so. But... you are carrying a weight that not even I can help you with until the day comes when our child arrives. Are you certain you will be fine?”
“Of course. Come, I will start preparing supper.”
Just three weeks before the day that deemed the baby to brought to full term, Akina had woke him up in the wee morning hours; startled and horrified, his wide-eyed stare drifted southward, barely forcing back a curse witnessing her torso down to her bare feet was soaked in blood; she gripped his forearm in a bruising hold, nails digging into his skin and drawing blood; her face was a pasty-white and drenched in sweat, an aura of panic, fear, worry and joy wafting off of her lightly shivering form.
Her lips quivered violently as she spoke, words cracking with emotion. “The baby... the baby is coming...”
There had been no time to run out of his residence and seek out any of the other villagers for assistance, so he had to help deliver his child on his own. Or rather, as it turned out, his wife had been blessed with not one child but two; identical girls born five minutes apart, each gifted, spirited, and beautiful in their separate unique ways.
The first-born twin, the weakest of the two in regards to physical standards, was Sae, whom was now sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms, shielded from the cold drafts brewing in the cold underground caverns with three layers of blankets as they descended the stone walkway leading down to the priests’ antechamber; the second-born twin – Yae, whom was also bundled up with blankets – was wide awake and playing with the talisman dangling from his neck, giggling every time the protective charm jingled. (1)
“My precious treasures... my beloved daughters...”
“Yes, they are precious. They do not know it now but they are the salvation of our village.”
“They must not know of the Unspoken Ritual. Not until they are old enough to understand.”
“Let them spend all the years they have together in happiness.”
“Yes. I will pray for the Gods’ divine protection to be bestowed upon them by way of the priests’ blessings.”
Innumerable candles flickered eerily through the darkness, holy engravings depicting twin deities lay at the temple’s entrance; in the center of the antechamber lay another stone walkway leading up to the head priest standing still, the preparations for the blessing ceremony had been completed beforehand at the command of Ryozo, the father of the twins and the Ceremony Master.
Yae’s attention was instantly diverted from the noisy talisman to the quiet murmuring of the group of priests wielding staffs and whose faces were veiled; she blinked, casting frightened glances to her father to the group of strangers, then gave a shrill wail, clinging to her father’s robes protectively, burying her face into the dark, warm clothing as she trembled in unease.
Sae, because of the ruckus her sister had caused, awoke with a startled cry. Two small fists rose from the white blankets to clutch unto her mother’s robes in a frenzied attempt not to be given to the company of the priests.
Akina turned to Ryozo. “Our little ones are scared, darling.” she stated, already trying to sooth Sae’s panicked hiccuping and crying.
He nodded, petting Yae’s messy mane of black hair in order to calm her. “It is natural; they are only infants, after all. Far too young to understand the significance of this ritual.”
“Kurosawa-sama, we bid you and your family welcome. Please step forward.”
They did as instructed, sandaled feet striking the stone staircase, ascending one at a time before standing before the head priest; withered features only a grandfather could own peered down at the twin girls shivering in their parents’ embrace, a calloused hand drifted up and gently caressed the back of the first-born twin, Sae, who ceased trembling immensely.
Ryozo stole a glance down at the second-born twin; Yae had stopped shaking too. The head priest smiled appreciatively. “Twins have a more sturdy bond than normal siblings,” he explained briefly, seeing the perplexed look Akina cast him. “Kurosawa-sama, you may begin.”
Ryozo nodded, stepping forward and setting Yae down at the head priest’s feet, bowing in respect and then stepping back.
This time he surveyed the young infant’s puzzled expression a bit longer than he had earlier, then turned to Ryozo. “Kurosawa-sama, what name have you given your second-born daughter?”
“Yae.”
“Kurosawa Yae, I bestow unto you the blessings of a passionate spirit and knowledge beyond your years. May you be the pillar of strength, in body, mind, and soul that holds your sister high in the times to come.”
“I thank you.” Akina then stepped forward and placed Sae besides her sister, bowing out of respect for the priest and her husband, then stepped back to watch as the conclusion of the ceremony unfolded.
“The first-born child’s name, Kurosawa-sama?”
“Sae.”
“Kurosawa Sae, I bestow unto you the blessings of purity and compassion, of serenity of the spirit that will bring many a bountiful seasons on your date of birth. May you bring ever-lasting calm unto your sister’s soul.”
Finally, he murmured a few short words while a few of the other priests and priest apprentices stepped forward, sprinkling purified water over the twins’ heads and marking their names in kanji on their puerile robes.
“It is done, Kurosawa-sama.” All the priests residing in the room bowed as the parents picked up their children; Yae squealed happily as Ryozo cradled her in his arms while Sae cooed appreciatively as Akina nuzzled her face across her rounded cheek.
They will never know... they must not... until they are old enough to understand why they will have to kill...
“Papa... why must we kill?”
He was stunned; he didn’t expect her to inquire him of such a thing, and when she was just days shy of turning six.
The eldest of his twin daughters, Yae, looked up at him expectantly. Her dark brown eyes shone with natural humane curiosity, her head tilting to the side briefly, a few black bangs cascading over her midnight-blue kimono.
He smiled gently, kneeling down so that he was eye-level with his child. Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders, then he began to speak. “We kill because it is a necessity to ensure us of our survival, Yae. It is in our nature as humans. Animals too. The mighty bear hunts, kills, and devours anything that it is weaker than itself. The ever-watchful eyes of the hawk soars above in the skies and ensnares any creature that is unable to protect itself. Humans have also killed to protect something they hold dear to them; if an intruder entered our residence and threatened the lives of your mother, your sister, or you, I would be forced to dispose of him because of that. Do you understand now, Yae?”
Yae considered her father’s lengthy response. She pursed her small mouth, her face scrunching up in thought. She couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of puzzlement gnawing away at the furthest corners of her young mind; just what was the real meaning behind her father’s words? Unfortunately, Yae couldn’t come to a sensible conclusion; instead she simply blinked in infantile disorientation, frowning in the slightest.
She turned on her heel, the frown still set upon her visage, crossing the living quarters and opening the paper screen door, shuffling down the hall to her sister’s room.
Sae will know. She always does.
“Sae...?”
“Hm?” She glanced up from the book she was reading, a serene, warm miniature grin spreading over her face and replacing the severely literature-immersed look of concentration as she stared at her life-sized reflection staring back at her.
“...” Yae remained eerily silent, scuffling her sandaled feet over the small decorative rug, avoiding her sister’s questioning gaze for the moment.
“What is it, Yae?”
“Sae... I asked Papa why we have to kill...” She finally chose to look at her sister as the word ‘kill’ left her mouth, though secretly regretting that she’d done so once she saw the discomfited look Sae’s face was sporting.
Sae gave a barely audible sigh in response. “Again? Yae, you know the answer is always the same: we kill in order to sustain our own lives. It’s the same with animals; they kill for food and other necessities, like guarding their own families or habitats.”
“I know that, Sae. But... I want to know why we have to... kill...”
“...”
An awkward silence hung over the room, like a child being draped in a night-black covering and couldn’t find the end of it; Yae stood in her respected posture, baby canines nibbling anxiously on the frail flesh belonging to her bottom lip, dark mirrors taking a sudden interest in the floor; Sae sat, cross-legged, pale knuckles turning a ghastly white whilst gripping a firm hold onto the leather-bound edges of her book as her own darkened eyes beholding a far-off glaze to them.
“Yae...” Sae’s voice cut through the still air like a chilling breeze across bare skin. “You know the reason why we have to kill. Papa has already informed us of this time and time again. It is our predetermined fate as twins; we cannot change it no matter how much we want. It is our duty.”
“Sae... I don’t want to kill you...” Yae’s tiny body started to tremble violently as crystalline streams flowed heavily down her face.
“Yae...”
“Don’t make me kill you, Sae!”
(1) In feudal Japan they believed that if a mother gave birth to twins, the stronger twin would allow the weaker twin to be born first; simply put, it is the reversion of today in which we know the first-born twin is the eldest and the second-born is the youngest. Hope that clears a few things up.
(2) Akina means “Spring Flower”.
“Talking”
Thinking to oneself
Shouting
-Whispering-
Writing
~~~Dreams/Visions~~~
~-~-~Change of Scenery~-~-~
Holy Temple
The man was middle-aged; respectively, as both the Ceremony Master and village chief, the other villagers had privately encouraged him that his wife would be with child soon. Eventually, he came to the subtle conclusion that the Gods’ had forcibly removed his ability of procreation after he and his twin brother underwent the Unspoken Ritual years ago, and that because of this his wife wasn’t meant to know the value of being a purebred woman, of raising children.
Then, miraculously, she had burst into his meditation chambers on that fateful day, a look of pure, ecstatic exhilaration spread over her face.
“The Gods have blessed us! Oh truly, they have granted us a lifelong miracle!”
“Akina... You are... you are...?” His voice was hesitant, a noticeable hope laced about his fragmented sentence.
“Yes, yes!”
As the days progressed to months after that joyous occasion, his unconstrained happiness dwindled to the slightest bit of worry; her swollen abdomen was growing bigger with every passing day, yet she didn’t seem to be gaining any extra body fat or weight to help balance with the fragile life giving a few gentle kicks for each time she had placed her small hand over her stomach.
“This is most unusual. Perhaps we should consult the head priest?”
“No, no, darling. I assure you I am quite fine. Our baby is strong; you have felt the kicks, the strong heartbeat. Even you cannot deny that fact.”
“No, I have never doubted it; the warmth of life pulsating beneath my hand is very much strong, our child’s strength will see to it that he or she survives. But, my dear wife... Well, if you are sure...”
“I am. You have nothing to worry over. In a few short weeks our little boy or girl will be brought into the world. Are you not happy for that?”
“I am happy; very much so. But... you are carrying a weight that not even I can help you with until the day comes when our child arrives. Are you certain you will be fine?”
“Of course. Come, I will start preparing supper.”
Just three weeks before the day that deemed the baby to brought to full term, Akina had woke him up in the wee morning hours; startled and horrified, his wide-eyed stare drifted southward, barely forcing back a curse witnessing her torso down to her bare feet was soaked in blood; she gripped his forearm in a bruising hold, nails digging into his skin and drawing blood; her face was a pasty-white and drenched in sweat, an aura of panic, fear, worry and joy wafting off of her lightly shivering form.
Her lips quivered violently as she spoke, words cracking with emotion. “The baby... the baby is coming...”
There had been no time to run out of his residence and seek out any of the other villagers for assistance, so he had to help deliver his child on his own. Or rather, as it turned out, his wife had been blessed with not one child but two; identical girls born five minutes apart, each gifted, spirited, and beautiful in their separate unique ways.
The first-born twin, the weakest of the two in regards to physical standards, was Sae, whom was now sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms, shielded from the cold drafts brewing in the cold underground caverns with three layers of blankets as they descended the stone walkway leading down to the priests’ antechamber; the second-born twin – Yae, whom was also bundled up with blankets – was wide awake and playing with the talisman dangling from his neck, giggling every time the protective charm jingled. (1)
“My precious treasures... my beloved daughters...”
“Yes, they are precious. They do not know it now but they are the salvation of our village.”
“They must not know of the Unspoken Ritual. Not until they are old enough to understand.”
“Let them spend all the years they have together in happiness.”
“Yes. I will pray for the Gods’ divine protection to be bestowed upon them by way of the priests’ blessings.”
Innumerable candles flickered eerily through the darkness, holy engravings depicting twin deities lay at the temple’s entrance; in the center of the antechamber lay another stone walkway leading up to the head priest standing still, the preparations for the blessing ceremony had been completed beforehand at the command of Ryozo, the father of the twins and the Ceremony Master.
Yae’s attention was instantly diverted from the noisy talisman to the quiet murmuring of the group of priests wielding staffs and whose faces were veiled; she blinked, casting frightened glances to her father to the group of strangers, then gave a shrill wail, clinging to her father’s robes protectively, burying her face into the dark, warm clothing as she trembled in unease.
Sae, because of the ruckus her sister had caused, awoke with a startled cry. Two small fists rose from the white blankets to clutch unto her mother’s robes in a frenzied attempt not to be given to the company of the priests.
Akina turned to Ryozo. “Our little ones are scared, darling.” she stated, already trying to sooth Sae’s panicked hiccuping and crying.
He nodded, petting Yae’s messy mane of black hair in order to calm her. “It is natural; they are only infants, after all. Far too young to understand the significance of this ritual.”
“Kurosawa-sama, we bid you and your family welcome. Please step forward.”
They did as instructed, sandaled feet striking the stone staircase, ascending one at a time before standing before the head priest; withered features only a grandfather could own peered down at the twin girls shivering in their parents’ embrace, a calloused hand drifted up and gently caressed the back of the first-born twin, Sae, who ceased trembling immensely.
Ryozo stole a glance down at the second-born twin; Yae had stopped shaking too. The head priest smiled appreciatively. “Twins have a more sturdy bond than normal siblings,” he explained briefly, seeing the perplexed look Akina cast him. “Kurosawa-sama, you may begin.”
Ryozo nodded, stepping forward and setting Yae down at the head priest’s feet, bowing in respect and then stepping back.
This time he surveyed the young infant’s puzzled expression a bit longer than he had earlier, then turned to Ryozo. “Kurosawa-sama, what name have you given your second-born daughter?”
“Yae.”
“Kurosawa Yae, I bestow unto you the blessings of a passionate spirit and knowledge beyond your years. May you be the pillar of strength, in body, mind, and soul that holds your sister high in the times to come.”
“I thank you.” Akina then stepped forward and placed Sae besides her sister, bowing out of respect for the priest and her husband, then stepped back to watch as the conclusion of the ceremony unfolded.
“The first-born child’s name, Kurosawa-sama?”
“Sae.”
“Kurosawa Sae, I bestow unto you the blessings of purity and compassion, of serenity of the spirit that will bring many a bountiful seasons on your date of birth. May you bring ever-lasting calm unto your sister’s soul.”
Finally, he murmured a few short words while a few of the other priests and priest apprentices stepped forward, sprinkling purified water over the twins’ heads and marking their names in kanji on their puerile robes.
“It is done, Kurosawa-sama.” All the priests residing in the room bowed as the parents picked up their children; Yae squealed happily as Ryozo cradled her in his arms while Sae cooed appreciatively as Akina nuzzled her face across her rounded cheek.
They will never know... they must not... until they are old enough to understand why they will have to kill...
~-~-~Six Years Later~-~-~
“Papa... why must we kill?”
He was stunned; he didn’t expect her to inquire him of such a thing, and when she was just days shy of turning six.
The eldest of his twin daughters, Yae, looked up at him expectantly. Her dark brown eyes shone with natural humane curiosity, her head tilting to the side briefly, a few black bangs cascading over her midnight-blue kimono.
He smiled gently, kneeling down so that he was eye-level with his child. Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders, then he began to speak. “We kill because it is a necessity to ensure us of our survival, Yae. It is in our nature as humans. Animals too. The mighty bear hunts, kills, and devours anything that it is weaker than itself. The ever-watchful eyes of the hawk soars above in the skies and ensnares any creature that is unable to protect itself. Humans have also killed to protect something they hold dear to them; if an intruder entered our residence and threatened the lives of your mother, your sister, or you, I would be forced to dispose of him because of that. Do you understand now, Yae?”
Yae considered her father’s lengthy response. She pursed her small mouth, her face scrunching up in thought. She couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of puzzlement gnawing away at the furthest corners of her young mind; just what was the real meaning behind her father’s words? Unfortunately, Yae couldn’t come to a sensible conclusion; instead she simply blinked in infantile disorientation, frowning in the slightest.
She turned on her heel, the frown still set upon her visage, crossing the living quarters and opening the paper screen door, shuffling down the hall to her sister’s room.
Sae will know. She always does.
“Sae...?”
“Hm?” She glanced up from the book she was reading, a serene, warm miniature grin spreading over her face and replacing the severely literature-immersed look of concentration as she stared at her life-sized reflection staring back at her.
“...” Yae remained eerily silent, scuffling her sandaled feet over the small decorative rug, avoiding her sister’s questioning gaze for the moment.
“What is it, Yae?”
“Sae... I asked Papa why we have to kill...” She finally chose to look at her sister as the word ‘kill’ left her mouth, though secretly regretting that she’d done so once she saw the discomfited look Sae’s face was sporting.
Sae gave a barely audible sigh in response. “Again? Yae, you know the answer is always the same: we kill in order to sustain our own lives. It’s the same with animals; they kill for food and other necessities, like guarding their own families or habitats.”
“I know that, Sae. But... I want to know why we have to... kill...”
“...”
An awkward silence hung over the room, like a child being draped in a night-black covering and couldn’t find the end of it; Yae stood in her respected posture, baby canines nibbling anxiously on the frail flesh belonging to her bottom lip, dark mirrors taking a sudden interest in the floor; Sae sat, cross-legged, pale knuckles turning a ghastly white whilst gripping a firm hold onto the leather-bound edges of her book as her own darkened eyes beholding a far-off glaze to them.
“Yae...” Sae’s voice cut through the still air like a chilling breeze across bare skin. “You know the reason why we have to kill. Papa has already informed us of this time and time again. It is our predetermined fate as twins; we cannot change it no matter how much we want. It is our duty.”
“Sae... I don’t want to kill you...” Yae’s tiny body started to tremble violently as crystalline streams flowed heavily down her face.
“Yae...”
“Don’t make me kill you, Sae!”
(1) In feudal Japan they believed that if a mother gave birth to twins, the stronger twin would allow the weaker twin to be born first; simply put, it is the reversion of today in which we know the first-born twin is the eldest and the second-born is the youngest. Hope that clears a few things up.
(2) Akina means “Spring Flower”.