Warning: This story contains Yuri, so please do not read if you are appalled by such a thing.

Disclaimer: Fatal Frame (a.k.a. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series, are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day

A full moon shaded by dark clouds loomed over the Lost Village, its eternal gaze shining down upon the hillside to claim everything with its radiance, Living or dead. Shadows danced about in the trees that swayed under the wind's guidance and sent red leaves of the late fall into frenzied flight. One drifted silently back and forth in limbo, caught in the invisible grip of a gentle breeze to be carried away to a place forgotten in time...

Awaken

'It's all, my fault.'

Falling…

'I should have never been born.'

Falling……

'Mio…I'm sorry.'

Falling………

)(

)(

"…Mayu?"

Through the emptiness of the dark abyss, a barely audible voice called out.

'Wait, who is that?'

A pin prick of light broke through the darkness, and slowly expanded outward.

"…Mayu--?" The light was drawing her in.

It was a girl…somehow strangely familiar.

"Mayu," The voice sounded crystal clear.

Mayu awakened with a gasp, eyes wide... ...and stared in horror at the sight before her. A sea of red set against a black, starless sky stretched out across the horizon, the only source of light seemed to emanate from the water itself which bathed the young teen in an unnatural red glow. Mayu looked down and gasped to see that she was ankle deep in the swirling, black and red substance. Is…is this blood?
She hoped to God that it wasn't, because if water didn't have the kind of viscosity as the stuff beneath her feet did, then she didn't know what else could. The thought of walking on a sea of blood alone was enough to make her feel uneasy.

Mayu trudged forward through the liquid, her boots sloshing through the water. She wasn't sure where to go, let alone where to start looking. Apart from a few islets far off in the distance, the place was completely devoid of life. A gentle breeze carried forth the scent of something coppery.

Like the smell of blood.

The teen wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.

"Hello?" she asked to the impossible void. "Is anyone…here?"

Mayu wasn't sure how long she had wandered through the desolate world, it felt like forever. She stopped momentarily at a small, rounded object protruding about six inches from the water, the dark water spiraling away from the mystery item.

What is this? It wasn't even here until now.

From this distance, Mayu was able to make out its features more clearly.

It looks like… a butterfly.

Mayu reached out to it…

Before her fingers even grazed the creature, its wings enveloped her wrist, transforming into a dark band. Mayu recoiled in shock, then screamed out loud as pain lanced through her arm. She tried tearing the thing away with her other hand, only to burn herself.

"Let go! Let Go!" It felt like someone was carving into her skin with a hot blade. Still, the butterfly would not come off, latching itself deeper into her smooth flesh. She let out a cry of helplessness, tears forming in her eyes as the insect's body was burrowed deep into tissue and bone.

"Ahh…!" Mayu gripped her wrist to somehow ease the pain, though to no avail. She just wanted the pain… this nightmare to end, and then she could wake up back at her uncle's house and with her sister…

Then she saw what was happening…and froze. The black mass was turning into etchings, drawings of some kind that slowly cascaded down her arm like veins.

Tattoos…they were tattoos.

Mayu's eyes became tiny pin-pricks as she watched the red and black ink claw its way to her shoulder, the bruising turning her skin pale. With awestruck horror and numb fascination she held her hand up to her face, slowly rotating it as the tattoo devoured her flesh like a cancer.

This can't be…

The eldest twin let out a cry as the dark pool of blood surrounding her body started to rise around her, pulsating like it was alive. The dark essence flooded into Mayu, making her back arch involuntarily. She could feel it, inside, moving amongst her organs. It felt…intoxicating.

"Nnnnghhh… Ahhhhh…!"

Mayu wanted to run, her legs feeling like dead weight. It was like her entire body had turned numb. It was so painful, far worse than the time she twisted her leg as a small child.

Mayu opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.

The ink spread across her chest, the pain suddenly intensifying to near oblivion. Mayu fell to her knees, tears bursting forth as she clutched her heart with shaky hands. The tattoos on the maiden's flesh bled out over her skin, eliciting a painful jolt in her body.

"Agghh…!" she gasped out load, struggling to breathe.

Am I… dying?

She let out a moan, a guttural sound of dread, pain, and agony as she started to hyperventilate. She could feel it, every inch, every centimeter; death's cold hand reaching for her heart.

"Mio," she whispered, terrified beyond belief. "Help… me."

It's not real she told herself, it was just a dream, a horrible nightmare. Any minute now she would wake up in her bed at home…

Then the howling began...

It was low at first, but quickly rose into an unearthly sound as it rang out across the air, like the fierce winds of a gale.

Impossible... nothing of this earth that she knew of could make that horrendous sound.

The dysfunctional orchestra rose and fell like waves, a high-pitched ringing in her ears, reaching all the way into her mind.

Mayu's voice was shaky, a faint murmur of sound escaping her paling lips, "P-Please… some-one…"

She fell back with a loud splash into the blood lake, her eyes wide with terror as she gasped for air. The pain was immense, and yet she could not scream, or cry, or breathe. All the twin was able to do was lay there as the crimson liquid soaked her ebony hair into the color of garnets.

Just as the tattoos reached her eyes, she was pulled under…

Mio wandered cautiously through the Kurosawa house with Mayu Amakura in tow, the eldest holding Mio's hand like her life depended on it. A deep wind was heard as ambience in the background, howling through the dark.

It was fortunate that Mio had found her beloved sister before she came to harm, otherwise… she probably wouldn't have known what to do with herself…

Apart from the cloth that hung down over the wooden arches of the hall, there was nothing to be seen. Stepping into said hallway, Mio closed her eyes and concentrated, letting her sixth sense tune into all of the surroundings in order to feel any presence that may be lurking in the shadows.

It was a mixed blessing, her ability to foresee danger. Ever since childhood Mio and her sister had been able to feel, and see things that… most people their age were not accustomed to: The altar plane; the realm where spirits walked; The Other Side.

Once, there were a great many followers, believers of this Other Side, so much so, that they in fact created entire religions to worship this altered reality. But… as the world moved on, people stopped believing. Spirits, ghosts, all of it was nothing more than a pretense to the common societies of today's modern times, ideas conjured up by crazed villagers and old wives tales up in the mountains around Minakami.

Thus, the very existence of the Other Side was lost to time, forgotten, for hundreds of years…

Mio felt absorbed by her surroundings; the nary wind breathing upon her neck, the low howling through the cracks in the worn oak walls, the dampness of the darkness. Yet, there was nothing more…

Mio turned to her sister. "Mayu, can you feel anything?"

Mayu slowly closed her eyes for several moments, then opened them, "No," came her reply.

Mio had figured as much. Mayu was far more sensitive to the "Other World' than herself and would have voiced her concern if she felt to.

"That's good…" Mio smiled slightly at her. "I think we've had enough surprises for one lifetime."

Camera in hand, Mio moved down the dark corridor, Mayu not far behind. The elder twin however could not take her eyes off her sister… staring at her with something akin to lustful intentions.

Intentions that were not only of her own accord…

Mio pushed a door open and peered around the corner to see if there was something; or to more precise someone, waiting in the dark to pounce upon them.

'How much longer…?' Mayu thought to herself giddily. 'How long must it take before you finally see, dear sister…?'

The long-haired girl known as Sae could sense their coming as she curled patiently on the futon in her bedroom, warm candlelight playing out against the dark angel's magnificently pale and tattooed skin. Having dashed aside the trappings of her white kimono, the naked girl held her arms close to her breasts, hugging herself tightly. Dainty length of ebony hair fell all around her pale form, accentuating her in a divinity very few beings could possess on this Earth.

A devious grin spread across Sae's beautiful features, a small giggle filling the room.

"Soon, my love… We will be together again."

Sae's delightful Unification was starting to fall into place. Soon, Kyoko would begin to awaken within the girl she'd been bound to. And when that time came, Mio would be powerless to resist them both…

For she was the key… to set them unbound unto the world.

"I'm waiting for you…" she breathed, cold cerulean eyes piercing through the dark. Her voice became eclipsed with that of another, the priestess Chiyo mirroring her very soul.

"-As we always have…"

Mio was not sure how long she had been walking, let alone where to in the Kurosawa's mansion… only that, once she had stopped, she found herself back in a room far too familiar for her liking.

"Sae…"

Staring at the old futon where the Shrine Maiden had once resided in brought about old memories, visions that were not of Mio's own experience…

-An everlasting nightmare, which no one would be waking from, and all because Yae had left her sister behind.

'How could she have done this to her…? What had Sae ever done to deserve this…-'

A pair of hands slid around her waist from behind, Mayu pressing close into Mio's back. It was so sudden that it nearly caused her to jump.

"I'm sorry…" Mayu whispered sweetly, noting that small flinch in her sister.

The younger twin glanced over her shoulder momentarily, a timid blush creeping up onto her perfect features. "It's alright," she responded softly. "Are… are you okay…?"

Mio shuddered at the purring sound coming from Mayu's lips, the elder girl delicately wrapping her arms around her dainty figure.

"I'm feeling a little cold…" she murmured, her hot breath dancing along Mio's neck. Shivering slightly, Mio closed her eyes as an awkward silence ensued. Without realizing it she became keenly aware of Mayu's figure pressing into her. The deliciously malleable curves and soft flesh scented with the sweetness of strawberries and vanilla.

"Will you… warm me?" Mayu asked, her voice becoming softer. She slid her palms scintillatingly along Mio's heavenly supple abdomen, coming rather close to her navel and breasts.

"Hmmm…"

Mio wasn't shocked, and she felt the tingling sensation again, rippling through her body as her sister's hands stroked her tummy through her shirt. Mio closed her eyes, and let the silence between them reign on, barely suppressing her contentment at the welcomed contact. Her touch felt so stimulating on her skin, the gentle caresses from Mayu's tentative fingers sending showers of warmth up and down her spine. Without thinking about it, Mio found herself pressing back against her.

"Mmmmm," Mayu murmured sleepily. The elder twin nuzzled her face into her neck as her embrace tightened, pulling Mio flush with her increasingly warm body. With one smallish hand planted firmly on her navel, Mayu slid the other appreciatively up Mio's slender stomach to her chest, her palm gliding across her shirt like silk.

The startlingly bold motion sent Mio's thoughts into a scattered mess, her breath drawing more deeply as Mayu murmured softly into her neck, her hand mapping every contour, every curve of her sister's body as it climbed ever higher…

"Mi-ho…" she whispered; her voice a soft melody of beautiful sounds. Her warm breath fanned across Mio's nape, her lips hovering precariously close to her perfect unblemished skin. "Mmmm…"

Mio shuddered under her sister's milk-soft cuddle as pale, slender fingers traced the curve of her breast starting form the underside and making their way up…

"M-Mmph…"

Heat bloomed underneath her skin as the feeling of Mayu's well-rounded form washed over her, the sudden sensations made Mio's heart jump, excitement and fear pooling inside her all at once.

"Mayu… we…" she countered, trailing off.

A pair of warm, angel soft lips pressed against Mio's neck, caressing her alabaster skin in loving, wet smooches. Mio stiffened in her arms briefly as she let out a hushed moan.

"Unh," she sighed, stroking her sister's hands. Heat like a small flame started to kindle in her stomach. Feeling her knees weaken, she leaned back against Mayu, craning her head back slightly to let it rest on the crook of her shoulder. She reveled in the scent of Mayu's lustrously soft hair as it brushed over her cheek, the satiny softness of her lips…

"Nnn…"

Mio tilted her head to one side as Mayu began to nibble on her skin just beneath the jaw, pressing her lips harder into her neck.

"Mio… oh, Mio…" it became a charm for her, whispering her name sweetly into Mio's ear between kisses.

Mayu slid her open palm gingerly over Mio's breast, placating her hand on the soft flesh. Her left hand roamed sensuously along Mio's soft bosom, cupping, massaging…

"Nnnmmmhh," she moaned quietly on her shoulder, the stimulation from her lips making Mio's body that much warmer. Mio reveled in the lavishing kisses from her sister, her skin crawling with life under Mayu's gentle touch. The tingling rose in her body like a flood, the pleasure taking complete control.

"Oh, Mayu…" she cooed, timidly leaning her head back.

"Mmmmm," Mayu murmured sleepily. The twin's hand affectionately clung to Mio's belly as she encircled her slim figure with her buttery-soft arms. She lovingly kissed every square inch of Mio's creamy skin, tracing the outside of her lips with her own as she smothered her face with tenderly care.

Her mind fell into a void of ecstasy as Mayu's tongue slithered across her cheek, coming dangerously close to her lips as she kissed her way in.

A soft groan shook Mio from her reverie, a sound not unlike pain reaching her ears.

"Nnnggh… stay away…… Hee-hee-hee…"

Mio's heart skipped a beat as the words left her sister's throat, the hairs on her neck standing on end.

'What was…, Is Mayu…?'

"Stop, leave me alone," Mayu cried softly. "… (((Take my soul, and herald thy body of sacred fire …)))" a hauntingly soft, yet bespoken voice whispered.

Mio felt a cold chill run down her spine, and a dagger of extreme mortal terror creeping into her very heart. The only time she ever heard her sister speaking like this was when…

'The other spirits…'she thought nervously. 'They are using her as a medium.'

"Kyo-ko… the priestess of twilight…"

Mio's eyes began to widen, her pupils shrinking. The voice… it didn't sound right, like it was tainted. Not unlike Sae, but something… or someone more powerful.

"M-Ma-y-y-yu," she asked, her lips trembling with fright. Her gaze swept slowly around first, following the decrepit and dilapidated walls until she reached the corner of her eyelids.

She was so afraid to look…

"The Unification…" she continued. "Where two, become one… N-No……!" said Mayu in a tiny, constrained voice. "…I won't let you…!"

The youngest twin peered cautiously over her shoulder; halfway expecting the thing behind her to lung out and end her life. "Mayu…?"

She turned around…

…and found that her sister had fallen several paces behind her. She was stooped over while hugging herself tightly, eyes squeezed shut. Her lustrous midnight hair was like a sparkling curtain of halo dust as it covered her face, falling away to the floor like a jade carpet of streaked gems in the moonlight.

Mayu shuddered, gave a struggled gasp, and then, giggled slightly… "Our time is almost here…" she said giddily, rising slowly upright. A smile, too beautiful to be pure of heart crept onto the raven-haired girl's pale lips. "Soon, all that which we crave will be upon us. Nothing will stop-"

Mio couldn't take it anymore, "MAYU!"

Like magic, Mayu's demeanor changed instantly. Her blazing indigo eyes of blue flame extinguished as if by blowing out a candle.

They locked eyes.

"Mio…?" she tilted her head to the side, blinking slowly. "What's… wrong…?"

Streaks of tears fell away from Mio's fear-stricken, chocolate eyes. "M-Mayu…--!!"

For a moment Mayu was completely speechless. She had not a clue as to what had just transpired, confusion playing out on her flawless face.

"M-Mio…?" she repeated. She made a step towards her other self. "Wha…"

Then… the recognition came flooding back like a tidal wave unleashed on her mind.

'It's only just begun…' her other self whispered in her mind. 'Soon, my love, your flesh shall be molded of smokeless fire and your soul unconcealed by radiant light.'

"Mio…--" she whimpered, her eyes wavering with profound tears ready to burst forth from their chocolate pools, "Wha-… What's happening to me?"

Mayu began to shiver vigorously. Even from this distance Mio could see her twin's lips quivering. The older girl laced her fingers into her hair, breathed in, and let out a piercing shriek that would have woken the dead.

The eyes of blue flame returned just as she screamed, "Ahhhhhhhh!"

Mio was terrified of her then. She had taken two steps back when Mayu's body began to resonate with a crimson aura, setting the room ablaze with red light. Thunder seemed to roll in from nowhere, windstorms swept through the halls, slamming doors shut while destroying others completely in the manor.

"Leave me alone! Keep away from my Mio-chan!" she cried out. "She's mine…! She's mine to love… she's-"

Suddenly, she fell limp against the wall, sliding down at a staggered pace, her convulsions still wracking her frail body.

For several moments, Mio had forgotten to breathe. The deafening silence accompanied by her pounding heartbeat all seeming too surreal. And then, her mind kicked into overdrive. Remnants of crimson dust sparkled ever still around Mayu's form, and those mesmerizing blue eyes of an eternal flame had been closed once more.

"Mayu!" the youngest twin was at her side in moments, cradling Mayu in her arms; who was breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Mayu chanted the words. She was shivering so severely that one would think she was dying of the cold.

"I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorr-"

"Please, Mayu! Look at me!" she cried out. Placing her sister's cheek in her palm, Mio turned Mayu's panic-stricken face towards hers. "It's okay! I'm here for you!"

In her panic, she couldn't even hear her own breathing, which was hitched and heaving.

Whether it was from fear or the cold she was uncertain.

The elder twin snuffled loudly, her eyes becoming bleary, "I……I'm…!"- Mayu started to weep inconsolably as she burst into tears. She hid her face in Mio's chest, crying softly, the shame and guilt apparent in her grief stricken eyes.

"I'm sorry, (hic)…I'm sorry!" she repeated over again. Mio choked out a sob as her sister practically pleaded to her, Mayu's arms nearly crushing her in the embrace.

"I've caused you so much pain…you'd be better off without me."

Mio brought her arms around Mayu. "Please stop," she pleaded, choking back sobs.

"I don't deserve to exist…" Mayu herself was beginning to cry. "Because of me, your life…- (sniff)… has been nothing but suffering."

Mayu's voice was so soft, and yet the passion behind her words was stronger than Mio ever wanted to hear.

"Ma-yu," she cried. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time, Mayu had been hiding this from her, holding it in.

"I'm too weak," she continued. "I've always held you down…" The last part made Mayu's voice hitch, the meaning of her words slipping away with the tears.

Several sobs escaped the younger twin's pink lips, her vision blurred by all the tears.

"You…you would be much happier… if I… weren't here." She hid her face in Mio's chest, crying softly, the shame and guilt apparent in her grief stricken eyes.

This was killing Mio inside. It felt like someone was tearing her heart out with cold, dead hands. She started shaking as her hands gripped Mayu tightly.

"M-Mayu," she whimpered, her trembling hands seeking to pull Mayu closer. "I…I can't…"

Mayu sniffled, letting out a shaky sigh, and said:

"Why…why couldn't I have just died?"

Mio's heart stopped, her eyes widening, the pain gripping her chest in an iron vice, strangling the life out of her. She tried to speak but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

"…No."

"I wish… I wish I were never born; I should have died back th-

"STOP IT!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the room.

Mayu cringed at the sudden outburst, the shrill ringing in her ears drowning out the sobs of her dear sister. "Stop - (hic-hic-hic)…stop…stop."

The elder twin fell silent, and slowly… pulled away from Mio.

Mio looked on in complete shock…as her sister took both of her hands…and placed them around her throat.

"……Please, Mio." She pleaded. "…Kill me."

----------------!!

Crack

Mayu's face spun to the side, the force of the impact causing her crying to cease.

"Onee-chan…I-I can't! I can't bear to hear you go on like this!" Mio was shaking visibly, hardly able to see through her blurry eyes, "How… how can you ask me of such a thing!?"

Mayu's face had a tinge of red upon her milky skin, the pain resonating on her cheek making her quiver. "But…Mio…" she turned her head slowly back, the tears still falling.

A full blown rage welled up inside Mio, her sister's self-loathing setting her off. She gripped Mayu forcefully by her arms to draw her closer, shouting all the while.

"I love you!" she shouted, her teeth setting on edge, "I've always loved you! Can't you see that!?"

Mayu went deathly quiet, neither flinching nor drawing a breath.

A huge pit formed in Mio's stomach, the horror of her actions finally settling in.

"M-Mayu-chan…I…I'm sorry."

No answer. Her head hung low, face obscured by ebony bangs.

Mio started to cry, immediately chastising herself. She hadn't meant to hurt her. She should not …have… hurt her.

"Mayu," she asked, dropping the honorific. "Please…look at me."

It seemed to take all of Mayu's effort to do such a simple task; lifting her head at such a forlorn pace that the twins' hair swayed elegantly back… her angelic face parting into view.

Pink lips were quivering from constrained sadness, a modest attempt at showing no pain to her better half. But even so, the tiny whimpers that escaped her mouth were too much to hold in check.

Mio looked on in horror at the innocence she had nearly broken within her sister, the red mark staining her face proof of how close Mayu was to ending her own emotions, indicating where Mio had slapped her.

Her eyes…

Her eyes looked so hollow, so empty that it scared her, showing unfathomable pain and loss, like her soul had been taken from her.

"But… why," Mayu stammered, her face raw from crying. "It's all… my fault."

'But, you have no idea, do you?'

Mayu kept her gaze even with her sister, even though the tears threatened to spill forth once again. "Mio…"

"I……I'm the one that should be sorry." Mio's eyes went downcast. "Ever since that day in the forest, I've hated myself; having to see you, everyday, of what I did to you, makes me hurt inside."

The elder girl felt a pang of guilt wash over her. How could she be so selfish? She had never thought of what Mio had to go through.

Mio let out a shaky breath, "…I ruined your life, and that's why I can never atone. In spite of everything that I've done for you, it will never change the past."

Mayu shook her head solemnly, "Please, Mio… don't."

She continued nonetheless, "If there is someone that doesn't deserve to exist, it's me." It seemed horrible to vent this on Mayu, but it really was the truth.

"I lie to you, betray you…, hurt you……;(-sniff)…" Mio could hardly contain herself at this point, choking back sobs.

The elder twin silently wept, reproaching herself for Mio's pain. "M-Mio…"

"I'm always breaking my promises...telling you that I'll be there for you." Mio hung her head, letting the beautiful hair shadow her face. "But in the end, I never am. I push you away; the most important person in my life."

Mio felt tears of anguish creeping down her face. "I have no right…" she declared, her voice laden with guilt. Bringing her hands to her face, she wept. "I don't deserve to be with you."

The younger twin felt Mayu cup her face in her palm and timidly looked up. "Mayu…?"

Mio fell into the mesmerizing gaze with her sister's starry eyes. Glistening pools of chocolate and red were half-lidded, with a few streaks of tears still lingering on Mayu's angelic face. Her mouth was slightly agape, a light blush having crept up onto her youthful features.

Mayu had never looked so beautiful in her entire life.

"…Please…" she quietly begged. She slowly leaned in, her tear-streaked, innocuous chocolate eyes closing, soft lips just barely grazing the twin's…

"Hahh-ha…" Mio's breath caught in her throat, and likewise, Mayu's did the same. They were so close to touching; only one need make the necessary move.

"Mee-oh…" the elder girl mewled, their lips brushing together. She could feel Mio quivering from her delectable touch, and ever so lightly… Mayu slid her right hand affectionately down her sister's face, the smoothness of her skin gliding across her palm like silk.

"I love you—"

A hushed moan escaped Mio as their lips met for the second time that night, every bit as gentle as the first time they kissed. The pure sentiment and affection seemed overflowing from Mayu, her lips parting to deepen her passion ever more. She could feel her soft, wet tongue sliding into her mouth…

"Nnnnnhhhh…"

For those precious few moments, all inhibition and shame was lost, and Mio could think nothing more than to relent to her twin, following Mayu into this undeniable feeling…

And then, it was over… Pale lips parted with a soft sound of release, small droplets of saliva dripping away, brown eyes now open in hazy desire. Moonlight cast upon their glistening faces from the slatted windows, innocence creeping back into them.

"M-Mayu…" she whispered, the tears running once more. She bit her bottom lips to keep herself from crying. "We can't… we can't do this…"

The elder girl looked disheartened, knowing full well the wonderful taboo they'd just committed.

"Yes… I know."

Long minutes went by as they said not one word to each other, kneeling in the same room that one night belonged to the small cries of pleasure from another era…

-Whose gaze now lingered upon Mio in intense envy, her unrequited love eating away at her within. She stood by, her nubile, gorgeously pale figure draped in shadows of long dark hair. Oh how she wanted to take Mio then, just to spare her of this misery and pain without any thought or concern.

But… she wasn't ready.

Not yet…

Not until she gave her heart to Kyoko fully.

Twin crystalline rivers fell from her eyes, the pain of suffering etching down her face in vines of ink. Sae knew that very soon…-

-She would not be able to hold herself back…

'Mio… My love…'