Hahaha! I found a fic that's not saved in 2007 version of word. So yeah, I'll just post this one instead.





“Aibon said she saw a body, probably eaten by wild beasts at the back of the shrine. Inside, there’s a corpse with a wide slash on her neck… That and the other four that we’ve seen earlier were the only victims that she saw.” After Hitomi made her call, Aika related to them what Aibon told her. The figure that struck their character with a spear was wearing a monk’s garment and a hood to hide its face.

“It doesn’t make sense… Where could Risa have been killed?” Rika asked to no one in particular. She glanced at Hitomi and saw that she’s in deep thought. She saw Hitomi walked towards the phone. The two watched silently as Hitomi dialled a number and waited fro the other line to answer.

“Moshi-moshi! Makoto is that you?.... Nothing in particular. I would like to ask something about a new game called Maiden’s Curse… yeah… What?! You played it?! N..nothing it’s just that….” Hitomi became silent. All that they heard from her was ‘hai’ and the ‘uhuh’ sound every now and then. “Don’t! Please don’t play it again…. It’s a long story…. I’ll tell you the reason tomorrow morning…. I promise… Please take care of yourself. Ja!”

…………
Makoto was packing her uniform to her bag. It was supposed to be her day off but then, an emergency came up and the manager called her. She was just glad that her shift ended; her co-worker was already in the store so she had no point of lagging behind any further. As she was about to walk out of the locker room, her phone rang.

“Hai… Hitomi?” Makoto smiled. It’s not her store manager but her friend, Hitomi. She could sense urgency in Hitomi’s voice no matter how hard the other might try to hide it. “Why did you call?..... The game? Well, it’s a very brutal game; I already played it last night.” Makoto was shocked by the sudden outburst of the caller. “Ehh? Why are you so shocked?... Look,” Makoto cut her friend, “I know you hate snakes and that game is full of snakes right. So don’t play that game if you’re scared, ok?”

“The game was set in the 16th century and the zombies were all girls. Now based on the story line, those girls might be the girls in the town being killed by an unknown force. If you would ask me, the killer might have been Eri. You know, these games were all the same. They would ask you to investigate a person and it ends up that the person you’re investigating was the one responsible for whatever happenings in the game.” Makoto ranted while walking home, not minding whether the other listened or not. She heard a soft beep. “Hey wait, I have an incoming call.” Makoto clicked a button and answered the other caller. It turns out that another emergency came up and she was being called back to her work. She sighed. If she didn’t need the money badly, she will refuse it.

After ending the call from her manager, she clicked the button and talked with Hitomi again while tracing her way back to the store. “It’s the manager, she was asking me to have an overtime… Well, I guess it’s still a blessing in disguise. I’ll be able to play it again if I got bored. I’m already near the shri….. Ehh? Why won’t you let me play it? …. Long story? You can start telling it to me now…. Fine, promise? Sure, I will, Ja!”

…………
“It seemed that Makoto also played that game.” Hitomi started. “I’ll meet her up tomorrow after class. We need to rest our minds so that we will be able to think of a good idea to help us survive this.”

“How can we sleep when there’s a possibility that she might attack us? I don’t want to sleep alone in my room!” Aika said, fear was etched on her face and voice. Hitomi smiled.

“Look, I have a gut feeling that she won’t attack us for now. Let’s all stay in your sister’s bed. You’ll be in the middle.” Hitomi answered. Aika in their middle is a much better choice than Rika. She presumed that it’s the presence of her best friend that made her sleepless last time so it’s better for her to prevent it for happening again. She needed that sleep. She would like to talk with her first best friend in her dreams.

……….
“Who’s that person? She’s scary…”

“Hahaha… I thought that you would know by the garment she’s wearing. She’s Eri’s mom. The shaman, Yuuko.”

“Her mom!? I thought that she’s the one who told the authorities that it’s her daughter who’s responsible for the killings.” Maki rolled her eyes. Hitomi was like this ever since. When it comes to puzzles or things that need deep thinking, Hitomi would just ask her the answer. She’s not alive anymore and Hitomi must not rely on her too much.

“Why do you think she did this?” Maki asked in return. Hitomi furrowed her brows together. She was not expecting this kind of answer from Maki.

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you?”

“And do you think that I really know the answer?”

“You know all…”

“Not always.” Maki lied, she knew the real reason but in order for her friend to start believing in herself, in her own judgement, she must do this. “Try to think for yourself. Why do you think she did that? Don’t you have any theory playing in your mind?”

Hitomi looked at her best friend. She can see the ceiling above her through Maki’s transparent body. She looked on her left and saw the two sisters sleeping soundly. In order to protect them, she must think on her own. Maki’s dead now, but she was really grateful that even if she’s already dead, she would always come to her dreams and help her. Hitomi closed her eyes and tried to connect the pieces of the puzzle in her mind.

“Eri’s mom is a shaman…” She started, “an evil shaman I guess. She DID say something about getting our souls… and Aika mentioned something about Eri’s hidden sadness on her picture…” Maki smiled as she heard Hitomi’s ramble. She was on the right track.

“Do you have any idea now?”

“Wait, don’t rush me…”

“Now, what’s this? Who ever said that you would inherit my lap top? I didn’t write it on my ‘last will and testament!” Hitomi opened her eyes wide and sat up straight on the bed. She knew Rika was a light sleeper so she made sure that she DID it in the lightest manner possible. And there she was, near her backpack.

“Hi Miki! What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing with my lap top?! You’re crushing it with your books! Do you know how much it cost? You should take goo pfff!” Maki covered Miki’s mouth. Hitomi stood up and went to her bag to remove the said item. She sat on the nearest chair.

“Don’t talk too loud, you’re going to wake them up.” Miki removed her sister’s hand and faced her.

“HELLO!!! WE’RE ALREADY DEAD! They won’t hear a thing even if I SCREAMED.” Miki yelled. Hitomi winced in pain as Miki’s voice irritated her ears.

“Please don’t shout. It hurts. Gomen! I forgot to take good care of your laptop.”

“You should be sorry, you benefited from me when I died.” Miki winked at Maki. Maki smiled. Her sister was helping her open Hitomi’s mind. It’s up to Hitomi’s logic and speed in getting their hidden information for now. She watched Hitomi’s confused reaction. Hitomi seemed like she was debating with her own self.

“Wait… it just… hit me…” Miki smacked Hitomi’s head. “OUCH! THAT HURTS! You’re too literal.. What I mean is I somewhat have an idea.” Hitomi said while massaging the part of her head that Miki whacked.

“Tell us, what’s your theory then?” Maki excitedly asked. She crossed her arms near her chest and squatted in the air. Miki did the same but she put both her arms to support her head instead.

“This is just a vague guess but, I presumed Eri didn’t want to kill those girls in the first place… or not that too many girls I supposed. Maybe, her mother was controlling her. Maybe….”

“May be you’re right?” Maki and Miki groaned at the sudden intrusion.

“Damn it Risa! You’re spoiling the fun!!!” Miki yelled. Hitomi was saddened by the new visitor. She can clearly remember how she was being dismantled by that woman.

“You’re the one who’s spoiling the fun. You should have told her earlier the truth.”

“That would only mean that she’ll always ask us for help. We need to teach her how to be independent for once.” Maki replied coolly. Hitomi grinned. She missed the much cooler person than herself. She knew that ever since they’ve stepped into the high school life, Maki, in her own little ways (like a sermon every after playing a game), tried to help her to be self-reliant.

“I know Hitomi could do it! She changed a lot since that incident. And I thought that you’re watching over her…” Risa said in a sarcastic voice. She faced Hitomi and cleared her throat. “You see, Yuuko used her daughter to get more souls. She poisoned her daughter’s mind by saying that the blood of the girls she killed will help her maintain her beauty. And it did, but the soul will go to Yuuko. She killed her own daughter because she knew her daughter will be able to get more souls by being dead rather than alive. Eri was fighting her mother’s control over her for many years now and” Risa paused, “us, killing Eri didn’t make Yuuko happy at all. She’s on a rampage right now, using the game as the method to get more souls. Eri is a trapped soul, made alive by Yuuko’s dark powers… she on the other hand...” Miki continued what Risa was about to say.

“Is a live person… both flesh and blood. Her knowledge of the witchcraft made her somewhat immortal.” Miki smirked at the offended Risa. “You think you’re the only one who’s cool?”

“You ruined my moment! I’m going to get you!” Risa ‘flew’ at Miki and tried to land a punch. Hitomi and Maki laughed at the scene in front of them. They can’t hit each other.

“Will the two of you just stop that? You’re wasting your astral energy. She might be able to get your souls too if that happened.” Maki said to the two. She looked at Hitomi and saw her inquiring eyes.

“Wait, that means… she can’t absorb your souls?” Hitomi asked the obvious. The two fighting girls glared at her at the same time.

“Duh!? If we’re absorbed by that witch, we wouldn’t be here!” Risa exclaimed. “But yeah, she can’t get us because we have strong souls. Unfortunately, the others were already in her possession.”

“NO way..”

“That’s why you need to go back to that shrine and finish it all again. I must inform you, you will not be saved by snakes anymore. Yuuko’s different.” Maki warned. She then pat Hitomi on the head. “I know you can do it… you just have to believe in yourself.”

“Minna… arigatou.” Hitomi whispered. She’s trying to stop her tears from falling from her eyes. She’s really thankful that her friends were still helping her out in this tight situation. “Arigatou…”

…………
“Hitomi-chan…”

“Hmmm?”

“You’re so scary…” Hitomi tried to open her eyes and saw that the siblings were standing near her. She didn’t have to sit up for she realized that she’s already sitting… in the chair across Rika’s bed. She looked up again at the two.

“Do you know that you’re sleep walking… and talking at the same time? If you only had the idea of how freaked out Aika ...”

“Wait! What did I say?!” Hitomi cut her best friend. If they heard what she’s saying in her sleep at least that would cut her time explaining to them. Or so she thought.

“We didn’t get much. We can’t understand what you’re saying.” Aika said, and took a piece of paper from her pocket. “but we sure understand the word shaman, Eri’s mom, Miki, laptop, , my name Aika, souls and the last thing that you said was arigatou.”

“You wrote it?” Aika smiled sheepishly before nodding. Hitomi yawned. There’s a lot of explaining to do. She looked at the windows and saw that it’s still dark. She glanced at her wristwatch and saw that it’s still 4 in the morning. She got at least three hours to explain what she dreamt (or experienced) before they will go to school.

………………..
“Please take care of yourselves.” Hitomi said to the two as they part their ways. Hitomi walked with them towards Mizushima Gakuen, an exclusive school for girls. Rika didn’t want it at first. Something might happen to Hitomi when she’s walking alone to her school but still, Hitomi prevailed. Rika took her sister’s hand and entered their school. Though they both go to the similar school, the entrance to their buildings were different. Middle school students have to go inside using the east gate while the high school students, the north or the front gate. Rika lied to the guard about Aika’s health so he allowed them to enter together. Hitomi decided to run as soon as she saw the two were already inside the premises. It’s a good 15-minute walk from Rika’s school to hers and running would definitely cut the time in half so she won’t get late. She tried to imagine that she was being chased by Yuuko as she increased her speed in running.
“I’ll take this as a form of exercise in case it will happen in the future.”

…………..
The three tried to have a constant communication through their phones even when the teacher is already in front. Aika was scared that Yuuko might attack or kidnap them in school so Rika and Hitomi always check on her.

“It’s already our second subject but Kusumi and Aibon are still not here.”

“They’ve probably gone to the airport and said goodbye to those Chinese exchange students… :)” Rika typed. She knew what Aika was thinking as she pressed the ‘SEND’ button. She closed her phone tried to focus on her teacher. It’s better for her to develop a headache in understanding the Sines and Cosines of Trigonometry than to have a headache because of thinking too much of the game.

“Nee, Hitomi-chan, I think it’s not a coincidence. Kusumi and Aibon were not that close to Jun-Jun and Lin-Lin… Why would they go to the airport like ne-san said?”

Aika had a point. Hitomi was about to type her reply to Aika’s message when the principal announced her name on the PA.

“Ms. Yoshizawa Hitomi of class 2-A, please proceed to the principal’s office.”

“Geez, what did I NOT do this time?”

…………
“Ohayou gozaimasu, princip…”

“I’ll go straight to the point; do you have any knowledge about the massacre?” Kaori noticed Hitomi’s eyes widen at the sudden news. Hitomi knew it’s about the death of Risa but hearing the word ‘massacre’ means there’s a lot of people involved.

“Gomen, I don’t know about that one. Who was killed?”

“Your friend in class 1-B, Risa Niigaki and her family… The police informed us about the intrusion in their house. They thought that it’s just another case of robbery with homicide but they found out that not a single yen was missing.” Hitomi raised her eyebrow. She knew where this talk was going and she has to prevent it from getting there somehow.

“And you think that we’ve been playing on-line games again? Even since that incident we just played in the arcade, game consoles like PSP, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo, and we don’t even connect our PS2 to the internet. You deleted that game in my laptop so we have no chance of playing on-line games.”

“Your… laptop?”

“Okay, Miki’s laptop but Maki gave it to me after her sister died… and that is before I’ve learned that Maki’s dead too..”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you but, this series of killings are affecting our school in the process. The parents are afraid that one of our students is the killer… ” Hitomi nodded. A month ago, a local T.V. station aired the news about the students of Seijiku Gakuen who’re being killed simultaneously. It caused a ruckus among the Parent-Teacher Association because of the safety of the students, their children. As a result, some parents transferred their children; some will come to fetch their child and on the part of the administration, 10 newly hired security guards were scattered on the school grounds.

“We’ve promised that we’re going to tell you everything that we know right? And I really didn’t know anything at all.”

“Even your friend from Mizushima? Ms. Ishikawa?”

‘Hai, I slept with her last night…” Iida looked at her intensely and Hitomi got what their principal meant. “I… I mean I… we… they…” Kaori cleared her throat. She’s sensing something fishy. Hitomi looked like a ‘kawaii’ guy. She can hear some of the girl’s talking when she’s doing her usual rounds saying that Hitomi’s their crush. It’s somewhat disturbing.
“Well, what I mean is, she invited me to stay in their house TOGETHER with her little sister to play NBA LIVE 2007. And that’s the truth.” They went on a staring game for a couple of seconds before Kaori left her gaze.

“Fine, if you say so. Just stay out of trouble.”

“Hai, I will.”

………….

Hitomi ate her lunch at their cafeteria. She’s watching a noontime program and instead of the commercial break, a newsflash appeared showing the scene of the crime. The video showed a game shop near their area. Inside, the shop was in a messy state; game discs were scattered on the floor, there were broken glasses everywhere and the cables and wires were tangling someone to her death.

“Kuso, Makoto!!!” Hitomi grabbed her phone and called Aika for Rika still has a class during that time. Hitomi was about to say something when she heard that Aika was sobbing.

“Hitomi-chan… they’re dead… they were hit by a truck in front of my eyes.” Hitomi gripped her phone tightly. Yuuko attacked them in just a day at a different place; Makoto at the game shop, and Aibon and Kusumi at their school. Before, only one person was being killed per day. That’s her theory but the only exception was Sayumi’s group. Sayu was killed together with Reina and Ai in Sayumi’s residence. They were still in the same place so they were killed at the same time; just like Kusumi and Aibon now.

“Tell me, how did it happen?”

“They were crossing the street and out of nowhere, a bus suddenly appeared and crashed right into them.”

……………….
“Hey, where are you?” Aika search her phonebook and checked the names ‘Aibon’ and ‘Kusumi’. She then pressed the send button and waited for the confirmation. She put her keitai inside her bag and looked at the wall clock. It’s only 5 minutes left before 11:45; it’s almost lunch time but her two friends were nowhere to be seen.

The bell rang and she stood up to go to the cafeteria. Before going out of their classroom, she checked her phone for any messages.

“A new mail! I hope it’s from one of them.” Aika opened the message and it came from Kusumi.

“Hi! I’m with Aibon. We decided to skip class and went to the airport to say goodbye to Jun-Jun and Lin-Lin. Right now, we’re on the train so we’ll not miss the afternoon class, See you later!”

Aika ate her lunch at the cafeteria when she received a mail from Kusumi saying that they’re already near the school premises. Aika swallowed her meal and went towards the east gate. She can see their silhouette when she arrived at the gate. Aibon waved at her when she saw her coming. Kusumi looked on her left and right before pulling Aibon to cross the street. She really didn’t have to do that for cars rarely pass in this street.

“Guys! Walk faster! I have something to tell you!” Aika screamed from behind the school gate not minding the intense glare coming from the security guard. Then suddenly, a black bus appeared and hit the two crossing girls. Aika and the guard screamed in terror when they saw the girls’ bloodied bodies.

“Uso, the bus disappeared into the thin air.” The guard said. Although her vision became blurred because of the tears in her eyes, Aika managed to take a look at the direction where the bus ran off. In her hazy vision, Aika noticed a silhouette standing at the corner of the street. She wiped away her tears and when she looked back, the person she saw wasn’t there.

…………
“I’ll skip my afternoon class. I’ll go there now. Wait for me.” Hitomi ended the call. She gobbled her food hastily and ran out of their school. They need to finish this as quickly as possible. Before, they were just dealing with a CD (she presumed), but now, with the ‘Maiden’s Curse’ making its way in the market, there are lots of possible victims. She knew, they were dealing with an evil spirit personified through Yuuko. They need to find out the way to defeat her and reading her journal might help them figure out the way. Hitomi arrived at the Mizushima Gakuen in one piece. The police were still there, a line was set in front of the east gate. She took a glance at her cell phone and ran towards the restaurant near the front gate where Rika and Aika were waiting for her.

“I’m glad nothing happened to you! I immediately went to Aika as soon as I’ve heard over the PA about what happened.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling that Yuuko will reserve us for last. Killing Eri angered her and we might assume that she’s preparing a more brutal way of murdering us.” The three became silent until Hitomi made a decision.

“Let’s go back… to the place where it all started.”

……………..
“I never thought that I’ll be coming back here in this dreaded place.”

“Yeah, me too.” Hitomi replied to Rika. The now burnt palace still stood majestically among the tall trees. The place reminds her of her best friend. She closed her eyes and tried to divert her thoughts. She didn’t want to remember how Maki was killed in front of her. It reminds her of her incompetence. Hitomi signalled them to continue walking. Rika brought Aika along for they don’t know what will happen to her if they left her. As they approached the burnt palace, they saw a woman, facing the huge door of the palace. She turned around when she heard that they were approaching.

“Hey, what are three school girls doing here? Are your classes suspended?”

“No ma’am, were here to….” Hitomi couldn’t think of a plausible answer. She was glad Aika was there to save them.

“Do an investigation for our History subject. We’ve heard a story that this palace belongs to a certain daimyo.”

“Don’t continue your investigation. This place is full of evil spirits. I can feel it. Something bad might happen to you here.”

“How can you say that? Who are you anyway?” Rika asked. The woman looked at them and smiled.

“My name’s Yasuda Kei. I can sense the bad spirits from this place because I came from a family of shamans… but I’m a modern witch a good witch that is… so don’t be afraid of me.”

…………….
“No wonder you’ve angered the spirit here. You killed her daughter.” Yasuda said after listening to the story that Rika decided to tell her. Rika thought that this ‘witch’ might help them kill Yuuko.

“We have no choice. It’s either we kill her or she kills us first. And besides, she was just controlling her daughter to do her dirty job.” Hitomi explained. Kei smiled and took out a long stick with some white paper flags hanging down from the tip. She recognized it as the stick that shamans swayed back and forth every time they were praying their mantra.

“So are you going to help us?” Aika’s question was left unanswered for the ‘witch’ was already uttering her mantra. “I guess that’s a yes…”

As Kei was approaching the shrine on the back, Hitomi felt her heart beating wildly. She’s starting to have a difficulty in breathing and her vision was beginning to fade.

“What’s happening with me?”

“Hitomi, are you alright? Hitomi?! HITOMI!!” Rika screamed as Hitomi fell to the ground with a loud thud.

………………
“Where am I?” Hitomi asked as she opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that she’s still in the place where she fainted; except that nobody’s with her. She instantly stood up as she realized that Rika and Aika were missing. She noticed that there’s a light moving inside the shrine.

“Shit! What are they thinking?!” Hitomi ran towards the entrance and followed the light thinking that it was the three making it. She was lead to a door in the second floor, opposite the direction where they found the way to the tower. She opened the door when she saw that the light vanished suddenly. She was stunned. Inside the large room was a huge abstract painting. It’s painted in gothic colors- red seemed the blood that contrasted the black figures in the middle.

“Yocchan! Tasukete!”

“Sayu?!”

“Yoshizawa-sempai… save us!”

“Konno-san! Are you trapped in there?!” Hitomi approached the painting. She stared at it until the painting seemed to be moving. Her hunch was right. The black figures in the middle correspond to the souls of her friends. She flinched as someone touched her shoulders.

“Risa! You almost gave me a heart attack there. What are you doing here?”

“I’ll help you release them. Miki and Maki are trying to stop Yuuko from coming here. If we release these souls, it will make Yuuko less powerful because it is where she’s acquiring her powers.” Risa explained. She put her hands over the painting and pushed it deeper; as if trying to pull something out. She’s holding a smoke-like thing on her hand when she withdrew it from the painting. The smoke turned out to be her best friend’s soul.

“Risa! I’m glad to see you again!” Ai Takahashi hugged her friend tightly.

“Hai, me too. But we need to pull out the others too.” The two agreed. They have pulled out many souls; souls of their friends, souls of unfamiliar persons and souls who lived in the past.

“I’m going to help Maki and Miki. Pull out souls as many as you can.” Risa exclaimed while Sayumi screamed. The others looked at her and they wanted to smack her head.

“Of all those souls that I can pull out, it’s our vice-principal…”

“Why? Do you have any problem with that?” Sayumi shook her head and continued taking out souls from the painting. Hitomi stopped Risa.

“I’m going with you.”

“No, you have other things to do. Go back to your body and finish Yuuko once and for all.”

………….
“Hitomi?! Thank goodness you’re alright!” Rika exclaimed as she saw her friend opening her eyes.

“We thought that Yuuko attacked you.” Aika said while handing out a bottle of water to Hitomi. Hitomi accepted it and drank the contents. She looked at the smiling Kei.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“I didn’t know that you also have the power to communicate with spirits. Now, you’ve really angered her so get up on your butt and finish this mess.”

……………
The four bravely entered the shrine. Hitomi can vividly remember the room where the painting can be found; the place where Yuuko was hiding her victims. Hitomi took the lead and guide them towards the dreaded room.

“There are too many souls in here.” Kei said as they were nearing the room. Aika gripped her sister’s arms tightly. The eerie atmosphere made the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt like there’s someone… or something watching them. Hitomi took a deep breath and opened the door. The torn curtains were moving against the soft breeze coming from the outside and added some creepy feeling. When the four had entered the room, the door suddenly closed. Rika screamed while Aika squeezed in between Hitomi and her sister. Kei removed some candles from her bag and lit it with a lighter.

“Hey, don’t be scared. It will only worsen. Stay strong!” Kei gave a candle to Hitomi. “Your enemy is around here. We need to make her appear. Repeat what I say.” Hitomi nodded. Kei started saying words which sounded foreign to Rika and Aika’s ears but not to Hitomi.

………………
“What are you babbling in there?”

“It’s Latin. A mantra for the good spirits to bring me good luck in today’s test.”

“It’s good that Miki’s not weirded out like me. You should stop that, it’s dangerous. You might call the bad spirits instead of the good ones.”

“Baka, I know what I’m saying. Would you like to have a crash course in Latin?”
……...
The wind inside the room increased as they were uttering some mantra-like words. Hitomi smiled as she recalled how Maki painstakingly taught her some Latin words. She somewhat regretted that she didn’t take it seriously that time, she didn’t know that she’ll use it someday. Aika can feel her body being lifted by the strong wind. She tightened her grip around her sister’s waist but it was no use. Her body flew right towards the wall.

“Aika!” Rika screamed. The wind died down suddenly and Rika tried to go towards her sister. The shaman stopped her while Hitomi stepped forward.

“Let her go!” Hitomi screamed. Aika had a petrified look on her face. She can’t move herself from the wall. She looked beside her and she saw a somewhat transparent figure holding her right hand. The figure slowly became opaque, revealing a sneering Yuuko.

“You’ve got guts to tell that to me? What if I don’t want to?” The woman tightened her grip around the girl’s wrist drawing out some blood. Rika wanted to go near her sister but Hitomi managed to stop her just in time. Kei realized that the Latin mantra was not working with the powerful shaman… She grinned to herself before smacking her head with her left hand.

“Why didn’t I think about it before? Stupid me…” Kei started saying some incomprehensible Japanese words. Yuuko’s eyes widen as soon as she heard Kei’s voice. “I knew it. You can’t understand Latin mantra so it has no effect on you, but the ancient shaman mantras are hurting you.”

“SHUT UP!!!! I’m going to kil…. AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Kei moved forward and raised her voice towards Yuuko. Hitomi went immediately towards Aika as soon as she saw Yuuko’s grip loosen up. She helped Aika stood up and run back towards their companions. They were halfway back when she was shocked to see Kei flying up across the room and hitting the wall hard.

“I’M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU!!!!” The three felt the room shook wildly. Rika ran towards the fallen Kei and was happy to see her still breathing. Adrenaline rushed in and she carried Kei on her back. Rika tried to open the door but flames rose up from nowhere. It spread around the room, locking them inside.

“You will die here!!!”

Apparently, I don't have the control over my schedule for work... They always put me on the closing shift... and I come home from work at 2 in the morning... and wakes up four hours before my sched... My travel time is two hours from our house...So yeah... I'll still try to update as much as possible.. ^_^



“Woah… that game’s really… SUGOI!!! ” Aika quickly covered her friend’s mouth. It’s already dark right now and they were on their way back to their own homes. Kusumi removed her friend’s hand from her mouth. “Fine… I’ll not shout anymore. So, I guess, we need to revert back to our own selves this night right?”

“Not THIS night… tomorrow night.” Aika corrected.

“Who cares? They won’t see it anymore. I will act as myself starting now!” Kusumi stuck out her tongue and ran towards their gate. “So, I’ll just see you tomorrow at school. I wonder what your sister will do when she found out that you already reverted to normal. She really stared at me earlier!”

“I’ll tell her the truth.” Aika replied casually.

“Owww, you’re spoiling the fun! Just tell me what will happen tomorrow, ok? Ja!”

“Ja!” Aika watched her friend get inside their house. Aika proceeded to walk home.
“It’s a really gruesome game. Much like ‘Resident Evil’. Wait… Where did I hear about Eri-Hime? Oh yes! That’s right! Nee-san and Hitomi-chan were talking about her last night. Wait… They must have played the game before! I’m going to ask them about it when I get home.”

…………
Hitomi and Rika fell on the sofa with a loud thud. They were really exhausted from the walking and running ‘exercise’ they did this afternoon. When they put down the receiver, they decided to search for their missing friend with no basic idea of where to begin their search. They went in Risa’s favourite computer shop at first, then at the amusement park and lastly, at the restaurant where they always wait for Rika. They decided to take a rest for a while and eat some snacks in there. As they wait for their orders, Hitomi tried to call Risa’s house. They were relieved when Risa’s mother said that she already went home. After finishing their meal, they went to Risa’s house to see her and also, to warn her. HItomi and Rika slumped on the sofa as soon as they got to Rika’s house.

“Did you notice something different from Risa?”

“Nope, why?” Hitomi looked at her friend. Rika was looking silently at the ceiling; her sweat was dripping from her head down to her chin and a couple of hair strands were sticking on her face. Hitomi unconsciously wiped Rika’s sweat with her own hands and tucked away the hairs behind Rika’s ear. Rika gazed back at her friend. Hitomi quickly looked away when their eyes met for a couple of seconds. Rika smiled.

“When Maki and you were alone together, do you usually have this kind of moment?” Hitomi could feel her ears already burning from embarrassment. She faced the opposite way so that Rika will not see her blushing.

“What are you talking about?! Maki’s always scaring me whenever were alone together.” Hitomi swore that she saw Rika’s evil glint on her eyes on her peripheral vision. She can also see Rika inching her way closer to her. A couple of seconds more and Rika pinned her down on the couch. Hitomi swallowed a lump forming in her throat.

“So, Yocchan, what scares you the most?” Rika grinned. Hitomi’s breathing became erratic. The redness of her cheeks intensifies as Rika’s face slowly moved closer to hers. “A snake, a ghost, a monster… or a vampire who will draw out blood on your neck?” Hitomi could feel Rika’s hot breath on her neck. She felt a searing pain and then followed by a wet sensation. Rika must have bitten her.

“So, what is it Yocchan?”

“I’m scared of al those things that you mentioned…”

“Yocchan?”

“Before ‘that’ happened of course.”

“Yocchan?”

“I’m not scared anymore because I need to be strong in order to protect you.”

“What are you talking about? I’m asking whether you noticed something different from Risa… Are you already dreaming?” Hitomi sat up straight. She noticed that Rika was on the opposite side of the couch, almost an arms-length away from her. She touched her neck and noticed that it’s not aching anymore.

“Aren’t you asking me just now about the thing that scares me the most?” Rika blinked many times before bursting out in laughter.

“My gosh… We just sat in less than five minutes and you’re already dreaming! Are you already in dreamland or are you just day DREAMING? I know that you’re tired and all but… HAHAHA!!!” Rika couldn’t continue what she wanted to say. It’s hard to talk and laugh at the same time. Hitomi on the other hand didn’t focus on what her friend was saying.

“Am I just thinking it… or I’m dreaming it? Damn hormones!”

………..
“Konban wa…” Aika said softly as she entered their house. She decided to return to her original self. Imitating her friend was fun… but it’s really hard for her part. She saw her sister and Hitomi sitting on the couch. Rika’s laughing marathon stopped when she saw her.

“Aika!” Rika looked at her intensely. Aika knew what her sister was thinking right now. She smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’m back to normal. We just fulfilled an agreement that’s why Kusumi and I switched personalities. It’s all over now.” The two nodded simultaneously as they learned the real reason on Aika’s behaviour. Aika went to her room to change her clothes. Rika on the other hand looked at Hitomi, again.

“By the way, you haven’t answered my question before about Risa.”

“I didn’t notice anything different… other than she’s being too silent than usual. Maybe she’s doing what your sister did… Maybe she switc…”

“WHAT HAPPENED WITH MY CABINET?!?” Hitomi was cut off by Aika’s sudden scream. Rika slapped her forehead softly with her right palm.

“I guess were caught.”

………..
“Why did you rummage my cabinet?!”

“Because we need to find answers on your behaviour.”

“Can’t you respect your little sister’s privacy? I’ll tell this to mom and dad when they come back.” Hitomi grinned at her made-up dialogue between the big sis, and the little sis. That’s the possible outcome if Aika’s still imitating Kusumi but it’s not the scene that’s unfolding before her eyes.

“You just have to return the items properly.”

“Gomen, we didn’t know what to do when your stuffed toys fell on us.”

“Did the two of you got hurt?” Aika asked worriedly. Rika shook her head. “These are the toys that Kusumi won over a grab-a-toy machine. I’ll return it to her tomorrow.” Aika took out a large paper bag and put the toys properly inside. Rika and Hitomi helped her pack Kusumi’s things.

“It’s finished! Well then, I think I’ve been away from our home for too long now. I’ll go home now.” Hitomi declared.

…………
The next morning, Hitomi tried to observe Risa in school. She noticed that Risa was acting a bit different. She’s always in a trance. Hitomi waved her hands in front of Risa’s face for the nth time this day.

“Hey! Did you catch what I’ve just said?”

“Hai…”

“So… what did I say then?” Hitomi asked. She liked the bratty, noisy Risa than this silent and mysterious one.

“I forgot…”

………….
“Hey, let’s go in your favourite hang-out place… The Karaoke Pub!!!” Rika yelled cheerily. Risa looked at them blankly.

“I’m sorry but I have to do something at home.” Rika and Hitomi remembered what happened last Saturday; the day that Risa didn’t go home and the start of her acting this strange. They decided to walk her home just to make sure that she’s not going anywhere. Risa just nodded and led the way to her home. They waved goodbye at her when they reached the Niigaki residence and walked away when they saw Risa close the door of their house.

“She’s strange… I wonder what happened to her this weekend.” Hitomi thought out loud. An idea came across Rika’s head.

“Hey! Why won’t you sleep again in our house and then, let’s discuss her behaviour!”

“We have a class tomorrow…” Hitomi corrected. They still have 4 days to stay in their school within this week.

“Ok… a dinner then?”

…………….
“You prepared this? It’s really tasty.” Hitomi gobbled on a piece of ref cake that Aika made.

“I learned that from our cooking class. I just used graham crackers, all-purpose cream, and then some slices of peach and mango.”

“Ishiguro-sensei?” Rika asked. They were both going on the same school. Rika is a sophomore high school student while Aika is a junior student in the middle school department so technically, her former mentors must be her sister’s teachers right now.

“Hai! But she would like to be called Aya-sensei instead of Ishiguro-sensei… she said it sounds cute.”

“That’s so her!” Rika took a bite again at their dessert. Hitomi took another slice from the Tupperware and put it on her plate. Aika looked at them seriously. There was something bugging her mind and she need some answers quickly.

“Nee-san… who is Eri-Hime?” Hitomi almost choked on her food while Rika spit out some water that she’s drinking due to the shock. The both looked at the equivalently surprised Aika.

“Wh… what do you mean by that?” Rika asked nervously.

“Well, I heard the two of you mentioned her last Saturday night. I was just curious so...” The two let out a sigh of relief. Next time, they will make sure that no one’s around when they will talk about these matters.

“Well, she’s the wife of a certain almost-non-existent daimyo in the 16th century. Why do you ask?” Hitomi asked after gulping some water.

“Does she really kill and drink virginal blood to maintain her beauty?”

“Y… yeah… She does. Is this your topic in your History class?’ Rika asked her sister worriedly. Topics like these must not be taught in school that’s why it’s not included in History books; that’s why Ieyasu didn’t want his historians to write about her. Knowing a little thing about Eri is a very dangerous thing.

“It’s like this. A cousin of Aibon gave her a gift and we played it. The title of the game is Maiden’s Curse and Eri’s involve in there.

“WHAT!?!?! Maiden’s Curse?!?” The two looked at each other fearfully. They destroyed her a month ago. Maybe this was what Maki and Miki wanted to tell them. Hitomi breathe in deeply.

“From whom did your friend’s cousin acquire it?” Rika asked anxiously.

“Aibon said that her cousin bought it in a game store. Kusumi read it in a magazine last Wednesday. It’s one of the most anticipated newly released games in Japan this week.”

“Did… you… play it?” Hitomi questioned.

“Yeah… Aibon only has one computer. The three of us took turns in playing our main character. Luckily, we’re still alive.” Aika took a bite of her cake. Rika tried to dissect what her sister had just said.

“Wait, you mean to tell me that… the three of you played Maiden’s Curse… using one character?” Aika nodded. The two were dumbfounded. They weren’t expecting a situation like this. If their character was killed… the three of them will be killed at the same time? Is that it? Rika feared for her sister’s safety.

“Please, don’t play that game again! Tell your friends that it’s dangerous!”

“Why it’s dangerous? It’s really a….” Aika hasn’t finished her sentence when they heard some static sounds coming from the television. The three went to the living room as fast as they can and saw the previously off T.V was now turned on. It’s a little bit fuzzy at first but then, a figure in a chair can be seen in the middle. Hitomi got the remote and tried to change the channel but it didn’t work. All channels were showing the scary scene.

“Nee-san… I’m scared. What’s happening?” Aika hugged her sister tightly. The scene became clear and they were astounded by the figure sitting on the chair. It was Risa.

“Risa!!!” Hitomi shouted. Risa on the other hand looked at them, as if she really heard Hitomi’s shout. Her head moved back suddenly, her tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“Tasukete…” The three heard clearly what Risa weakly said through the maximum volume of the speaker. Rika and Aika noticed that some of her hairs were ‘floating’ which looks like an invisible hand was holding it back. Risa raised her right hand in the air and put it behind her head. The three saw how that arm was twisted and bent like a small twig. Aika can’t look at it any further so she just hid behind her sister. She covered her ears for she can still hear the sounds of bones breaking and snapping.

“Stop it! Who are you?!” Hitomi screamed. She can see the person behind Risa who’s the one ‘dismantling’ her friend. It was the figure wearing a monk’s garment. “Rika, call Risa’s parents.” Rika nodded and grabbed the phone. She dialled Risa’s number and a couple of seconds more, it rang. They can also hear the ringing from the T.V. Risa’s mother answered.

“Konbanwa! It’s me Rika. Is Risa in her room? Please take look at her, she’s in danger!”

“Danger? She’s sleeping soundly upstairs. But if you say so, I’ll check her for you.”

“Thanks!” Rika pushed the end button. She was disturbed by what she heard. Risa was sleeping soundly in her room, the opposite of what they are seeing right now. She wanted to tell Hitomi that what they are seeing might be the future of what’s going to happen but, the look on Hitomi’s face says otherwise.

Hitomi saw and heard what the two probably didn’t know. The one who answered Rika was the figure. It imitated Mrs. Niigaki’s voice. The figure laughed at her when Rika turned off the phone.

“So, what are you going to do, Hitomi?” Hitomi felt her hairs stood up as she heard the ghastly, cold voice ever. The figure removed her hood and looked at Hitomi with fiery eyes. She then broke Risa’s neck and removed it with her bare hands. Blood gushed out rapidly from her neck like an angry geyser and spilled Risa’s precious blood everywhere. The two were stunned. Aika took a peek and quickly hid behind her sister again when she saw the decapitated body.

“I hope this serves as a warning to you… I WILL ALSO GET YOUR SOULS!!!” The T.V. monitor became fuzzy again; the scene vanishing from their eyes. Hitomi clicked the power button and the T.V. turned off.

“What’s that? I talked to Mrs. Ni…”

“She’s not the one you talked too. It was the damn figure in our dreams!”

“Please don’t curse, there’s a kid here.” Aika said in a third person point of view. She was having fun earlier, cooking and eating the cake she made but then, things turned different when she saw her sister’s friend being killed on T.V. Hitomi quickly went to Aika and held her shoulders tightly.

“Did the three of you manage to see the scene earlier in the game? Was there by any chance a decapitated character sitting on a chair?” Hitomi saw fear in Aika’s eyes. Aika tried to remember the game that they played yesterday.

“All I can remember is that we’ve seen a girl in pink clothes sitting on the chamber hall with a katana struck on her chest.”

“That’s Sayumi’s character!” Hitomi was shocked that the former players were still on the game. It was Rika’s turn to ask her sister.

“Wait, have you seen other girls? Have you reached the shrine in the back of the palace?”

“Hmmm, we haven’t reached that far. But we saw the shrine. There’s a torture chamber where two girls were hanging from the ceiling and a girl who looks like a contortionist with her position, was sitting on a bed. That’s all. So you DID play Maiden’s Curse before!”

“Yes, and we regret playing it.” Hitomi replied. Since Aika was already involved, they must tell her everything that they know.

……………
Hitomi and Rika explained what happened a month before; the real reason why they’ve became best friends, the reason why Aika must warn her friends of the impeding danger ahead. Hitomi also mentioned about what they’ve seen in the T.V.

“That old hag said that it’s just a warning to us. And she will get our souls too.”

“Hag?! Who’s the hag?” Rika asked. She just got back from the kitchen to get some water for her sister.

“The figure in our dreams, she removed her hood and I clearly saw her face. I can’t bear to look at her fiery eyes. She’s scary…”

“Was she really scary? Like that Eri with decaying flesh, black eyes, swollen face… what else…” Rika murmured. Aika looked at her with a confused look.

“Eri? But Eri’s a beautiful girl! There’s a hidden pain behind her eyes. And should I say, that’s not the kind of sadness that one feels when a husband cheats on his wife.” Aika stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“And where did you see her?”

“In the picture; above the throne chamber where I’ve seen that girl with a katana in her chest.” Aika answered her sister’s question.

“But it wasn’t there before…” The two simultaneously said. Hitomi glanced at the wall clock. It’s almost 7 in the evening. If ‘that’ didn’t happen, she might probably be on her way back to their house. She can’t leave these two alone now that the woman said that she’s after them too.

“I’ll sleep here today. I’ll just call mom.” The phone rang suddenly even before Hitomi touched it. She looked worriedly at the two. Aika hid behind her sister again, afraid of the thought that the figure was the one who’s calling them. Hitomi took a deep breath before taking the receiver to her ears.

“Moshi-moshi?”

“Konban wa! Rika-chan? Is Aika there?” The voice sounded cheery. Hitomi relaxed a little bit and looked over at Aika.

“I’m not Rika, I’m Hitomi her friend. May I know who this is?”

“Hitomi?... OHHH!!! The one she always beats!!! Hi there! I’m Kago Ai, Aika’s classmate!” Rika watched as Hitomi changed from her relaxed mood to a pissed mood.

“Aika… Ai.” Hitomi said, trying not to sound too angry and pointed to the phone. Hitomi was known as the cool girl but only few people can piss her. The number 1 on the list is Maki, followed by Rika and now… her little sister Aika. She will just have to wait until Aika finished her phone call before breaking her bones… again. Aika took the phone from Hitomi while the other walked towards her best friend.

“What did she say? You looked like you could tear up Aibon if you could only see her.”

“So Aibon is her nickname then? That bratty kid… She’s acting like Ris…” Hitomi’s temper lowered as she remembered how her friend was killed brutally. Rika noticed the sudden change of temper.

“You’re having a mood swing?” Rika was about to laugh when she heard the sudden outburst of her sister. They both run towards Aika and tried to listen intently on the conversation.

“What?!? You were killed in the shrine? Who killed you?”

“The hooded figure…”

“How did you get killed?”

“Ahhmm, I don’t quite remember. It happened too fast.”

“Ask her the full details!” Rika whispered to her sister. Aika nodded. She started bombarding her friend with a series of random question about the place, the killer, the garment, anything that might give them clues.

“You sure sound like a detective. Oh well, I’m going to call Kusumi now. I just wanted to tell you the news that our character was already dead. I’ll try to play…”

“NO!!! Whatever you do, don’t play that game anymore, alright? And make sure to sleep with your parents.” Aika said. Hitomi and her sister already told her what happened to their friends and she noticed that they were alone when the ‘killer’ attacked them. The thought of having other people around them might prolong their life… or something like that.

“You sounded bossy there. Are you sure that Kusumi and you reverted back to normal?”

“Yes… And I mean it… you see… there’s this article I’ve read about that game.” Aika glanced at the two and winked. “It’s said that gamers who played that game usually have nightmares after playing it. There’s an experiment that they’ve done in which those players were put to sleep beside their parents. And the nightmare result was negative. So I just want you to try if that experiment is true or not…”

“Alright, I get you… Don’t worry, I’ll TRY your experiment. So I’ll call Kusumi now, Ja!”

“Ja!” Aika clicked the end button and sighed. She looked at the two and understood by their looks that they wanted to know the details.

Yeah!!! This is 'my' version of the possible ending of the movie... Have you guessed who the real killer is??? This chapter will give you some hints...( or the answer?XD)
My next updatewill be on my day off this friday... so yeah... I'll still try to post at least twice a week though I only have 1 day off... XD



“Okairinasai!” Rika’s sister ran towards the visitor as soon as she stepped inside their house. “Hey, you’re here again!!!” After buying a new game, Rika invited Hitomi to sleep over in their house to try the game they bought. After what happened to them, they made sure that they will only play games that are famous and won’t dare to try those titles which they heard for the first time. Another thing is; her little sister was bugging her ever since she introduced Hitomi to her. There’s something in Hitomi that makes her sister enjoy her presence… They sure are sisters.

“Hey there Aika! We bought a new game! Let’s play change the loser!” Hitomi brought out the CD case of NBA Live 2007 and Aika quickly set up the game equipment. Another thing why Rika invited Hitomi to stay was that their parents were watching over their grandmother who has been operated in the gall bladder. They need to stay there for a couple of days.

“Call me when you’re done. I’ll just take a shower.” Rika said to the two busybodies. Since there were 3 gamers in all, it will be unfair if it’s two vs. one. Her little sister thought of a way to enjoy those ‘versus’ type of game modes. When they heard it, they immediately agreed upon the ‘change-the-loser’ basis.

“Hehehe… I’ll beat you with my Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire tandem!” Hitomi exclaimed.

“That’s so 10 years ago! Boston Celtic’s the hot team today! You’ll be no match with Pierce, Allen and Garnett!” Aika answered back. She pushed the switch on the Playstation 2, and grabbed her controller. Hitomi did the same while opening some snacks that they bought in the ‘konbini’.

The game started uneventfully. Rika emerged from the bathroom and went to their living room to take a quick look at the two. She smiled. Those two were really funny. They both seemed preoccupied with the game. Rika saw the scores and went to her room. She need to dress quickly for her best friend was already losing.

………….
“I told you! You’ll be no match against my team!”

“Huh… You’re just lucky that I’m not in the mood to play. If I were, I’ll easily outscore you…. Why are you looking at me like that?” Hitomi asked the person in front of her, smiling sardonically at her.

“Why won’t you just tell the truth that my little sister’s better than you when it comes to basketball?”

“It’s just a matter of choice of teams to be used.”

“You used ‘Western All-Stars 2005’ last time against my Dallas Mavericks. But I still won.” Hitomi blinked and look back and forth towards the two sisters who were clearly teaming up against her. She rolled her eyes when they started laughing at her.

“I’m going to sleep for a while… Just call me when someone has been defeated.” Hitomi stood up and went towards the sofa to lie down.

……………
“Yoh! Genki desu ka?”

“Hai… genki desu…”

“Are you sure? I know you’re somewhat pissed because a little girl’s always beating you in your favourite games.”

“No I’m not…”

“Yocchan, I’ve been your best friend for many years now… I know that because you’re feeling the same when I always beat you in Marvel Vs. Capcom.” Hitomi glared at the person standing in front of her.

“Are you here to make me feel better or to make it worst? You’re not helping.” Maki laughed. Hitomi tried to stop her grin from escaping her lips. She can’t hide anything from Maki. Maki knew her more than she knew herself.

“Actually I’m here to help you.” Maki’s smile vanished and was replaced by a serious look. “It’s not yet finished.”

“Yeah I know… I’m going to beat Aika for sure within this night!”

“I’m not pertaining to that. I’m saying that… The game’s not yet finished… Be careful. Protect Rika. She’s after the two of you…”

“Matte! We’ve already killed her right? Don’t go away!” Hitomi tried to ran after her friend but a figure suddenly appeared in front of her and tried to suffocate her by gripping her neck. Hitomi looked at the hooded figure in front of her.

“No way…”

………….
“Arrrgh!!!”

“Ehh?!? You’re noisy, Yoshizawa-san! You purposely did that to make me lose to my sister right?” Rika was leading the game with a point. The ball was in Aika’s possession with less than four seconds left. She was about to shoot the ball when Hitomi suddenly screamed, thus loosing her concentration and missing the shot. Though Rika should be happy because she won the game, she’s bothered by Hitomi’s scared expression.

“A nightmare? But you were just sleeping for the last 20 minutes… What was your dream about?” Rika stood up and went towards her best friend. Hitomi looked at her and smiled.”

“Yes… I dreamt that Aika was beating me in every game that we’re playing. It’s nothing much. Just a scream of frustration.” Hitomi lied.

“Ehh? Is that a nightmare or a reality?” Aika grinned. Hitomi shook her head and quickly caught Rika’s little sister, hugging her tightly.

“I’ll hug you until you can’t breathe!”

“Nee-san!!! Tasukete!!! She’s breaking my precious bones!!!”

“You deserve that… You know, ever since you’ve been hanging out with Kusumi you’ve changed a lot. I like your stoic, non-egoistic attitude before.” Rika laughed and left the two alone.

“NEE-SAN!!!!”

“HARHARHAR!!!! You’re mine!!!” That’s the last thing Rika heard before closing the door of her room.

………….
“You seem pretty bothered.” Hitomi whispered on Rika’s ear. Rika stirred on her bed and turned around to face her friend.

“I’m just worried… about you. You lied about your nightmare right? Tell me the truth.” Hitomi can see Rika’s determined eyes though the faint lighting coming from the moon. She didn’t want to worry her friend but it seemed that… Maki and Rika can easily read her thoughts.

“Hai… gomen. I just don’t want to worry you.”

“You know, you’re making me worried even more when you’re not telling the truth… Now what’s bothering you?”

“I… I … where do I start?” Hitomi mumbled to herself. Aika moved below her side of the bed. The three of them were sleeping in Rika’s room. Aika grabbed a futon earlier and put it beside her sister’s bed. Rika shared her bed with Hitomi.
“Maki visited me in my dream… She said that the game’s not finished. And then, she vanished and Eri-Hime attacked me.” Hitomi whispered softly, trying not to wake up Aika. She looked at Rika’s blank expression.

“She must have been shocked by my dream.”

“Ahhh… So your best friend was the one who visited you… Mine’s Miki.” It was Hitomi’s turn to be surprised. Rika smiled. She knew what Hitomi was thinking. “I dreamt about it last night. That’s the third reason why I invited you over here. I want to tell it to you but it seemed that Maki already told you. That figure attacked and tried to suffocate me.”

“So… what are we going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

……………
Hitomi woke up the next day when a beam of light was hurting her eyes. Luckily for her, she didn’t encounter any scary dreams aside from the one she told Rika but she’s unlucky not to get enough sleep. There’s something bothering her, and she has no idea about it.

“Wake up sleepy head… It’s almost 10 in the morning.” Hitomi opened one eye and saw Rika tying the curtains to let some rays of light inside her room.

“Thhn mminiites mooohhh…”

“What?!” Rika went beside the bed and removed Hitomi’s covers. “Just get up and eat your breakfast.” Rika grabbed her friend’s foot and tickled it. Hitomi squirmed a little but after a short period of time, she was used to it. Rika grabbed the other foot and pulled Hitomi out of her bed. Rika saw that her friend was not faking her being sleepy. She hastily tried to protect her friend’s head from knocking onto the ground. She landed on top of Hitomi.

“Itaii… do you really have to do that?” Hitomi said after hurting her butt. She tried to push aside her friend but Rika’s face seemed stuck on her neck. “Move…. You’re heavy.” Hitomi’s face turned red when she felt Rika’s hot breath on her neck.

“Hmmm… You smell good. Is that the perfume we bought last week?” Rika looked at Hitomi’s eyes which made the other even redder. She felt like she would burst from embarrassment when the door opened suddenly and Aika’s head peeped in.

“Ohay… What are you doing?” Aika moved closer to them. Rika smiled at her sister and looked back again at Hitomi.

“I’m just waking her up… Smell her. This is the perfume that we bought last week.” Hitomi’s heart started beating very fast. It felt like the temperature in the room rose when Rika shoved Aika’s face into the left side of her neck, while Rika continued smelling her from the right side.

“You’re right nee-san… It smells sweet… Can you buy one for me?”

“Alright, if you give me your money. It only costs 300 yen.”

“Yeah… go on… just talk on my neck… while we’re on this AWKWARD position!” Hitomi pushed the two sisters aside and stood up quickly. She wiped away the sweat forming on her forehead and tried to calm herself to quickly vanish her blushing.

“Hey… I’m FULLY awake now… so let’s all eat breakfast.” Rika grinned and went ahead of them. Aika jumped on Hitomi’s back.

“Carry me!!!”

“Do you want me to break your bones again?”

“Aika… you should lessen your contacts with Kusumi. You’re acting weirdly just like her.” Aika just put out her tongues at Rika. The other did the same. Hitomi shook her head and supported Aika on her back.

“Hold on tight.”

…………….
“Gochisousama!” The three said after eating their meal. They were tidying up the dining table when the door bell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Rika wiped her hands on a towel before going out of the kitchen. She opened the door and a girl with a long, black, silky hair smiled at her.

“Ohayou gozaimasu, Rika-chan. Is Aika in there?” Rika swore she blinked many times at her sister’s friend. The girl seemed worried when Rika didn’t answer her and just stood there like a statue. “Ano sa, I’ll just come back if she’s still asleep.” The girl bowed and turned back to leave. Rika stirred and called the person back.

“Kusumi? Gomen… I… I… was just… a little surprised at your sudden visit. Come in.” Rika steeped aside and opened the door wide for the other to enter. Kusumi bowed again and smiled before entering their house.

“Am I dreaming? It’s as if they switched personalities.”

“Ohayou!!!! You’re early..” Aika hugged her friend tightly. The other just smiled.

“Actually, I just arrived on the right time. You’re the one who’s being ‘late’ right now?” Kusumi eyed her friend from head to toe. Aika looked at herself and grinned.

“Gomen! I’ll change my clothes right now. Please sit down while waiting for me.” Aika ran towards her room. Hitomi emerged from the kitchen and smiled at the visitor.

“Hey there! You two will go somewhere?” Hitomi put down a glass of orange juice on the table. Kusumi took a sip before answering Hitomi.

“Hai, we’ll go shopping then we’ll play at our friend’s house.” Kusumi replied. Rika sat beside her and looked straight into her eyes. Hitomi pulled her friend away when she saw that Kusumi’s feeling awkward at what Rika was doing. Aika came out of her room just in time.

“Let’s go!!!” Aika pulled her friend and went out of the house. “I’ll come back late!”

“Iterashaii!” Hitomi waved back at the two. She faced Rika when Kusumi closed the door. “Is it just me or those two switched personalities?”

“Beats me… That’s why I’m staring at Kusumi.” Rika answered. “So, what are we going to do now?” Rika grinned evilly.

………………
“You sure are a great actress.”

“You know, it’s really hard to imitate you… Can we stop this? I’m sure they weren’t spying on us.”

“Kusumi, you made a bargain and we lost. We have to do it even though Jun Jun and Lin Lin were not around.” Aika just smiled and patted her friend’s head. “Don’t worry, they will go back in China tomorrow. You can stop preten…”

“What?!? It thought that they’ll stay here for 2 months?” Kusumi asked rather stunned by the news. A month ago, two transfer students came to Mizushima Gakuen. Though they had a hard time talking in Japanese, they immediately became close because they were also gamers like them.

“I thought so too… But that’s life. We need to buy some gifts for them.”

“Speaking of gifts,” Kusumi paused and scanned for her phone. She scrolled her phone for something before putting it back inside her bag. “Aibon mailed me. She said she has a new game that her cousin gave her as a gift. She wanted to play it with us after our shopping spree.”

……………
“Yocchan… move faster…”

“I’m moving… I’m MOVING!!!”

“Push it further… I know that there’s a lot of space inside...”

“It’s to tight… I can’t go on.”

“Push it harder…”

“I’m pushing! If you’ll just complain there, why won’t you help me push it inside?”

“Fine… move aside.” Rika helped Hitomi push the large bear stuffed toy inside Aika’s small cabinet. They decided to investigate why Aika was acting weird so they infiltrated her room. When they opened her cabinet, Aika’s stuffed toys fell on them.

“Why is she hiding these things on her small cabinet? It’s really hard to put it in… Your sister really became weird.” Hitomi pushed the toy with all her might. Rika closed the door swiftly as soon as the toy got inside the cabinet.

“That’s close! Now, my sister will have no idea that we’ve infiltrated her room.” Rika grinned before pushing her friend out of the door. The two of them sat on the sofa. The atmosphere suddenly turned serious. “I’m bothered by what Miki said. And that figure… I’m 100 % sure that it’s not Eri.” Hitomi closed her eyes and tried to remember the face of the figure in her dreams. She didn’t see it clearly but Rika’s right. The figure was somehow different from the figure in the game. The hood was pointed rather than rounded and it’s wearing a monk’s garment. Hitomi’s eyes opened. She gazed nervously at Rika.

“That figure… she’s wearing a monk’s garment… So it’s not Eri who attacked me! It was the same one that we’ve seen when we were inside the shrine in the game!” Rika tried to recall her dream and the night they played in the computer room. Her eyes grew wide when she realized the similarities between the two events.

…………..
“Aibon! We’re here!!!” Kusumi screamed. They just finished their two-hour shopping spree. Aika smiled at their friend who was currently opening the gate for them.

“I don’t know why you have to scream when I’m already in front of you.” Aibon retorted. She opened their gate wide enough for the two to enter.

“Gomen, you know that we have to switch our personalities for five days right? She was just happy that her misery will end tomorrow.”

“Ahh… after Jun-Jun and Lin-Lin goes back to China… Congrats!” Aibon said sarcastically but Kusumi didn’t mind. She went directly to the living room and was staring at the monitor of Ai’s Apple notebook.

“Woah!!! I’ve read this game in an article last Wednesday! They said that ‘Maiden’s Curse’ is a game to die for… I can’t wait to play it!”

………..
“So, what is this perceptive reality?” Kaori asked. The other two smiled at Risa. They remembered it clearly, the night Risa said to them the meaning of that term.

”I’ve read it in an article before. It said that the more time you spent playing a game, the more you will think that your reality’s becoming a fantasy.”

“Kindly elaborate your answer.”

“Fine!” Risa cleared her throat before continuing. “I’ll explain it in a more practical term… You’ve swum in a beach or pool right?”

Kaori looked at her student sternly. Rika noticed it. “Don’t worry, she got a point.” The principal nodded and Risa continued.

“After swimming, you still feel like your still in the water right?” Kaori nodded again. “Well, that’s it. Basically after watching a REALLY scary movie, you will think that there are ghosts inside your room. So… we’ve played too much graphic game so we’re being paranoid right now that someone’s attacking us…”

“But someone’s really killing gamers like you! Even your vice-principal was killed because of investigating your group!”

“That… is called a coincidence… You know, instead of accusing us being the killers, why won’t you send some police to guard us… We might be the next in line to be killed.”

……………..
“Let’s call Risa. Maybe she dreamt about Maki or Miki too… Or even her best friend, Ai-chan.” Hitomi got the phone beside Rika and dialled the number. She waited for a couple of rings before someone answered the phone. Rika moved closer to Hitomi so she would hear their conversation.

“Moshi-moshi! Dare ni?”

“Konnichiwa! Mrs. Niigaki. It’s me Hitomi. Is your daughter there?”

“Hitomi? I’m sorry but she’s still not here. She didn’t go home last night.” Rika grabbed the phone on Hitomi.

“Konnichiwa! It’s me Rika… We asked her to go shopping with us last night but she said that she has to go home early…”

“Yes, I told her not to go anywhere after school but then, she called me and she will sleep over with a friend.” Rika looked at Hitomi and signalled her to move closer to the phone.

“Who’s she staying with now?”

“I have no idea… she didn’t tell me. If the two of you could contact her, kindly tell her that she needs to go home before 6. Her father and I will be going in a seminar and she has to look after the house.”

“Hai, we’ll tell her. Thank you!” Rika clicked the end button and dialled Risa’s cell number.

“The number you dialled is either off or out of coverage area. Please try again later”

“I can’t contact her. I’m pretty nervous about this… Look, my heart’s beating really fast.” Rika grabbed Hitomi’s right hand and put it on top of her chest. Hitomi’s blood rushed up immediately and a blush can be faintly seen on her face.

“H… hai… I gue… guess th..that..”

“Will you stop stammering? I can’t understand you.”

“I would if you didn’t do that in the first place!” Hitomi removed her hand and looked away. “I said, we need to find her quickly.” Rika’s lips formed a half smile.

“Ehh… that’s not what I’ve heard before?” Hitomi looked back at her with glaring eyes. Rika grinned widely now. “I kinda understood some of your words but I can’t understand what you wanted to say… gets?”

Finally!!! It's FINISHED!!!!! Well, that is, if you based it on the movie... Then this chapter's the ending... But.. I continued it so expect four more chapters to come... And expect the unexpected for that...LOL, for now... Enjoy this chappie!XD



Hitomi gave the box with three snakes to Rika. Its size was just right for it to fit in the opening of the door. Rika on the other hand gave her the bag which contains the journal, the lighter which she used earlier, the piece of wood she picked up and Miki’s silver laptop. She also gave Hitomi the box that she found just now.

“You can do it. Just put these things and the nails on her ashes before burning her.” Hitomi tried to smile as she accepted the things. She moved closer to the gap and pulled Rika closer to her.

“Be careful.”

“Sure… you too.” Hitomi kissed Rika’s forehead. It’s a sign that in just a short period of time, Rika became an important part of her life. It may seem fast but, the only person she had kissed in the forehead was Maki, her best friend.

“If we survive this ordeal, I want you to become my best friend.”

“Hai, it’s alright with me. Just tell it to Maki so she will not scare the wits out of me… If you know what I mean.” Hitomi laughed and patted Rika’s head.

“You sure can joke at this time around.”

“Yeah… and you’re so slow! You’re wasting our time…” Hitomi got what Rika wanted to say. She stepped back and got all the needed things before running towards the stairs. Rika sat on the floor and leaned back on the wall behind her. She looked around at the place. She knew that Eri or the zombies will strike her soon enough. She held the box close to her.
“Hurry…”

…………..
Hitomi reached the top of the tower. She took a deep breath before opening the door. The light from the outside was seeping through the open window. Hitomi saw a figure on the bed. Her heart started beating fast. She squinted her eyes to see well. She walked towards the figure slowly. It was the girl in her dream.

“Eri-Hime? But she’s supposed to be in ashes right now… I don’t really understand this game.”

………..
“There’s only one left… Hitomi… move faster…” The first two attacks seemed pretty normal. The first girl appeared suddenly near her feet and pulled her back. She quickly opened the box and threw a snake. The second one crawled from the ceiling and went behind her. It grabbed her hair and tried to break her neck. She grabbed a snake and put it right onto the woman’s face. It disappeared as fast as it appeared. Now, something’s different. Rika noticed that the place was getting darker than usual. The first time she experienced this was the time when she was trapped in Eri’s chamber in the palace. It only means something. Eri’s coming for her. She readied the last snake and threw it in front of her. It vanished but the dimming of the light still continued until it’s totally dark.

“AHHHH!!!!”

……………
Hitomi put down the box of snake and the bag on the floor. She first grabbed the nails and the wood. Hitomi positioned the first nail on the girl’s heart. Her hands were shaky but she managed to get enough energy to drive the nails deep in Eri’s rigid flesh. She positioned the next one on the neck and lastly, on the forehead.

“I hope this will end the curse once and for all.” Hitomi gathered all her strength and hit the nail, really hard. She repeated it once again so only the ‘head’ of the 6-inch nail was seen. She walked back towards her things to get the other items.

……………..
Rika screamed in pain as someone was pulling her hair away from the door. She thought that it was the killer princess that was pulling her but she saw that Eri was standing near the door where she was sitting before. She tried to look at her attacker. She caught a glimpse on her attacker and saw that its wearing white before closing her eyes due to the extreme pain that she’s feeling right now. The pulling stopped so Rika opened her eyes again. She was stunned to see that there were chains on both of her hands and feet when she didn’t felt it at the first place. She scanned the room but only Eri was there, coming towards her.

“Don’t come near me, you monster!!!” Rika screamed. The figure stopped right in front of her, and grabbed Rika’s neck. She can feel the pain made by Eri’s nails digging onto her skin. She noticed a snake-like sceptre on the side of Eri’s transparent body. Eri took it and dabbed it on Rika’s wrist. Warm, crimson red blood instantly dripped out of the wound that Eri created and Rika witnessed how Eri’s face turned into a beautiful woman as placed her wrist on her mouth and drank her blood.

“This may be the girl which Hitomi saw in her dream.” Rika was scared for her life as she saw the beautiful woman took out a kunai out of her robe.

“TASUKETE!!!!”

………………..
Hitomi was busy looking for the other things in the bag. Unknowingly, the nails that she driven in Eri’s body was slowly being removed by an unknown force. Suddenly, Eri sat up straight on the bed. The last nail in her head fell onto the wooden floor of the tower. Hitomi froze oat what she’s doing when she heard the noise. She slowly looked behind her and saw that Eri had risen from the dead.

“Maki, what shall I do now? Help me!”

“There’s a lamp on top of the table behind you. Throw the gas to her and the snakes… Then you can burn her using the lighter.”

“Thanks!” Hitomi tried to stand up but moved right on top of her and grabbed her shoulders. She was trapped right now.

“You’re too slow! Use my lap top and position it right on to her damned face! She doesn’t like mirrors and since it’s made out of metal, she can’t break it.”

Hitomi did what she was told. She didn’t know whether she was just hearing things or Miki and Maki’s ghosts were right beside her; she was just doing what she’s told to. She grabbed the lap top and put it right in front of Eri’s face. Eri let out a high-pitched scream and let go of Hitomi. Hitomi immediately did what the voice told her to do. She threw the oil-filled lamp to Eri, followed by the snakes. Eri was trapped right there. She grabbed Rika’s lighter and lit it up.

“This is for my friends whom you killed!” Hitomi threw the lighter and it quickly set the other girl on fire. The snakes tried to evade the fire which started to grow out of control and crawled into different directions. Hitomi tried to get out of the room but the door was stuck. A snake crawled up to her right leg which she immediately tossed aside. Her confidence suddenly vanished and was replaced by her phobia.

“Yocchan! Let’s play in our garden.”

“Matte! Let’s call Maki first!” Hitomi answered. The two little girls went to their neighbour’s house and called their playmate. The other one emerge from her house together with another girl.

“Hello! Nono asked us to play in their garden; would you like to come with us?”

“Hai! Let’s play there! Ano, this is Fujimoto Miki… She will be staying with us soon….”

“Hello there! I’m going to be her sister.” The other girl grinned.

“Ehh? How come? Your mother is dead right?” Hitomi asked Maki but it was Nozomi who answered her, with a matching smack on the head.

“Baka! Of course her father will marry Miki’s mother… That’s why they will become sisters in the process. My favourite auntie explained it to me before because she married my 2nd uncle who had a daughter. At first I was really mad because her attention was now on Makoto. But in the end, we end up really close. They will visit us again next week.”

“Oh… is that so?” Hitomi looked at the two and asked, “So, are the two of you mad at first?”

“No, in fact we both get along with each other well.” Miki answered while putting her arms on Maki’s shoulders. “In fact it was my long time wish to have a big sister.”

“Ohh…” Hitomi trailed. She was feeling a little bit jealous of Miki. Maki was her close friend so this ‘sister’ might take away their bonding time. Nozomi noticed Hitomi’s blank look.

“So let’s all play in the garden!!!”

………..
“You’re jealous right?” Nozomi inquired Hitomi while the other two were busy playing with the see-saw near man-made lake of the Nozomi family. Nono, as she was frequently called by her friends, went beside her friend and looked at the flowers that Hitomi was picking.

“No I’m not!”

“Your face says so… Come on… It’s not like she will totally take Maki’s time... And besides, it’s fun to play if we are many, right? Don’t feel bad about it!!!” Hitomi noticed something in the bushes behind her friend. It slithered towards her friend and she realized that it was a large green snake.

“Nono, there’s a snake behind you!”

“Itai!!!” Hitomi’s scream was too late. It already bit her friend’s right wrist. Hitomi moved back. The sudden movement caused the snake to gaze directly at Hitomi. It removed it’s fangs at Nono and slowly glided towards Hitomi’s direction. When the two heard the commotion, Miki immediately called for help while Maki grabbed a branch and ran towards her friend. She helped Hitomi get on her feet. The snake put out its tongue, producing a hissing sound before opening its mouth wide. It seemed angry when it saw Maki’s ‘weapon’ and it tried to intimidate them with its sharp fangs.

“Nono! Hold on! Miki called for help!” Maki screamed towards their friend who was now turning pale due to the venom from the snake’s bite. The snake took it as an opportunity to attack Maki. Maki on the other hand was faster than the snake and was able to dodge the attack. When she saw the snake jumped towards her, like a professional batter in baseball, she hit the snake and it flew right towards the lake. Miki came with Nozomi’s father and killed the escaping snake.

……….
Hitomi sat beside the door and hugged her knees. She felt weak and incompetent for being not able to do something. She can’t protect her best friend and Miki; her kouhai Sayumi, and her online friends like Risa, Ai and Reina. A snake even killed her friend when she was young, right in front of her that’s why she developed her phobia. And now, as some of the snakes were slithering towards her, she felt that she will end up the same with how Nono died.

“I’m sorry Rika… I cannot protect you any longer.” Hitomi closed her eyes as she readied herself for her inevitable fate when the door opened unexpectedly.

“Hitomi, come on!” Rika screamed. Hitomi raised her head and saw Rika extending her hand towards her. Beside Rika was Risa, holding a torch in her hand to make the snakes go away. Hitomi grabbed Rika’s hand and stood up. Risa closed the door as soon as Hitomi was out and ran away from the burning place.

……….
“How did you escape? I thought that you’re dead!”

“I fell on a cliff full of those snakes… So yeah, I stayed there for a while until those dogs vanished. And then I used my socks and put some of the snakes in there.” Risa explained.

“Woah, you’re brave. I’m glad that it didn’t bite you.” Hitomi messed up Risa’s hair.

“I put the head inside one of the socks and then I used the other to bind it around so their heads will not move to bite my hands.

“So in short, you almost suffocate the snakes with the smell from your feet?”

“Hey! That’s mean! I don’t have smelly feet! If I didn’t bring them you might be already dead from Eri’s ‘ghostly’ hands.” Risa smacked Rika’s head but it didn’t make the other stopped laughing.

“I’m glad that it’s finally over.” The three looked back and saw that the fire from the shrine was getting out of hand. They decided to run away from that place before the fire trucks will come and extinguish the fire.

…………..
The three survivors debated whether they will report what happened to the authorities. Hitomi said that if they will tell it, they might be put into custody or worst, inside the asylum. No one will believe the story about the cursed game and an already dead princess killer, Eri. The other two nodded in agreement. It’s not only the killings of the gamers that will be related to them, but the burning of one of the Shinto shrines in Japan.

“Ok, its finalized then. We will not tell what happened to our parents or the authorities. How about Maki’s parents then? What will we tell them?” Risa asked. Rika looked worriedly at her new found best friend. Hitomi sighed.

“They were inside the house when Maki left you there right? I guess, they will not blame us if we told them that we found her dead.”

“But ‘if’ we DID tell them that she’s dead, they will report it to the police; just like what they did when Miki died. Since were the ones who found the body, the police will question us… it’s too risky.”

“But Risa, it’s not just anyone. It’s Maki that we’re talking about. Do you realize how hurt Hitomi’s feeling right now? It feels like we’re not giving respect to a dead person. We need to tell what happened to her parents!”

……………..
“Hey, it’s alright not to tell what happened to me. My parents will soon know it. The firemen came and brought some police. They are currently analyzing my remains so it will only take a short time before they will identify me.”

“Are you sure it’s alright? I’m…”

“Baka! Don’t feel guilty about what happened. It’s my fault that I was killed, not you. I know it hurts you a lot… But this is my fate. We’ll see each other again sometime. I hope you treat Rika the way that you treated me.”

“Hai…”

“Cut that crappy scene! Sis, we’re already late! Nono’s waiting for us to play in her garden.”

“So, goodbye for now.”

“Ja… say hello to Nono for me.”

“Sure.”

…………..
“It’s ok Rika. We’ll not tell them what happened. Her parents know that she went out alone. Let’s just say that we went to Rika’s house and played games. So let’s all go in their house right now and act like we were there to cheer her up or something.”

“But Hito…!” Rika whined but Hitomi covered her mouth with her hand.

“We’re best friends now, so you can call me Yocchan.”

“Ok, rephrase…” Rika said in a sardonic voice. “But ‘YOCCHAN’, Maki’s your best friend! She might feel…”

“I knew Maki since we were young and I know that it’s alright for us not to tell what happened to her parents. In fact, if her ghost is besides us in this very moment, she might tell us not to say a word concerning her death. So don’t worry about it. We’ll survive this trial.”

The three formulated a lie. That after going out of the Goto residence, they went to Rika’s house to play. They also talked about the death of their principal. Principal Iida might know some information about the game and question them this coming Monday. Rika reminded them that the Seijiku Gakuen’s vice principal died in a game shop, far from them. After discussing their plans, they all went to Maki’s house.

Their plan was working really well. After the police interviewed them one by one, they cleared the three of them. Another problem aroused on Monday morning. As what Rika predicted, principal Iida knew about the game.

“No! It’s not used for gambling, who told you that? It’s just a mere coincidence for it to happen. We were just enjoying ourselves in playing games after midnight!” The principal eyed her. But Risa was not the one who will back out in a staring fight. It was also the same reason why she and Miki were ALWAYS fighting.

“In vice-principal Abe’s report before she died, she told me that Maki’s playing the game ‘Maiden’s Curse’ in the library. Kindly explain to me what your relations to the killings are?”

“It’s just a matter of perspective reality… I mean perceptive reality.” Risa grinned.

……………
A month had passed and the three became closer than before. Risa and Hitomi were always waiting for Rika after class and they will all go together to sing in the karaoke pub. They also play in the arcade, take ‘purikura’ and eat in some fast food place whenever they had the time. However, this wonderful Saturday afternoon, Risa had to go home early. She waved back at them while Hitomi and Rika decided to stay for a while to shop for some accessories before going home. Rika and Hitomi were walking side by side as they passed a game store and decided to drop by.

“Makoto-chan!!!”

“Hello! I see that you’ve gone shopping again … So what may I serve you?”

“Hahaha… you sounded like a waitress with your question.” Rika laughed. Makoto laughed also.

“You’re right! I do sound like a waitress… Let me do it again…” Makoto coughed a little to clear her throat. “What type of games are you searching for?”

“Nice! That’s a good one… We’re searching for a game called “TEKKEN 5”. Hitomi grinned while looking at Nono’s cousin.

“Gomen! It’s still out of stock! I’m still waiting for them to deliver it here…”

“It’s alright. We’ll just buy NBA Live 2007” Makoto nodded and walked towards one of the shelf to get the game. She went behind the counter and put it inside a plastic bag.

“Ja!” Hitomi said after paying the game. She also messed up Makoto’s hair before leaving. Rika mouthed the word ‘gomen’ to Makoto before following Hitomi out of the store. Makoto just smiled and went back to work. A few minutes later….

“Hi Makoto! Here’s the delivery!”

“Geez! I thought that you’ll arrive here yesterday?” Makoto approached the head of the delivery service. The other men went down from the truck and unloaded five large boxes.

“I already explained it to your manager. Kindly sign here.” Makoto got the pen and signed the needed delivery papers.

“You know, there were many gamers looking for Tekken 5 but you didn’t show up.”

“Gomen… We’ll try to be with the schedule next time!” The man bowed down before getting out of the game store.

“So let’s see what they brought here…” Makoto got a cutter from her desk and cut the packaging tape on one of the boxes. Inside were the latest CD’s of games released a month ago in the U.S. She opened another box and it contained some games created in Japan. She scanned some of it and took a CD case with a snake with orange streaks in its head inside the Star of David.

“Maiden’s Curse? Now where did I hear this before?”

Continuation of maiden's curse...5 more chapters to go!XD





“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you insane?!? I won’t do it!”

“Come on, Yocchan… It’s for Maki.” Risa nudged Hitomi’s shoulders.

“Don’t you dare use my best friend for your insane schemes!” Hitomi answered back. Rika tried to calm Hitomi.

“Look, Risa was just trying to help us. Risa helped you find me right? Listen to her. I think it’s the only way.”

“But…. Why snakes? Why me?”

“If you’re scared, I’ll do it. But this is for sure… You will handle snakes very soon.” Rika tapped Hitomi’s shoulders before walking towards Risa.

“Ok, here’s the box… and the gloves. Are you ready?” Risa asked. Rika just nodded and smiled at Hitomi, with a ‘try-this-if-you-can look’.

“You must face your fears very soon.” Rika said in a sing-song, mocking tone. Risa opened the door swiftly. Rika closed her eyes and sighed out loud. She leaned forward to check the creepy-crawlies in their prison, but they were surprised that there were no snakes inside.

“Yes! No snakes!” Hitomi cried out in delight.

“No snakes, means that we are facing our doom. That’s the only way to for us to survive Eri’s attacks.” Hitomi thought about what Rika said.

“So… I guess I shouldn’t be happy about it… Right?” The two nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah, I remembered that there are snakes inside the shrine… I know I heard some hissing sounds when we entered it.”

Risa’s eyes lit up. “So it’s finalized. The two of you will get some snakes inside the shrine before invading the tower. I’ll help you by playing this game.” Risa opened the lap top and logged in the game. The two walked towards the entrance of the palace.

“Can you still remember the path that we’ve taken in the game? If I remembered it correctly, you were the first one to see it right?” Rika asked. Hitomi pushed the door open and looked around.

“I remember that we went down the 2nd floor… and then, there’s a blinking door going to the back, towards the shrine.” Hitomi take one last look at Risa before proceeding towards the way where the door to the shrine is found. It’s inevitable not to pass through the place where Maki died. They stopped on Maki’s remains. Hitomi smiled and picked up something.
“I’m going to finish this, pal. Help me, please… Give me your strength and your ‘psychic’ abilities so that we may survive this…. I promise… I’ll do everything to kill Eri.”

Hitomi remained quiet as they explored the palace. So far, nothing came out to ‘kill’ them.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah… somehow...” Hitomi answered. Rika saw the far away look on Hitomi’s face.

“How did you develop your phobia on snakes?” Hitomi stopped and looked at Rika; fear can be etched on her face.

“I don’t want to remember it.”

“ I promise I won’t tell anyone… and besides… AHHHHH!!!” Rika stepped on a weak flooring and fell below.”

“RIKA!!!!!” Hitomi got her phone and dialled Risa’s number.

…………….
Risa was exploring the palace, together with Rika’s character. She was surprised when her character entered the palace. It was simultaneous to Hitomi and Rika who were entering the ‘reality’s’ palace. When she turned her character to the left, she saw Rika’s character walking at the same pace and place where the real Rika was walking. That’s the last thing she saw before the door closed. And now, as she was concentrating hard on the, another problem had risen. She saw Rika’s character fall due to the weak flooring. Now, they need to find Rika’s whereabouts fast; before Eri will find her.

“Risa, can you see her?” Hitomi asked frantically over the phone. She was screaming Rika’s name on the hole, trying to get a response. She focused her light below, attempting to see whether her friend’s still there. As the light gave her an access below, she discovered that it leads somewhere else. Hitomi wanted to jump and follow her friend.

“Personally, no. But here in the map, her character is moving. She’s going to the right side of the palace.” Risa replied. “You should follow her. I’ll lead you to her, while I still have my battery.”

“Hai, where will I go?”

…………..
“Where am I? I’m scared. Rika walked slowly, limping and hopping to be able to walk. The fall made her sprain her right ankle. She needed to go to the upper floor to be able to see Hitomi again. If her cell phone didn’t break when she fell, she might be able to get out of that place in a short time. She never thought that the small lighter she accidentally brought will be useful for her in this situation. She was glad that nothing came out to kill her… for now.

“Turn to the right, and run towards the statues. Push that to the left side and you will see a large door.” Risa instructed over the phone. Hitomi followed it very carefully. She didn’t question anything that’s happening right now; her mind is screaming for only one thing. And that is to save her friend, Rika. Hitomi did what Risa told her to do however, there’s only one little problem that surfaced.

“Risa… It’s locked! What shall I do?” Risa thought for a while. She remembered something that she picked up in the shrine when they were still playing in the computer room.

“Wait, I think I have a key. I’ll try whether it fits in the hole.” Risa pushed the start button the menu page can be seen. She scrolled her controller and tried to check whether the key is still in the Tools’ section. And indeed it’s still there. She quickly selected it and her character pushed the key inside the keyhole. It opened.

“Woah… It’s opened. What the hell did you do?” Hitomi asked as the door suddenly opened without her moving it.

“I don’t know how it happened. I just used the key that I found before… Now go and find Rika!” Hitomi switched her loud speaker on and ran inside the dark room.

“Where will I go?”
………………

”A light! Thank goodness.” Rika quickly ran towards the light that she saw at the end of the dark hallway. Since she fell, she thought that the only way out will be to find a way that will lead her towards the upper part of the palace. Her beginner’s luck is still working for the way that she chose has a spiral staircase going to the top. She was walking for the last 5 minutes when she saw the light at the end. She opened the door and was shocked to see what’s inside it.

“Oh no! I’m inside the torture chamber!”

…………….
“Hitomi… This is bad… Run faster!” Risa saw where Rika was staying at this very moment. Hitomi couldn’t understand what Risa said so she brought her phone near her ear.

“What? Where’s Rika right now?”

“She’s inside the torture chamber…” Hitomi almost slipped due from shock. The torture chamber is where Eri kills her victims.

“Shit… Is there a short cut?”

“Wait…. Uhhmmm.” Risa looked at her map to look for the shortest possible way towards the chamber. “Run straight at the end of the hall, and then turn left… and then to the right. There’s a blinking thing there near the picture frame of a girl.” Hitomi continued running, not minding her tired feet. She soon arrived at the place that Risa told her. She found out that the ‘blinking thing’ Risa mentioned is a hidden door.

“Now what? I can’t open it! It’s locked!” Risa tried to use the key that she used before. But it didn’t work. Hitomi heard someone screamed below. It was Rika’s voice. Risa also heard it via the phone. “Risa, think faster!”

“Chotto… ano… I’ve got an idea!” Risa released her weapon, ‘Jitte’, on the floor near the hidden door. “Try this if it can destroy the lock.” Hitomi looked down on her feet. She saw small rod-like steel, with a branched iron bar, about 60cm length or more.. She knew this instrument. She saw this one when they were discussing the weapons used by ‘Doushins’ during the Edo era. Jitte was used as a sword breaker.

“How did you do that?” Hitomi asked. She looked below her feet and saw the item. She picked it up and tried to break the lock.

“I don’t know… Just go with the flow and move faster! Rika’s life is in danger!” Hitomi used all her might to break open the lock. She swung the door open and ran down quickly on the stairs leading to another way towards the chamber.

…………….
“I’m in trouble… I’m inside her lair…” Rika noticed the light from the torch were slowly diminishing in radiance. She can hear ‘someone’ walking in the far end of that dungeon. She walked back slowly but the door where she went in was mysteriously locked from the outside. She leaned on it and tried to push it with all her might, without removing her gaze at the woman walking towards her. “I’m trapped!”

“NOO!!!!!”

…………
“Shit!” “Rika!!! I’m coming!!!” Hitomi screamed. She can see another door at the end of the dark hall that she’s running. “How many doors are there in this house?!”

“I don’t know. You’re slow… I’ll try to use some items here.” Risa scanned through the list of items that she garnered from playing the game. She clicked on an item that looks like a bottle of sake. “Hey I’ve found something. I might help you run fast.” Risa let her character drink the contents of the bottle. As she pushed the forward button, her character’s speed in running was doubled.

“What did you do? I feel really light and I don’t feel exhausted anymore.”

“I gave my character an energy drink… Now can you see the stairs? Climb that up and you’ll see the chamber….”

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

“Rika! Hold on!!!” Hitomi shouted and ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. She opened the door and she saw Rika at the other end. It seemed that something was holding her. “I don’t see anyone! But Rika looks like…”

“Eri’s in front of her! I’ll try something…” Risa took out a snake from the special bag of her character. She threw it towards the figure. It vanished instantly. The torches inside the room were lit up again. Hitomi can clearly see Rika’s tear-stained face.

“Hitomi!!!” Rika ran towards her friend and hugged her tightly. “I’m scared.”

“Me too… But we need to finish this in order for us to live… Don’t worry; I’ll never let anything happen to you.” Hitomi consoled her friend.

“Guys… I need to destroy your ‘mushy’ talk right now. I have to warn you that you’re still in Eri’s lair and she might come back again. I didn’t think about it before but I think we can get to the shrine by getting around the palace instead of going inside it. So… come back here quickly!” Risa said what she wanted to say just in time before her phone’s battery died down. Hitomi helped Rika get on her feet and ran outside the chamber, taking the way towards the library.

“Now what? My head is aching…. From now on, I won’t play any games without checking whether it’s safe or not!” Risa put her hands on the floor and looked towards the sky. ”Will we be able to defeat her?” Risa felt the ground near her left hand vibrate. She looked at the controller and saw that it’s vibrating. She saw that behind her character was a pack of dogs. She instantly grabbed the controller and made her character ran away from the vicious dogs. The dogs followed her right away.

“Catch me if you can!” Risa was having fun running away from the dogs on the game that she didn’t notice something was moving behind her.

“Woah, the dogs’ growl seemed realistic… We’ll I wouldn’t argue with that considering….” Risa felt the hairs on her back rise. She slowly looked behind her and saw a pack of drooling dogs looking at her. Risa immediately ran away, deep in the forest in the middle of the city.

“HEY! THAT”S SO MEAN! I’M NOT DEAD YET!!!! THAT’S CHEATING!” Risa shouted to the dogs. She knew that Eri’s behind this. She stumbled over a fallen tree branch and fell on a cliff.

“Itaii~” Risa was dumbfounded as she saw that she’s being surrounded by a large number of snakes.
“Uso… You must be kidding me!”

……………
“Risa! Where the heck are you?!” Hitomi screamed on top of her lungs.

“Are you sure she’s here? Try calling her phone.” Rika suggested.

“Been doing that earlier. I guess her battery didn’t make it. They saw a part of Miki’s lap top lying on the ground. They ran towards it and saw that was still on; showing Risa’s character lying on a grassy place full of snakes.

“Oh no!” Rika looked away from the monitor and hid her face on Hitomi’s shoulder.

“I guess it’s up to us to end this fight.”

…………….
“Risa’s right! There’s the shrine!” Rika exclaimed. It only took them five minutes to reach that place.

“Let’s go… do you still have that box and gloves?” Rika handed over the lap top to Hitomi for her hands to be free and scanned the contents of her bag. Hitomi remembered where she had seen that shrine. It was from her kouhai, Sayumi. They were talking about some famous shrines and Sayu showed her the picture of this shrine. She said that it’s a hidden shrine in the Chiba area. This shrine was used for worshipping ‘Orochi’. This shrine was called Hebi Shrine.”

“Yep, still here.” Rika looked at the determined face of Hitomi. “Am I thinking what you’re thinking? Don’t tell me you’re going to face your fears?”

“I have no choice but to do this… We’re the only one’s left.” Hitomi reached on her side pocket and took out something.

“Nails? Where did you get that?”

“I saw this besides Maki’s body… so I picked it up. And this journal can be used as a hammer right? Or do we need something tougher?” Rika grinned at Hitomi’s joke. She looked down and picked up a large piece of thick wood.

“I guess this is much better.”

…………..
“Look! It’s the lever which Miki pulled down in the game right? So if we…” Rika ran towards the lever and pulled it down. The large door opened as they predicted and as what happened before in the game, they heard the hissing sound as soon as they opened it.

“I totally forgot about it! Let’s check again the place where those hissing sounds came from.” Hitomi walked towards the place where they saw the shadow of a figure at the far corner of the room. Rika went ahead of her and pulled open the hidden door. They walked downwards, towards the ‘vault of snakes’.

“So, how many snakes are we going to take? Hitomi seized Rika’s gloves and wore it on her own hands and opened the door. Rika was shocked by the sudden change in Hitomi’s attitude.

…………
“Woah, I thought you’re a scaredy cat… You’re going to do it?”

“Yes I am… This is the only way…”

“If I’m alive, I will take a picture of you doing this…. This is really an interesting thing nee, Miki?”

“It sure is, sis! I recalled that four days ago, we scared the wits out of you in that ‘seven days’ thing… Now… you’re adapting quickly to what’s happening around you.”

“Will you stop making fun of me and just help me boost my confidence?”

“Go Hitomi! You can do it!”

“Why are you smiling like that?” Rika was having fun watching Hitomi picked up the snakes one by one and putting it inside the box. Hitomi put lid of the box after putting the last snake.

“I was just thinking about something…”

“What are you thinking?”

“I was just thinking that if Maki and Miki will see what I’m doing right now, they will probably take a picture and put it in their blogs and link it in every forum they know.”

“They might be taking a picture of you right now… wherever they are….”

“They sure do… That’s why I’m smiling.”

“What?!?” Rika looked around the room. “Please don’t scare me like that!”

“Hahaha… Sorry, I was just joking… Let’s go!” Hitomi let Rika get out of the room first. She took one last look at the room before closing the door.

”I’m going to miss you guys…”

…………
Hitomi and Rika went back to their starting place; the altar. Rika was dumbfounded when she saw a young woman walking towards their direction. Based from her weird walk and bloodied clothing, it’s a zombie.

“That girl over there…. is a zombie… I’m 100% sure.” Rika whispered. Hitomi got a snake from the box and threw it towards the girl. It vanished as soon as the snake touched its body.

“Hell yeah… Zombie.” Hitomi removed one of her gloves and gave it to Rika. “Give me your bag. I’ll put some of the snakes for you to throw at them.”

“Demo… it’s just a normal bag… It may be risky; those things might bite me. It will be ironic to die in a snake’s venom than in Eri’s hands.” Hitomi thought hard for a while.

“Fine, I’ll just put this bag between us so you can pull out some snakes when you see something.”

Hitomi and Rika found the staircase leading to the top of the tower after a gruesome 15 minutes of throwing snakes after snakes to the zombies. It was the only difference that they found between the game world and reality. In the game, they used their chosen ninja weapons in order for them to kill the zombies and acquire the snakes while in real life; they used the snakes to make the zombies disappear. And so when they reached the door of the tower, there were only three snakes left.

“There’s a door at the top of the stairs. It might be the room where the body of Eri lies.” Hitomi said and went ahead of Rika.

“Look! We’re safe! There’s a box here full of snakes, we can surround Eri’s body… or ashes with these!” The door closed suddenly, separating the two of them. Hitomi immediately ran back and tried to open the door. Good thing that the door has a kind of ‘window’, large enough for a head of a huge person to fit in.

“Chotto... I’ll let you in… I just need to think of something.”

“It’s no use. There’s no time left. You must to go there alone.” Hitomi was stunned. She can’t let Rika stay in this place all alone. She promised she will protect her no matter what.

“But…”

“Please… You need to do it. I’ll be alright. I can protect myself. You need to finish this… for Maki… for Risa… and for all of our friends which she killed.” Hitomi nodded even though her heart was telling her otherwise.