Astray in the Black Water: Bungo Stray Dogs x Fatal Frame 5

Prologue

Authorities couldn't find the missing girl. After weeks of searching, they left the case for the Armed Detective Agency to handle. Which was then passed to Kyouka. 

 She searched the mountain again for the missing person. Perhaps the police overlooked something. Rumors said that this abandoned temple was haunted and that this girl wasn't the only one who went missing. Stories of being pushed off cliffs, misty specters of drenched shrine maidens, and trapped souls trying to drag them to the nether world. Though, that didn't faze her at all. 

 Kyouka did manage to find a bracelet from the missing girl. Right in front of the temple up the hill. She gazed at it, thinking the girl went there. It was a large temple. Multiple floors, countless rooms, spiraling hallways, and some flooding underground. A phantom bell rung randomly, as if trying to call Kyouka.

She entered a room flooded with water. It was empty and dark. Not even her flashlight could light up the big room. The water was too murky, but there was a chance for a hidden item. As she marched, her foot hit something in the water. She stared at the spot and reached for it. Within that same moment, a head of a woman emerged. Her hair covered her most of her face and she attempted to lunge at her. 

Kyouka dodged and saw her robes. This woman rose but her feet levitated above the water. Other drowned women emerged. She never expected to be surrounded by spirits and fled the room. Kyouka isn't easy to scare, however this was a rare moment of her holding back her nerves. She attempted to go back but another spirit, a woman in a black kimono blocked her path. She went the other way and saw a room with light. A possible exit, she thought.

The doors shut behind her and she stood at the top of the stairs. Again another flooded room but it was surrounded by shelves with pottery. In the center of the room, a light shined down on a black box. She had a moment of revelation, perhaps the girl could be inside that box. She started to make her way to the box. At the halfway point, the box suddenly opened. Black long hair slithered out and into the murky water. It wrapped around her ankles and Kyouka used her knife to cut it. However, her attention landed on the pale specter emerging. She started to panic and tried to tear the hair off.

The spirit floated into the air. Her eyes were focused on Kyouka. Her arms reached out and she got closer and closer. And that was all Kyouka could remember.

The ADA waited for her to return that night but she never came back. The morning came and Atsushi never saw her futon undone. Whispers of the news crept along to the café workers, to their friends, and ultimately the ears of the Port Mafia. Most members didn't care about the report. All but one: Kouyou. She couldn't bear the fact that someone had taken Kyouka and she felt the need to rescue her this time. Not Dazai. And just like before, she went to the mountains and underestimated the spirits. The Port Mafia didn't hear from her again.

These two events led to the ADA and PM sending out their troops to find their beloved members. Atsushi and Dazai, and Chuuya's party went out into the mountain. They explored the station, the inn, and the groups crossed paths in the forest. Dazai and Chuuya glared daggers at each other. "Why the fuck are you here?!" Chuuya leaned forward with his hands on his hips. His squad of men stood back on guard.

"You weren't the one I wanted to commit suicide with," Dazai deadpanned.

"Well, I didn't want to do this anyways!" Chuuya snapped back.

Atsushi didn't want either side to start fighting. He took a step forward, asking, "Did you guys also lose someone here?"

Chuuya looked over to Atsushi. "And why should I give an answer to the Armed Detective Agency?"

"Because~," Dazai chimed in. "The Port Mafia wouldn't be looking into this unless someone important went missing."

"Well if you just kept an eye on your member, we wouldn't have been here to begin with!" Chuuya shot back.