The Crimson Calling

Chapter 2: My Dear Diary...

They kept looking at each other, in a dead silence that filled the room up to the ceiling.

"Pardon us", Sae rushed to shut the door in front of Seijiro's  face.  She,then,  moved closer to her sister's shoulders and Yae looked at her.

"I'm sorry, i'm just so stressful because this is all new to me.  I'm still not over the fact that we have to move to a new house, 'till the ceremony.  I mean can you believe it, Sae? We'll be isolated for a month and then...I can't even say it out loud!"

Her sister's arms hugged her upper-body, as she comforted her that everything's gonna be alright.

The night was about to end.  It was almost midnight and Seijiro's head was full of questions.  He headed back to the guests' room, where Ryozo was waiting for him.  

"Where have you been?" Ryozo asked him, as he noticed some kind of fear in his eyes.

"I was in the twins' bedroom and  I just felt like thanking them for having us here...but...", Seijiro stopped and look at his fellow friend.  He took a deep breath, and moved on: "Yae started talking nonsense and terror was written on her face.  She kept saying how the ceremony we're about to watch, in a few weeks, is forbidden and how she needed our help and..."

Ryozo, immediadly, ran into him and stopped him from finishing his sentence. 

"We need to talk", their eyes met and kept looking at each other for a minute.

Ryozo had a clue about what was going on.  He could clear things up.

"There are some things that you need to know about and I waited for the moment when we'd be alone.  I know this village Seijiro.  I've been here before.", Ryozo started describing.

Seijiro was now paying attention to his friend's words.  He had a feeling- a bad feeling- that conquered his chest.  The air outside was howling strong and the sky was darker than usual, since there was no moonlight or stars.  It's like the village was, already, starting to surrender and losing its hope- but nobody knew about it yet.

"When I was a child, my father and I visited this village, as we used to travel across Japan.  I can still recall how impressed I was, when I step my foot in here.  While staying here, I met the Tachibana family.  Just like everyone else in the Minakami village, Tachibana had a male pair of twins: Itsuki and Mutsuki."  Ryozo took a deep breath and made sure that his friend didn't fall asleep, as he laid on the bed.

"Back then, I made friends with the boys.  We were at the same age and we shared some common interests.  When I left the village, I exchanged letters with the younger Tachibana twin, Itsuki, and we stayed in contact.  He was the one who called me to come back to the village, after all these years.  He needed my help and I knew how much you wanted to find information about this famous ceremony.", Ryozo started feeling uncomfortable.  He was more than willing to help his friend with whatever that was, but in any case, Seijiro had to stay out of it.

"Why?  Why did he need your help?  What is so important?" Seijiro sounded terrified,like he knew...

There are some things that are meant to be silenced forever and this certain ceremony, was one of 'em.Whoever got involved in it, he had to face the evil itself.

"I'll tell you everything my friend. I have to, after all, cause your help is precious", Ryozo was about to start explaining when a crimson butterfly entered from their window's room.  The minute it flew to their bedroom, both of them kept starring at it, like it was a living miracle.  The butterfley crossed over their heads and landed on the wall mirror. It was like magic spell got spread all over the room; a sleeping powder which made Seijiro and Ryozo to close their eyes.