Ju-on Syndrome

Please Read: This is loosely based off of the Ju-on movies from Japan. I do not own nor have I worked on it. The characters, except one, are copyright of me however and most of the story is part of my own ideas for making the Ju-on series a little more interesting.

Thank you.

Espio and Vector:

Modern day Japan

Location: Public Services Office, Tokyo, Japan

A girl with pink and black hair walked ahead of another girl with long black hair. The second girl moaned as she was practically dragged after the first with a little black and white cat following them closely.

“Why’re we here?” The second sighed.

“I told you. I got us jobs finally.” The first said happily.

“Yeah but…” The second was cut off as a young man approached them.

He’d left the reception area with a rather thick file in one hand.

“Are you the new volunteers?” He asked.

“Yep. What’s up?” The first asked.

“Don’t accept anything.” The second whispered.

“I have a case for you.” He said.

“Really?! That’s great!”

“Don’t take it, please don’t.” The second pleaded dully.

“I know this is your first day but this is really important. This woman’s been living there for so long by herself and the neighbors say she hasn’t been seen since some tragedy about three years ago.” The man said.

“Really?”

“Espio, don’t say yes.” The other girl pleaded dully.

“Think you both could handle it?”

“Sure!”

“No….”

“Great.” The man handed Espio the file.

He walked away as she leafed through it.

“How could you accept? We’re not even getting paid for this shit. We’re volunteers.” The second girl rasped after he’d gotten far enough away.

“Stop worrying Vector.” Espio looked up.

“I stood by you when you did that to your hair. I even agreed to let you take in that cat when you found it. But this is kinda far. I don’t even wanna be here.” Vector sighed.

“Sorry if you’re not as outgoing as me.” Espio said.

“We may be friends; we may be roommates. But who said I had to be outgoing?!” Vector jogged after her.

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Espio looked up at the house then felt her whole body shudder for some reason. She looked back at the open file in her hands then back to the house before another shiver hit. She then looked back to her right as Vector sprinted up the walkway with the kitten following after her obediently.

“Why’re you standing there?” Vector asked.

“I feel funny….” Espio murmured.

“Now you decide to chicken out? Come on. I’m sure it’s not as creepy once we get in.” Vector pulled Espio after her.

The kitten mewed then looked up before hissing.

“Kirara!” Espio yelled.

The kitten looked ahead then carefully trotted toward the doorstep.

Espio carefully pushed in the door then growled quietly as it got stuck on something. She placed all her weight against the door before it opened. Vector calmly walked after her with the kitten in her arms before looking around.

“This place is dusty….” She noted.

“Really?” Espio spun around.

She glared at Vector for a few moments then turned back around and looked at the dusty front hall.

“Hello? We’re from the Public Services Office!” She yelled.

“Is she deaf?! God…who’re we looking for anyway?” Vector snapped quietly.

“Uhmm…it says here…Takeda, Kimiko. It doesn’t say her age or much about that “incident” from three years ago.” Espio leafed through the folder.

“Good chance she’s not deaf, so don’t yell so loud.” Vector snorted.

“Just what incident anyway? I don’t remember anything.” Espio asked.

“There was some mysterious suicide three years ago. Some guy jumped through a plate glass window thirty stories up.” Vector murmured.

“Think this woman had something to do with it?” Espio blinked.

“Who knows? I don’t remember that guy’s name either.” Vector walked ahead.

Espio thought for a few moments in the silence then looked around and gulped before carefully trotting after Vector, clutching the file to her chest closely.

Vector looked around cautiously as she held onto Kirara. Some garbage and cobwebs were visible in the dimly lit rooms she was and had walked through in search of this woman who supposedly lived here. Even if she was living there this place was a wreck. What was that woman doing? Did the agency really make some mistake?

Vector looked ahead to a dark room before setting down Kirara and walking into the darkness. She looked around as she heard a faint, trembling voice.

“Mrs. Takeda?” Vector looked around then walked in.

She walked to a window then pulled back the curtains to see a woman with frizzled red hair sitting upright on a bed. Vector blinked a few times then walked to her and knelt down as the woman continued to mutter incoherently.

“Mrs. Takeda? I’m one of the workers from the agency.” Vector said softly.

The kitten trotted in and mewed making the woman jump and stare at the cat in bewilderment. Vector looked at her then to Kirara.

“Are you alright?” Vector asked.

“The cat…that cat….” The woman said loudly then began to mutter again softly.

“Cat?” Vector murmured.

“Vector, where’d you go?”

“I’m in here Espio. Don’t worry Mrs. Takeda, we’re here to help you.” Vector said gently.

Kirara mewed then looked back at Espio as she poked in the doorway. Vector looked back at her worriedly then got up and helped up the woman.

“Is she okay?” Espio asked.

“I dunno. She was saying something about a cat then went back to doing this.” Vector said.

“She’s kinda young…why’s she letting this place rot?”

“I dunno. She’s really not in any condition to be here by herself.” Vector shook her head slightly.

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Espio coughed slightly as she beat out a large rug on a clothesline while Vector was brushing the woman’s hair. Kirara mewed from Vector’s lap then looked at the woman as she stared into space, still muttering incoherently. Espio coughed again then cleared a few loose strands of hair back before resuming beating out the rug. The woman kept muttering then looked up. Vector looked at her then out at the yard seeing nothing but the grass. Espio lowered her tool then walked back toward them.

“Where’re you going?” Vector asked.

“I need a drink of something….” Espio stuck out her tongue.

She walked back inside then into the kitchen that was off of the woman’s bedroom. She pulled a glass from the nearby cabinet and went to the faucet. Espio looked out of the window then turned on the faucet only to jump back as she gasped. A thick red liquid poured from the faucet. Espio stared at it then looked back as she heard a shrill scream. She looked out from the kitchen seeing Vector and Kimiko walk back in.

“What’s wrong?” Espio asked.

“It’s nothing. She just got startled by the wind rolling a soccer ball.” Vector helped the woman lie down.

Espio raised one eyebrow then looked back at the faucet seeing the liquid was water. She looked into the sink seeing there wasn’t any trace of the syrup-like liquid. She then sighed seeing she’d broken the glass she’d been holding. She hadn’t even realized she’d broken it until now.

“Smart move Espio…” She sighed as she began picking up the fragments in her hand.

She looked at the water for a moment then back to the shattered glass she was picking out from the sink. Was that what she though it was? Was it blood? But how? Maybe it was just rust from the pipes or something else. It had to have been.

Espio then hissed and looked at her hand. One shard had slipped and had gashed her palm open. She sighed.

“And today looked so promising…” She sighed.

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Espio sat in her bed reading as Kirara laid at her side and mewed happily. Kirara purred then looked up at the ceiling as Espio kept reading her book. Kirara mewed questioningly then watched as something dripped down from the ceiling an landed right in the middle of Espio’s book. Espio looked up then watched another droplet hit her book before she closed it. She kept staring then was hit on the forehead by a droplet. She lowered her head then lightly dabbed at it with her fingers.

“What—“

Another droplet hit before Espio covered her mouth and nose. A strong smell hit her. Kind of a metallic, rusty smell. Kirara mewed then watched another larger droplet hit the bed.

“What’s going on?!” Espio looked up as the droplets grew larger and splattered against her bed.

She briefly uncovered her face then felt sick. Now that metallic smell was joined by the scent of rotting meat. Or something like it. She picked up Kirara and kept her mouth and nose covered with her opposite hand as she ran out.

Vector rolled over then groaned before sitting up. She turned on her light then growled seeing Espio and Kirara were next to her.

“I’m not into that kinda thing so leave.” Vector growled.

“There’s something funny happening though.” Espio said.

“Get back to your own room!” Vector commanded.

“But—“

“Leave! And take that damn cat with you!” Vector howled before tossing them both back into the hall.

Espio cursed silently and rubbed her rear before looking around in the darkness. Kirara mewed then both looked at each other as they heard a soft creaking sound. Espio gulped then heard some other strange sound like someone was cutting vegetables. She shivered then got up and picked up Kirara. She shivered again before walking back toward her room dismally.

“I really don’t like this….” Espio shivered harder.

Kirara meowed then both looked around the room seeing no trace of the blood. That is, if it was blood. It seemed like it was. Plus that smell had passed. Or more, those smells had passed. They couldn’t have been imagining it right?