Yellow Moon

“Blah” – talking

/Blah/ - thoughts

Blah – flashback

Blah – Demons, spirits, scene change

Blah – sound

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I’m back! This is something really different from my normal style of writing. It’s a manga idea I had that I plan on making sometime next year after I get myself back up to par with my art. I’ve never written a Mystery/Horror before. This is written in present tense and doesn’t have a whole lot of detail, but ended up being a very unique story. Read and Review!

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Prologue:

It is the middle of the night in a forest clearing. A man falls to the ground with a scream as a giant cleaver slices effortlessly through his chest. He lay dead beside his many comrades.

“Oh dear. Now there’s blood on my dress.” Says a little girl in a monotone voice. She is about ten years old, has dull blue eyes, and wavy blonde hair. She is wearing a white dress with blue trim and has a pink bow in her hair. The moonlight falls upon her in a haunting way. She holds the bloody sword in her petite hands. “What a pity.”

Another figure emerges shakily from the trees. Male. “M-my Lady, y-y-you know you really s-s-shouldn’t be out at t-t-this hour.” The girl turns, setting her emotionless eyes on the butler, who quivers in fear, taking an unconscious step back.

“Of course. Let us return.” She says. She walks smoothly past the man, who follows nervously. The large sword is still in her hands, dripping blood onto her white dress.

The girl and the butler near a large mansion as they exit the forest.

/My name is Tsubaki Ronin. I am the youngest daughter of Etsuko Ronin and Nori Ronin, who were one of the richest and most powerful couples in the city…/

Photograph of her parents.

/My elder sister, Kiyoko, and I were spoiled when we were young and received the best education money can buy. We were happy…/

Photographs of the girls as children, laughing and smiling. Also being tutored.

/However… like all happy things, it could not…/ This panel is all black with white letters. /For a tragedy struck our family…/

We see the edge of a grand piano and a tipped flower vase dripping water onto the floor. There is a red rose in full bloom in the vase. The water on the floor is mixing with blood.

We a see a limp hand sitting in a puddle of blood.

Shadows on the wall; a man stabbing a sword through another man’s gut. We see the now dead man’s face, blood trickling out of his mouth.

(Scene change)

A five year-old Tsubaki playfully chases her older sister down the halls, laughing. Kiyoko reaches the door to their parents’ room and the two girls run in.

Kiyoko speaks up. “Kaa-san (mother)! Tou-san (father)! Look at what… we…” She stops short. She and her sister stare in horror at the bloody mess in front of them. Their parents have been murdered.

Kiyoko screams and collapses. Tears streaming down her face, she desperately tries to shake their parents awake. “Kaa-san! Kaa-san! KAA-SAN!”

Tsubaki stares with wide eyes. Suddenly, she senses something. She turns her head, looking toward the shadowed part of the room. She sees a dark figure. A pair of gleaming yellow eyes open, staring straight at her. It hold up a hand and something leaps out of the shadows toward the five year-old blonde.

She screams.

Kiyoko cries out in terror. “NEE-CHAN (sister)!”

Darkness

Tsubaki walks down a long hall. Her sword is still out.

/Nee-san has… never been the same. /

She pauses and looks into one of the rooms. We see a fifteen year-old girl with grayish hair and gray-blue eyes standing over the corpse of a dead maid. There is blood splattered all over the teen’s clothes and face. She’s holding a piece of glass in her hand. She’s smiling manically. She’s also wearing a blue school uniform.

/But then… neither have I. /

The gray haired girl looks up, giggling. “Look, nee-chan! I found the pretty red! Isn’t it pretty, nee-chan?”

Tsubaki walks into the room and takes a hold of her sister’s hand. “That’s nice. Come. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

She leads her giggling sister down the hall. The sword drips onto the floor, leaving a trail. “So, nee-san, how was your session today?”

“It was great!” A scene of Kiyoko and a Therapist. “Dr. Kumi gave me candy when I did the blocks right.”

The blonde girl looks over at her sister. “That’s nice.”

Another butler walks toward them down the hall. The girls stop.

“Byakko,” Tsubaki says, causing the man to pause, “Kiyoko had another episode. Clean it up.”

The elderly man shivers and bows. “Hai (yes), my Lady.”

/The servants fear both of us now. /

(Scene change)

The faucet of a sink turns on, spilling out hot, steamy water.

Tsubaki stands on a stool in the elegant bathroom. She is gently wiping the blood off her sister with a wet towel. Finally, she drops the bloodstained cloth into the water-filled sink.

“There, all done.”

Kiyoko smiled excitedly. “Can I wear the kitty pajamas tonight, nee-chan?”

“Sure.” The little girl steps off the stool. Walking into the main bedroom, she opens a drawer and shuffles through the clothing. She picks up a nightshirt with kittens on it. It is quickly snatched out of her hand.

Kiyoko hugs the clothing to her chest. “Yay!”

Tsubaki stares at her sister blankly. “You know you shouldn’t grab like that.”

Kiyoko looks down, crestfallen. “Gomen (sorry).”

“That’s alright. Here. I’ll help you get dressed.”

The bloody sailor outfit is tossed into a hamper. The pajamas are put on the older girl. Kiyoko smiles, cheers, and jumps onto her bed. She wiggles under the blankets.

Tsubaki follows and sits on the edge of the bed. Kiyoko reaches out and grasps her sister’s hand.

“Nee-chan, how come you don’t sleep?”

Tsubaki stares at her insane sibling.

A pair of gleaming, yellow eyes open, staring straight at her. It holds up a hand and something leaps out of the shadows toward the blonde.

She screams.

A close up of the bottom half of Tsubaki’s face. “I just don’t.”

Kiyoko looks up innocently. “Oh, okay.” She yawns. “Will you tell me a bedtime story, nee-chan?”

Tsubaki takes her time answering. “All right.”

The gray haired girl shuffles a bit, getting comfortable. Tsubaki looks out the bedroom window, over the forest.

/Tomorrow…/ She holds a hand up to her cheek, just below her eye. /Is a full moon. /

Something slithers underneath her skin for a moment before disappearing.

“Nee-chan?”

Tsubaki turns back to the insane girl on the bed. “Comfortable?”

Kiyoko nods.

“All right. Once upon a time…”

(Scene change)

Briiiiiing!

The many children eagery run out of the school. They carefully avoid the blonde in the crowd. She doesn’t seem to care that everyone stays at least ten feet away from her.

whispers

“It’s her.”

“What’s wrong? She looks nice.”

“You’re new here, so you don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“She’s a dangerous killer. You’d best keep your distance from her and her crazy sister.”

“Their parents were murdered five years ago and both girls just cracked. Her sister went completely insane and kills for fun.”

“They say that Tsubaki was so traumatized by the incident that she cut out her own heart in order to not feel anything.”

“Whoa. Scary…”

“Yeah, so keep your distance.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

Tsubaki glances back at the other children. /Fools…/

(Scene change)

Tsubaki closes the mansion door behind her. A maid approaches and curtsies.

“Welcome home, my Lady.”

The blonde girl removes her coat and book-bag and hands them to the maid. “Take these to my room.”

“Hai, my Lady.” The maid bows again.

Kiyoko runs into the room as the maid leaves.

“Nee-chan! Nee-chan!”

Tsubaki looks up at the older girl. “Hello, Kiyoko.”

Kiyoko holds out a piece of paper. “Look at what I drew today, nee-chan!”

The blonde girl looks blankly at the childish, gory drawing. “It’s wonderful, nee-san.”

The gray haired girl squeals and squeezes the picture. “Arigato (thank you)!” Dr. Kumi didn’t like it though.”

Tsubaki walks past her sister. /I wonder why…/ (sarcasm)

(Scene change)

The blonde girl is in the training area. She uses her sword to destroy dummies and training logs. She lands lightly in a crouch. The logs fall apart.

Tsubaki stands and pushes away a strand of hair. The sun has almost completely set.

/The moon will rise any time now. I should retire for the night. The people are terrified of me enough as it is. /

She makes a sign with her hand and the sword retreats into a tattoo on her forearm. She turns and walks back into the house.

Her shoes make soft clicks as she walks up the stairs.

She walks down the hallway of the second floor. It is completely dark now, save for the candles in the chandelier.

whimper

Tsubaki stops. She backtracks to her sister’s room. “Kiyoko?” No answer.

Frowning ever so slightly, she reaches for the door handle. She freezes and begins to shake. Her eyes are wide and fearful.

/T-this feeling… I haven’t felt like this since Kaa-san and Tou-san were…/ She shivers. /I-it’s that thing again. I-it’s back…/

shriek from inside the room

“Nee-san!” Tsubaki cries, rushing into the room. She freezes in horror.

We see the silhouette on the wall of Kiyoko. She is wrapped up in strange, shadowy tentacles. The tentacles tighten and twist. Kiyoko screams.

Her bloody and battered body is dropped to the floor. She is dead. Tsubaki trembles.

Slowly, she turns her head. A figure stands in the shadows of the room. It opens its yellow eyes.

/I-it c-c-came back…/

The creature grins, exposing white, sharp teeth. It lifts its hand and something jumps out of the shadows toward the blonde.

She screams.

There is a flash and a snake bursts out of Tsubaki’s face, right beneath her eye. The snake attacks the shadow.

The shadow quickly vanishes before any damage can be done to it.

The snake goes back into Tsubaki, who collapses, crying. Her face is covered in blood from where the snake emerged.

/No… no…/

White.

(Scene change)

The sky is dark and covered with thick, gray clouds.

A single drop of rain falls onto the grass. It is soon followed by many others. Tsubaki sits alone in front of a black coffin, which has a bouquet on it. Raindrops land and slide off the black paint.

Tsubaki looks up at the monk from under her hat. There is a bandage on her cheek.

“Shouldn’t e wait until everyone arrives?”

The man looks sheepish. “I’m sorry, my Lady, but we’ve already been waiting for two hours.”

Tsubaki lowers her head.

“No one is coming.”

A single tear rolls down her cheek. Her eyes are shadowed.

“Shall I begin, my Lady?” The priest asks, holding up his book in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

Tsubaki hesitates before answering. “Hai.”

“Very well. Ahem. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

/My dear sister… how cruel fate has been to our family. Why? Why did you have to die? Now I am truly alone…/

Tsubaki looks up at the sky, removing her hat. Raindrops fall onto her porcelain face. She reaches up and touches the bandage.

/You… figure hat murdered my family… using this creature, this curse that branded me with, I swear… I will destroy you. I am… an avenger. /

She tosses her hat into the air.

Darkness.

End Prologue.

Woo! And there you go! Hope it’s good! Read and review!

a ne (later)!

Mysteri