Chase the Morning

What's changed from canon?: Well, first off, it is a "Stone Mirror AU" which means the canon use of the series's Stone Mirrors (or "Mirrorstones" in some localizations) is applied to alter the course of the fifth game (MOBW) post-bad ending.

"A polished, mirror-like stone. A protective spirit dwells inside." - text from FF1

"A stone polished like a mirror. If you die holding it, it will restore your health once." - text from FF3

"A black stone that emits a mysterious light. If you run out of health, it will protect you." - text from FF5

In each game in the series, these stones function as extra lives, protecting the characters from certain death and restoring all health upon reaching zero.

We also know that spirits can drag the living back in time, such as in the events of Fatal Frame 1. (The spirits bring Miku further back in time with each night, with the Himuro Mansion repairing itself around her as she fights to survive.)

Therefore, in a way, this series begins with a time loop/reset. A new game+ if you will.

Secondly, Miu's second parent has been altered. (: enough said.

Aside from these two instances, the series is mostly canon compliant with the addition of an abundance of sapphic romance and various other headcanons to flush out the pasts, futures, and in-betweens for many of the characters.

Pairings: Kozukata Yuri/Kurosawa Hisoka, Hinasaki Miku/Kurosawa Rei, Momose Haruka/Himino Fuyuhi, Kurosawa Ose/Pale Mistress, Asou Misaki/Minazuki Ruka

0.) what the water gave me (gave us)* - (23k words, rated T, MOBW + post-MOBW, Romance) - A retelling of everything from the rescue of the Twelfth Drop to the Last Drop from Hisoka's point of view. (Only the first two chapters are relevant to Of Stone Mirrors and Second Chances. Reading this is not necessary but adds detail and context)

1.) once more (with feeling) - (81k words, rated M, MOBW, Supernatural Survival Horror + Romance + Pining + Found Family) - Yuri falls at the end of the Last Drop, pulled into an eternal embrace against her will. The next thing she knows she back sitting at the cafe right as a young woman dressed in white appears. Armed with the knowledge of time that no longer exists, can she fight fate? Or is she doomed to repeat it?

2.) burning in the bloodline (cutting down the family tree) - (25k words, rated T, post-MOBW, Found Family) - The power has been out mysteriously for nearly two days, the antique shop without air-conditioning is sweltering and stuffy in the muggy weather, and Rei unexpectedly arrives with seemingly the worst of timing. Or did she?

3.) all this (and heaven too) - (9k words, rated T, post-MOBW, Found Family + Romance) - Miku finally has her lifespan returned to her. She has a second chance, a new lease on life, and she's finally, finally, here to stay. And she would really prefer to not be fussed over all through it. Her preference, however, is not deterring the people she loves from their constant worrying and fretting. Perhaps it's time to put her foot down.

4.) just like the rain (you cast the dust into nothing) - (12k words, rated M, post-MOBW, Romance + Hurt/Comfort) - It's tsuyu, the raining season, in the small village at the base of Mt. Hikami. Yuri and Hisoka weather the storms together.

5.) birds of a feather (we should stick together) - (16k words, rated T, post-MOBW, Romance) - It's been one year exactly since the thin rift between the realms of the living and the dead on Mt. Hikami was sealed for good. Hisoka expects the week to only be a solemn and anxious affair. Yuri shows her that it doesn't have to be.

6.) i won't turn away (it's far too late for me) - (20k words, rated M, post-FF3 + post-MOBW, Romance + Found Family + Hurt/Comfort) - Seventeen years is a long time to search for someone. But Rei can't give up. Not while there's still hope that she'll find her. Not while there's still hope that she'll have her back in her arms again. A series of snapshots from Rei's life after the events of the third game.

7.) sweet (like cinnamon) - (9k words, rated E, post-MOBW, Romance/Smut) - Hisoka learns a valuable lesson: Yuri's knack for mischief and lack of impulse control make wearing skirts around the house deliciously dangerous.

8.) i'll take my heart clean apart (if it helps yours beat) - (28k words, rated T, pre/post-MOBW, Found Family + Romance) - Teenage Hisoka arrives in the little village at the base of Mt. Hikami all alone, hoping to find her cousin. She doesn't end up finding Rei, but she does finds someone else, a kindred spirit who takes her in and teaches her how to navigate through the river of life along with her abilities to sense the impossible and unseen. Or, more precisely, her kindred spirit finds her. OR A pre-canon/post-canon series of time skips in which Hisoka fixes her grandfather clock, one piece at a time.

9.) i won't sleep ('til you're safe inside) - (50k words, rated T, pre/post-FF3 + post-MOBW, Found Family) -For a time, Rei has a little girl in her life. She has a cousin, far younger than even Mio, but sweet and wise beyond her years. She cherishes spending time with Hisoka, her little girl with bright blue eyes and one of the warmest hearts Rei has ever met. OR A series of moment in which Rei has a tiny Hisoka in her life. (And a few after Hisoka's all grown up too)

10.) alternative (version of me) - (18k words, rated T, post-MOBW, Found Family) - It's Miu's birthday. Her second after that fateful week on the mountain. Her second with her family– these people who genuinely care about her without feelings of pity or obligation. It's her first after restoring her mother's lifespan, her first physically in one of the two houses she calls home. Despite how far she's come, her mind is still torturing her with the same uneasy feelings she's always had, leaving her wondering: Is she really worthy of it all?

11.) it's a curse (and it's growing) - (18k words, rated T, pre-MOBW + post-MOBW, Romance + Hurt/Comfort) - Yuri has a habit of accidentally getting herself hurt. She's almost always covered in an assortment of random bumps and bruises, the majority of which she has no idea where they came from. Most of the time, it doesn't really bother her. She knows all too well that there are things far more painful in life than a bit of temporary physical discomfort. As she comes to find out though, nothing hurts more than when Hisoka is the one hurting instead.

12.) we keep this love (in a photograph) - (13k words, rated E, post-MOBW, Romance/Smut) - Rei finds an old roll of film that she never developed for some reason. Curious, she starts to develop it and gets way more than she bargained for.

13.) missing limbs (for you) - (22k words, rated M, post-FF3 + post-MOBW, Romance + Found Family + Hurt/Comfort) - Seventeen years is a long time to remain running. But Miku can't go back. Not while she's still dying, still slipping further away. She loves them too much to hurt them again. The B-side to i won't turn away (it's far too late for me) from Miku's perspective.

14.) see, i can fly (better than you thought) - (78k words, rated T, post-MOBW, Supernatural Survival Horror + Found Family + Hurt/Comfort) - Miu wants to know about the past. About her mothers' pasts, about her bloodline's past, about everything that set their harrowing fates with the supernatural into motion. The connections run deep. Far deeper than they appear on the surface. They're all connected. She wants to understand. To do so, she's going to have to go back. Back to the beginning. The Himuro Mansion holds the answers she seeks.

15.) all i remember (is you, dear) - (30k words, rated T, post-MotLE, Romance + Hurt/Comfort) - The Rite of Descent has at last been realized. The Moonlight Syndrome and resonance are no more. Ruka has lost everything. Her mother. Her father. Detective Kirishima. Madoka. Marie and Tomoe. Everyone is gone. All she has left is Misaki, her often acerbic lighthouse in an otherwise volatile storm of uncertainty. But when Misaki's reticence and outwardly mercurial affections leave her questioning her significance in her life, Ruka starts to wonder where she truly belongs. Rougetsu always calls its people home.

16.) the ghost by your side (i dream you're still here) - (55k words, rated T, post-FF2, Found Family + Hurt/Comfort) - Mio went into the Minakami forest with her sister. She comes back out all alone. Or so she thinks. A series of moments as Mio grows up and slowly starts to heal in which Mayu is gone but never truly left.

More to be added as series is expanded...

***Notes***