Sara Washizuki

Shadow Priestess Character Sara Washizuki "Why does this stranger know about what happened back then?" Kanji/Kana 鷲月沙羅 Alias — Occupation Student Status Alive Cause of Death — First Appearance Chapter 1

Sara Washizuki is the main character of Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess. She is a student studying modern architecture at Fujisawa University.

Past (Zero -Extra-)

Sara grew up in Karasawa Village, where her family had lived in a shrine for generations. As a child, she performed certain duties as a Shadow Priestess. After her mother disappeared, she learned about the Camera Obscura and her family history from her grandmother. She attended Karasawa Elementary. Because of the shrine's association with spirits, the other children believed that if they spoke to her they would be possessed and afflicted with bad luck, so Sara was always alone until a transfer student named Kanon Ohtori arrived at the school. Far from being put off by the rumours, she was fascinated by the idea of talking to ghosts, and quickly befriended Sara.

After school that day, Sara took Kanon to see a crystal-clear pond on some land protected by the Washizuki family. While they were there, Kanon's attention was drawn by the entrance to a cave marked by a torii gate. According to legend, this cave had once been a hidden path used by spirits to move to and from Mount Kegare, although the Washizuki family were said to have sealed it long ago. Sara warned Kanon never to go near it.

The next day Kanon was reported missing, which only confirmed what the other children already believed about associating with Sara. However, one girl admitted she had seen Kanon the night before, standing in the grove near the cave mouth. Sara followed Kanon's trail into the cave and quickly found her, but Kanon was possessed by a spirit, who addressed Sara as "Washizuki" and commanded her to give back the path her family had sealed. In the struggle, the magatama charm Sara wore around her neck came loose, and a female spirit appeared and commanded the ghosts possessing Kanon to leave her. Sara was still fighting against evil spirits trying to kill her, but Kanon found another magatama hidden in a small shrine and used it to drive them back. With the help of the female spirit, she led Sara to safety.

Shadow Priestess

Volume 1

One night, Kanon persuaded Sara to come with her for a swim in the school's swimming pool at midnight. Kanon jumped into the water but never resurfaced, and although the pool was searched, she remained missing. Sara would always wonder whether her disappearance could be connected to what happened in the cave.

Five years before the events of Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess, tired of living in a quiet country shrine, Sara left the village to live by herself in an apartment in Tokyo, where she took up the study of architecture at Fujisawa University. Even after so long, she is still suffering nightmares about the night that Kanon went missing. Mr. Koutari catches her falling asleep in class, and as punishment, gives her an assignment to find out about an old school building that does not appear on the internet.

At the library, a man named Tousei Ryuuzaki approaches her. He claims to be a supernatural photographer, and shows Sara a series of photos he took at the elementary school, which is now abandoned. One appears to show Kanon's face floating under the water in the swimming pool. Tousei suggests that Sara should go to Karasawa Elementary to investigate the photo and search for answers, since she is the descendant of the Shadow Priestess. He leaves her with the photos and tells her to think about it. The next day, Mr. Koutari catches Sara looking at the photos in class. He dismisses the supernatural content as trick photography, but is interested in the building, and proposes an overnight class trip to study it.

That night, Sara gets out her old Camera Obscura, a family heirloom which belonged to her great-great-grandmother, the Shadow Priestess. She remembers her grandmother's admonition: "You must carry this Camera Obscura around with you at all times. Perhaps if your mother had done so... she would not have disappeared the way she did."

Sara receives an unexpected call from her friend Beniko, asking her to come over right away. When she arrives, Beniko points out a strange human-shaped shadow on the wall, which she says has been getting bigger and moving around. Sara recognises it as a ghost, and uses the Camera Obscura to exorcise it.

As she and the other members of the seminar group set out for the trip, Mr. Koutari explains some of the folklore surrounding Mount Kegare, which is said to be a place where evil spirits gather. On the way to the village, Sara and Beniko both see the ghost of a girl who died on the bus. Sara tells Beniko that such things are common so close to Mount Kegare, and she should get used to it. They arrive at the family shrine to find Tousei Ryuuzaki waiting there; he says he has decided to join the group in order to do research, which Mr. Koutari permits on the condition that he cause no trouble.

Sara notices a ghostly hand emerging from the water trough in the shrine courtyard, which uses its fingers to indicate the number "524". To her surprise, Tousei appears to be able to see the spirit as well, but he says that he can only see them through a camera lens.

In the shrine, Sara's grandmother takes her aside and berates her. She says that in all the years since Sara left the village, the seal against evil spirits has remained unbroken, but now Sara herself has led a "necromancer" to the shrine as part of her group. Her grandmother cannot tell who it is, but warns Sara that someone is going to die.

That evening, Kumi is missing from dinner, and is not in her room when Midori and Sara go to look for her. Sara and Beniko last saw her in the bathhouse, so they search there next, but find only a clump of hair stuck to the window, arranged in the shape of a Sanskrit character. Sara's grandmother says the symbol is associated with the direction of north-east - the same direction as Karasawa Elementary. As this is their only lead, and the police cannot investigate so soon after a disappearance, the group decides to head to the school the next day as planned.

Volume 2

As soon as the group approaches the elementary school, Sara is attacked by ghostly hands that try to keep her out, but she dispels them with the Camera Obscura. Nobody else notices anything untoward, so she is forced to proceed with them, though as she believes the school has been inhabited by a powerful evil spirit since before Kanon's disappearance, she is deeply uneasy about the prospect. Almost immediately, a similar manifestation attacks Narumi in the toilets, but Sara and Tousei manage to pull her free. After the attack, they notice an odd crack in the bathroom mirror, shaped like a hash or pound-sign (#).

While exploring further, they meet the urban exploration group Moebius, who are also investigating the school. Both groups head to the pool together, but almost immediately, a girl is spirited away, and as a sudden darkness falls, many dead spirits begin to emerge from the water. Everyone scatters, and Sara, Beniko and Tousei end up with the remaining members of Moebius, separated from the rest of the architecture class. Sara says they have been placed inside a Dark Seal, and will not be able to leave the school until it is broken. However, her supplies of film for the camera are limited, and will soon run out. Tousei mentions that her mother, who also attended the school, was president of the photography club and was also acting as Shadow Priestess at the time, so Sara and the others decide to make for the photography club room. Sara begins to suspect that Tousei, who knows so much, might be the necromancer.

The discussion of strategy is interrupted by the appearance of Tooru Nue, who is acting strangely. Sara quickly realises that he has been possessed by an evil spirit. She decides to wait and see whether the spirit will reveal anything through its behaviour, but before she can do anything to stop it, Tooru infests Takeru Ugajin. Sara exorcises the spirit with the Camera Obscura, but too late to save Takeru's life.

Volume 3

Sara and Tousei decide to investigate Classroom 3-2. They find another clue on the blackboard, and as they discuss it, they are approached by two more spirits. This time, when Sara attempts to exorcise them, the Camera Obscura has no effect. Tousei realises that the ghosts are in fact Narumi and Jun, disguised by the necromancer's illusion. Sara uses a Spirit Stone Flashlight to dispel the illusion, but not before using up most of her film on the two false spirits. This makes it a matter of urgency to find the Photography Club room; fortunately, at this moment they are rejoined by Professor Koutari, Midori, Mozu and Tsugumi, who happen to have a map of the school, so they can go there right away. Sara warns the others to control their fear, or they will become more vulnerable to the ghosts' illusions.

Volume 4

Midori, Narumi and Maya all become targets for the ghosts, and as they struggle against visions and memories, it becomes clear that the surviving members of the group all have some past connection with Karasawa Village. However, resisting the illusions proves difficult, and Sara is forced to use up the last of her film before she can reach the photography club room. She remembers a storeroom, closer than the photography club room, which was used for developing photos, and decides that is her best chance for restocking her film and strobes. As she flees an onslaught of hostile spirits, her grandmother's apparition appears mysteriously, reminding her to use the skills available to her as Shadow Priestess. Sara recites a traditional prayer called 'kuji', consisting of hand gestures and syllables, to create a glowing seal that will restrain the spirits for a short time.

When Sara finally reaches the darkroom, she finds it bedecked with dozens of photos. Although the pictures are old and discoloured, they clearly depict the seminar group entering Karasawa Elementary, and everything that has happened since. From the look of the photos, Sara judges that they must have been taken at least ten years ago, even though their subject matter is recent. Among the photos are several, apparently from the same roll of film, that depict Sara and Kanon taking part in the school sports day together when they were children, not long before Kanon disappeared. Sara recalls that Kanon's older brother was there taking pictures that day, but is unable to remember his face. She guesses that taking a picture of her awoke some latent powers in him, allowing him to capture images of the future.

As Sara is studying the photos, trying to guess at their significance, the spirits outside break through her kuji seal. She manages to purify them all using the film she finds in the storeroom.

Volume 5

Unsure where to go next, Sara recalls the ghostly hand signing the numbers 5, 2 and 4, and guesses that might mean 5th year, Class 2, seat 4. In room 5-2, she finds Jun and Narumi, just in time to save them from a horde of ghostly children.

While Narumi is unconscious, Kanon's spirit speaks through her. Ever since her disappearance, she has been trapped in the water that flows between the worlds. Just as she begins to warn Sara about the Necromancer, Narumi begins to choke, and eventually coughs up a purple prayer bead from a rosary. Sara checks desk 4, Kanon's old seat, and finds a sheaf of papers inside. They appear to be former students' calligraphy practice, but the ink and paper seem new, and the kanji too complex for children in the fifth grade. Sara realises they must be a riddle left by the Necromancer, part of the key to breaking the Dark Seal. By arranging the papers in order according to the class seating chart and then reading the kanji aloud, Sara uncovers the message: "It's under the home economics room podium."

Volume 6 and above

TBA