Three long years had passed since the events in Heavenly Host. Sachiko had been put to rest, and the charm no longer sent innocents to the land of the dead. Even after all the time that had passed, the existence of the dead, Ms. Yui, Seiko, Mayu and Morishige were still wiped from existence to the outside world. Naho and Kibiki still existed for whatever mysterious reason, something that had given Ayumi and Naomi hope at one point. That fragile hope had been crushed when the two girls messed with black magic in the Shinozaki Estate. Both had scarcely escaped with their lives, the cost of their life being Ayumi's older sister's horrible death. Now the Book of Shadows remained buried within the Shinozaki Estate, both out of sight and out of mind.
In spite of all that had transpired, Yuka Mochida felt a looming malicious presence over she, Satoshi Onee-chan, and his friends. It was clear that Ayumi felt it too, but the girl was kind enough to not bring it up. Anything super natural was a taboo topic among them after Ayumi had been released from the hospital two and a half years ago. They had abandoned all hope of ever getting the world to recognize the names of the lost dead, and most of them had moved on. It was easier for the older crew - their lives were beginning. Naomi was going to medical school to become a nurse, Ayumi was taking classes in the occult to become a full fledged medium as her dead sister had been, Yoshiki was the manager at the store he'd worked at during high school and was taking classes to further his education, while Satoshi was accompanying Yoshiki in the same classes. Yuka was left behind by a full two years, forced to take solace in her own ignorant friends. They were still able to smile and laugh in bliss; they had no clue what true fear was. She'd become bitter at the fact of being drawn into the haunted school with her brother and his friends. Had she been a few minutes late bringing him an umbrella, she might have been spared the horror of being chased and manipulated, and the humiliation of wetting herself in front of others while being at an age where it was not acceptable. She was an outcast among her friends, if only in her own mind.
Satsuki Mizuhara, Yuka's best friend, crossed over, a smile on her lips. Satsuki always had dreamy, glazed over expression on her face to make up for her somewhat annoying ditzy, bubbly nature. In many ways, Yuka was jealous of her friend. Not only did Satsuki have an innocent mind, concerning the horrors life had to offer anyways, but was well liked by their peers and very attractive. Satsuki's brown hair was cut into an A-line, and she was very well endowed where shape was concerned. Yuka did her best to put on a smile, a feat that was easy for her body, but near impossible for her mind.
"Come on Yukes! Reina wants us to meet her in the gym, don'tcha remember?" Satsuki sing-songed her words, pinching Yuka's sides.
Yuka's fake smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly replaced it. "Alright Satsuki. Give me a few minutes to finish packing my bag, ok?"
"Okie-doki Yukes~" Satsuki stood there waiting, producing a bag of potato chips from her bag and opening them.
The sound of crunching was mildly distracting, causing Yuka to forget what all she needed to pack for homework. Figuring she could come back after, she sighed and zipped up her bag before turning to face her friend. "Ready." Her voice came quiet, far too quiet.
"What's wrong?" Satsuki asked through her chewing.
The sound was as revolting as the sight, sending a shudder down Yuka's spine. "Just tired. I didn't get very much sleep last night. I'm sorry to worry you!"
"Hmn... If you say so. Let me know if you change your mind and want to talk."
The two exited the empty classroom and walked down the hallway together. Yuka was familiar with Kisaragi Academy. She'd been there plenty of times to bring Satoshi things or pick him up. She navigated to the gym without problem, and knocked on the door before entering out of habit. A blush tainted her cheeks as Satsuki laughed. The pair entered together, greeted by the smiles of their friends. Sasuke towered over Yuka by a head, and acted the part of the cool loner. He was average in looks with coal dark eyes and black hair that laid sleek against his cheeks in a traditional cut similar to the one Ryuu sported. Next to Ryuu stood Yudai, who was the most muscular of the boys, but also shorter than Ryuu. Yudai had spiky light brown hair and honey colored eyes, and played the part of the sarcastic wise guy in the group. Riena stood next to her twin brother Reizo. They both looked like gender inversed mirrors of one another, sharing the same long fiery locks pulled into pony tails and mischievous blue eyes. Chinatsu stood at the end, her sand colored curls pulled up into pigtails while she clutched a teddy bear. Chinatsu managed to look nine in spite of being seventeen, a talent and a style that Yuka had out grown. Yuka had allowed her hair to grow out some as it touched the crest of her chest, and she'd stopped wearing sports bras to hide the small bit of shape she did have. She was still small in measurements of height and weight for her age, but she was slender and fit in a more girlish way than Reina.
"So glad you two decided to join us." Reina said excitedly, one arm looped in Reizo. Her brother looked less enthused, the responsible, adult like one of the two.
"Show us the surprise!" Chinatsu squeaked, her voice sounding every bit as young as she looked and acted. "I want to know already!"
Yuka raised a brow, but Satsuki pulled her up to join everyone. Reina pulled a large braided band from her bag. It's color was black, and it looked to be made from a strange material. "I'll start the chant, and each of you must grab hold and repeat the chant alongside me, once for each of us. Then we let go." Reina instructed, holding onto it with one hand.
"Wait, what is this supposed to do?" Yuka asked, not trusting charms anymore. "It's not an eternal friendship charm, is it?"
The others looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn't care. The Sachiko Ever After charm was more than enough dabbling for one life time. The only thing she kept that could be classified as such was a bottle of caramel scented beads, for she remembered how they'd saved Satoshi from misfortune while they were in the God-forsaken Nehan.
"No silly, but that's a good idea! This is the Yomi Life Charm. It's meant to make us live until our hundreds and give us lots of nice things. I saw it on this blog and wanted to share it with all of you." Reina explained, flashing a smile.
"More like there's a requirement for more than one person." Reizo corrected sternly. "And I wouldn't do it alone because these things are ridiculous."
"Ssshhh, Reizo! This is going to be fun." Reina insisted. "Let's begin. Yomi, we beg you bestow upon us long lives filled with happiness."
One by one they each grabbed hold of the cord and repeated the chant. Yuka was hesitant, but gave in and grabbed the cord too. It felt strange between her fingers, almost like hair. She had no time to think of it as she repeated the chant. Satsuki went after, finishing their round. They each let go, and relief filled Yuka's stomach. She breathed easily until the lights flickered on and off. Moments later they had a total black out. Hoping to get to the door, she took a few steps away, feeling something slick beneath her shoes. The lights came back on at that moment, revealing the floor was covered in mounds of blood. She screamed, unable to tell which was hers among the collective shouts. The walls were coated in messages written in blood, and a metallic odor filled the room. The floor opened up into a vast darkness, and they all fell in. The sensation of falling was deceiving. It felt like she'd been falling for a long time, and slowly. All the same, Yuka Mochida eventually passed out, her level of shock far beyond her coping abilities.
