When I sleep,

I dream in memories

of blood and pain.

When I wake,

I look at the world through

a cloud of misery and sorrow.

It's my world.

My life.

This bloody mess of tattered dreams,

it's all I have for my own.

But that's still something.

Patches of sunlight broke through the treetops, gleaming off of the windows as the car slowly made its way down the winding forest trail. It was a perfect spring afternoon, with a clear blue sky and hardly a cloud to be seen. A soft breeze rustled through the leaves, and the girl in the passenger seat watched as they swayed to and fro in the wind. Her eyes took in every detail, every color and every movement of every leaf on every tree. It was all just so beautiful, and so…breathtaking.

It had been a long winter.

Especially for her.

"We're almost there." The woman in the drivers seat broke the silence. "See over there? You can almost see the town from here."

She looked. Sure enough, within a few moments, the distant town was visible.

"I see it." She softly replied through her smile. "So that's…Hinamizawa."

"Sure enough." The other answered. "I've only ever been out this far once myself. But it's a beautiful place. I'll never understand how it's still so small, you would think a place this pretty would draw people in from every direction." The woman looked towards her passenger. "Are you sure you want to stay in a place so small? Nobody will know you."

"No…" the girl answered. "It's…I think it's perfect."

"Suit yourself." Was the response as the car turned the next corner of the dirt road. The town was much closer now, and the girl could almost count the number of buildings. She was beginning to get excited now, and just a little bit nervous as she watched the people walking around, and going about their daily lives. The woman was right, nobody knew who she was here…but that was exactly what she wanted. She could make new friends, and she just knew that this place would make the perfect home.

Finally, the car pulled up to the edge of the town and rolled to a stop.

"There's only one hotel in town," The woman began. "And it's not too far from here. Just up this street, you can't miss it. I'm sure they'll give you a room until you can find a place to stay."

"Thank you very much miss." The girl replied in her delicate voice. "You've been a big help." She reached into her purse.

"You don't have to-"

"I want you to take it." The girl interrupted. "It's a long drive to get out here, so this should make it worth your time." She held out a handful of bills, which the woman slowly accepted.

The girl slowly opened the car door, and stepped out. The cool spring air felt wonderful across her face, and she took in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. She turned back to the driver.

"Thank you again." She said with a sweet smile, bowing to the driver. The woman gave her a smile and bowed her head in reply, and the girl gently closed the door, pausing to wave goodbye as the car turned and slowly made its way back up the road.

She stood there for a few moments, watching as the car wound along the road and vanished from her sight. The trees were truly beautiful here, she thought. The forest went on for miles in every direction, and this town was virtually untouched by the outside world. A content smile slowly worked its way across her face. It really was perfect.

Finally, she reached down to pick up her small backpack, slinging it over her shoulders as she turned to face the town. She took a deep breath, and started walking. Raising a hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun, she took in her surroundings. This town was the complete opposite of the city she had known her whole life. She had grown used to tall buildings and sprawling streets, bustling with crowds of hurried people. But this place…it was as if the whole town was at peace. The tallest buildings were only two stories high, and even then there were very few of those. There were no car horns, no people yelling, no lingering smells of fumes and cigarette smoke.

It all just felt so peaceful.

As she walked along the town's main street, she could see people watching her pass. They probably didn't get strangers here very often, so she really couldn't blame them. Plus, she made for an unusual sight in the first place; her thrown-together outfit, her messy hair and her barely intact backpack would have warranted a few strange looks even in the big city.

But right now, that didn't bother her. She just wanted to try her best to get settled in, and then she could worry about finding some clothes that actually fit right, and a backpack that wasn't falling apart at the seams. Lodging was the first order of business. That, and a decent bed.

"Good morning." She said, bowing her head politely as an elderly couple walked past her. They looked at her strangely, but returned the greeting.

She smiled. I already like it here…she thought. Sure, the people weren't used to her yet, but she had a feeling that soon enough she would be making plenty of new friends here.

In no time at all, she was at the hotel. Was the main street really that short? She turned and looked. Yes, it really was. But then, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She shrugged her shoulders, turning back to the hotel and easing the door open before stepping inside.

A bell rang as she entered, and within a few moments a very surprised looking man walked up to the front desk.

"Good morning miss!" He said enthusiastically. "What can I do for you?"

"If it's alright," the girl began. "I'd like a room please. I don't know how long I'll be staying, but I promise I can pay for it."

"Not a problem!" The man replied with a grin. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. You're new to Hinamizawa?"

She nodded. "I just need a room until I can find something more permanent."

"Oh, so you'll be living here then?" The man asked. "Well, you're the first new arrival we've had for quite some time! You know, I don't think we've even had a guest at this hotel in at least two years…but don't worry! We always take care of the rooms here, they're the cleanest you'll ever find! I'm sorry, I'm rambling…" He shook his head apologetically and smiled at her. "So where are you from, miss?"

"…Around." She answered with a small smile of her own. "But I've never lived in a town this small before…"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. These people are some of the best you'll ever find. Why, I remember when I first came here…Oh. Sorry, there I go again." The man laughed. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll love it here. Now then, let me show you to your room, miss…?"

The girl hesitated for just a second before answering. "Kotonoha…Itou Kotonoha."

Well, somebody had to do it. Higurashi and School Days get compared so often, I figured they would compliment each other nicely. This is actually my first crossover fanfic, but I promise to stick as close to the two worlds as I possibly can. There's only one detail that's off. School Days seems to be in modern times, while Higurashi takes place in the 80s. So, for this excercise, assume that School Days took place in the 80s. I don't think it's too far-fetched, seeing as School Days never gave us an exact date.

For those of you wondering, yes Kotonoha did give Makoto's last name as her own. Even though the past is far behind her, she still wants to distance herself from her previous life as much as possible.

I've got some good plans for this story, so please let me know what you think of it!