Aku no Aka-chan
Author's Note: This story contains disturbing graphic content. If you're not comfortable with such elements, I suggest you turn back now. Then again, I suppose you wouldn't be here if you weren't okay with it. This is Corpse Party, after all.
(No, seriously. Unless you like dark Mpreg, I don't recommend reading any further. Be warned, there are also scenes of "natural" childbirth ahead. Proceed at your own risk).
The dark halls of the cursed Tenjin Elementary School were utterly silent, which only served to intensify the building's eerie atmosphere. It was like the calm before the storm.
Three figures made their way through the ruined hallways, remaining on high alert. In that wretched place, they had encountered a lifetime's worth of terrors in just a matter of hours. Eventually, one of the figures finally broke the silence.
"Are you guys okay, or should we find somewhere to rest for a bit?" It was a young man with short brown hair. He glanced over at his two companions with a faint trace of concern in his brown eyes.
"I'm fine, Satoshi." The second figure replied. It was a young woman with short brown hair. She appeared to be around the same age as Mochida Satoshi. "What about you, Yuka-chan?" She asked as her eyes fixed upon their other companion.
"I-I'm fine as long as I'm with Onii-chan and Naomi Onee-chan." The third figure was another young female who seemed to be a few years younger than Satoshi and Nakashima Naomi. Her hair was also brown, and it was slightly longer than Naomi's. Although she was trying to be brave, her sapphire eyes visibly displayed the true anxiety that she carried inside.
"All right." Satoshi flashed a faint smile and reached out, gently ruffling his younger sister's hair.
"..." Yuka's cheeks rose in temperature as she felt her brother's palm rubbing the top of her head. The feelings she held for him were quite obviously more than just normal 'sibling love.'
"Let's keep mov-" Before the young male could finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted by sinister laughter.
The three teenagers quickly turned their heads in the direction of the malevolent cackling. A young girl with long, black hair was floating before them. She had pale gray skin, and she was sporting a tattered crimson dress. An expression of pure malice was present on her face as she stared at her three potential victims with crazed eyes.
"Ahaha, look who I found!" Although she had the appearance of a child, her voice was deep and slightly hoarse.
It can't be! Satoshi thought to himself as his eyes widened in horror. "Sachiko!" Yes, it was definitely the female ghost who had trapped all of them in Tenjin Elementary School. She had nearly absolute control over that dimension. Over several decades, the fates of hundreds of people had been in her palm, and she brutally crushed them all without being plagued by a single hint of remorse. Satoshi knew that an encounter with Sachiko didn't bode well for their health. After taking a deep breath, his expression transformed into one of determination. "We don't have time for this. Let us through."
"Oh? You're quite demanding for a guest." Sachiko crossed her arms, and her eyes narrowed. "Shall I remind you whose domain this is? A good dose of pain should suffice to refresh your memory..."
"O-onii-chan..." Yuka whimpered, hiding behind her brother and clinging to the back of his shirt.
"Don't worry, Yuka." Satoshi whispered before focusing on the demonic being once more. "Fine. I'll accept whatever form of punishment you want to give me, but please let Naomi and Yuka go through unharmed. They shouldn't be punished for my mistake." He knew it was a long shot, but he had to try something to save his sister and his classmate.
"Hmm?" Sachiko raised an eyebrow in response to Satoshi's request. Although he was still demanding something, she seemed to be rather impressed by his words. "How noble of you. Perhaps I'll grant your request... this time." It was rare for her to give in to a victim's request, but there were certain circumstances when she did so. Her behavior could be quite erratic at times. Then again, she probably only agreed to it because she thought of an even worse method of tormenting them.
"Satoshi, what are y-" Naomi didn't even have time to finish voicing her inquiry.
Sachiko suddenly lunged at Satoshi, plunging her tiny left arm straight into his stomach.
"Ghhhaaa...kkk!" Strange guttural noises escaped from the young male's throat, and his eyes widened in shock and pain as he stared down at the pale arm that was assaulting his insides.
After what felt like an eternity to Satoshi, the female ghost finally removed her limb from within him. In reality, only a few seconds had passed. The male teenager collapsed onto his knees, holding a hand over his abdomen. The pain was gone, but an odd sensation remained inside his belly.
"Onii-chan!" Yuka sobbed, and her entire body was trembling.
"Satoshi!" Naomi gasped, bending down beside her crush. "A-are you okay?!"
"I... I think so..." Satoshi replied in a low, barely audible tone. He still seemed dazed from the experience.
"That remains to be seen." Sachiko grinned, satisfied with her work. "You're my second test subject for this experiment... we'll see how well your bodies adapt to this situation."
"Second test subject?" Naomi turned her head toward the sadistic child. "What do you mean?"
Without replying to the other female's question, Sachiko vanished into thin air. Satoshi rubbed his stomach as a feeling of dread began to well up inside him. Test subject? For what? On second thought, I don't even want to know. He knew that worrying about his circumstances wouldn't help anything, so he decided to push those fears into the back of his mind. Shaking his head, he carefully rose to his feet once more.
"Let's keep moving."
"A-are you sure?" Naomi spoke with a worried tone, placing a hand over the young man's shoulder. "Maybe we really should rest for a while."
"It's okay, Naomi. I'll be fine." Satoshi glanced over at his classmate and gave her a reassuring smile. Then, he started walking again.
"All right." Naomi nodded, following along after him.
The three students remained silent for a while... as if trying to process what had just occurred.
Meanwhile, in another part of the school, two different teenagers were searching for something. They were both wearing the same school uniform as Satoshi and Naomi. The first one was a female with teal hair. She wore it tied up in two pigtails that hung down over her shoulders. The second one was a taller male with short blonde hair.
"Kishinuma-kun, did you find anything?" The female asked as she fumbled through a dusty cupboard.
"Nope, just a few old notebooks and pencil cases." Kishinuma Yoshiki replied, peeking inside a desk. "How about you, Shinozaki?"
"Not re-aaaAAAAAAH!" Shinozaki Ayumi suddenly screamed, falling backwards on her bottom.
"What's wrong, Shinozaki?!" Upon hearing his classmate's distressed cry, Yoshiki was by her side in an instant. She obviously meant the world to him.
"I-I grabbed onto some hair..." Ayumi replied in a quiet voice, shuddering. However, her frightened demeanor quickly changed into one of frustration. "Ugh, why must all the cabinets in here contain hair?!"
"That's it? Geez, don't freak me out like that." Yoshiki released a sigh of relief. Moments later, he held out his hand to help the female to her feet. Contrary to what his appearance and behavior led people to believe, he could be a true gentleman sometimes.
"What are you doing?" Ayumi blinked, staring at her classmate's outstretched hand with a confused expression. Although she was a very intelligent young woman, she was also extremely dense when it came to matters concerning Yoshiki's feelings for her.
"U-uhh... nothing." The male chuckled in an uneasy manner, quickly pulling his hand back.
With assistance from a nearby desk, Ayumi pulled herself to her feet and dusted off her skirt. Then, she started walking toward the doorway.
"We've already checked pretty much every inch of this classroom with no success... we should probably search elsewhere."
"Yeah." Yoshiki nodded in agreement and took a few steps forward. However, he suddenly halted in his tracks and placed a hand over his mouth. His stomach heaved inward, forcing its contents up through his esophagus. Chunks of half-digested food and stomach juices spurted out from in between his fingers.
When she heard the sound of something splattering against the floor, Ayumi quickly turned around, and her eyes widened at the sight they beheld.
"Kishinuma-kun! Are you okay?!" She instinctively rushed to his side and started rubbing his back.
Wh-what the hell?! Why did I just...? Yoshiki's eyes were also wide as he stared down at the putrid puddle before his feet. This sudden wave of nausea had hit him by surprise. He and Ayumi had witnessed dozens of disgusting and horrifying sights since they first arrived in Tenjin Elementary School, but none of them had caused him to vomit. So why did he get sick now?
"Do you feel like you're going to throw up again?" Ayumi inquired, still rubbing the young man's back.
Yoshiki shook his head without uttering a single word. He didn't feel nauseous anymore, but a sense of uneasiness was starting to spread throughout his entire body. Once he recovered a bit, Ayumi helped him get cleaned up, and then the two of them departed from the classroom together. Yoshiki was unusually quiet for a while before he finally parted his lips again.
"Hey, Shinozaki..." His typically strong voice was wavering slightly.
"Nani?"
"Do you think I got sick because of our run-in with Sachiko earlier?"
"I'm not sure. You seemed fine after she disappeared."
"That's true, but..." He lifted his right hand and placed it over his belly. "...she said something about me bein' a test subject. Whaddaya think that means?"
Ayumi stopped and turned her head to look at the other teenager.
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" She wasn't accustomed to Yoshiki acting this way. He usually put on a brave front and moved forward without any hesitation.
"Ah, n-no... I just..." Yoshiki clenched his left fist and closed his eyes briefly. Tch! What am I doin'? No matter what happens, I have to be strong for Shinozaki. I have to protect her. As he opened his eyes again, a large, toothy grin formed on his lips. "...I was just curious about what she meant. Don't worry. I'm not gonna let her play mind games with me!" Much like Satoshi, Yoshiki pushed his worries into the back of his mind. No matter what the future had in store for him, he would remain strong for Ayumi's sake.
"I see. That's good." A tiny smile appeared on the female's lips as well. Yoshiki's words seemed to put her at ease... he was finally back to his normal self.
"Heheh." The young man's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Ayumi seldom smiled at him. Most of the time, he felt like she considered him to be a nuisance.
"Are you feeling sick again?" Naomi asked, tilting her head slightly.
"No. I'm all right." Satoshi replied, but contrary to his words, his face was a little pale.
"Umm... Onii-chan..." Yuka twirled her fingers around each other awkwardly.
"What is it, Yuka?"
"Your tummy..." She pointed toward her older sibling's abdominal area.
The male teenager looked down, and his eyes widened again.
"Wh-what?!" A small bump was visible underneath his shirt. His body had been feeling a bit heavier recently, but he didn't notice the bloating until it was brought to his attention.
"Satoshi... do you think... maybe..." Naomi began, uncertain about how to phrase such a weird question. "...well, considering your symptoms thus far... do you think you might... uhhh... be pregnant?"
"Wh-what are you saying, Naomi?" Satoshi laughed nervously, looking over at his classmate. "I'm a guy, so th-that's impossible. Besides, pregnancies don't progress that quickly. It hasn't even been an hour since our encounter with Sachiko."
"You're right... but it still might be possible." Naomi continued. "Sachiko pretty much has complete control over this place. If she could control the fates of countless students before us, then I'm sure she can make a man pregnant."
"That's..." He couldn't finish his sentence. As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. It's certainly a possibility. Plus, I thought I felt something move in there a few times... but it might have been my imagination. The intense feeling of dread returned, and he swallowed hard. However, he was suddenly brought out of the realm of his thoughts when he felt a small, warm palm on his abdomen. Once again, he glanced down at his protruding stomach. His younger sister was holding her hand over it, and she started to rub it gently.
"Onii-chan... are you gonna be okay?" Her bright blue eyes were glossy with tears.
"Don't worry, Yuka." Satoshi placed one of his hands on top of hers. He could already feel his fears fading away. Pregnant or not, he had a responsibility to take care of his younger sister... and Naomi as well. He was a man, after all. He couldn't let his nerves get the better of him. "I'll be fine. The three of us are all going to leave this place together, okay?"
"Okay!" Yuka smiled, visibly relieved of her worries. However, she suddenly blinked when she felt something push up against her palm.
Satoshi jumped, startled by the movement that came from within him.
"Onii-chan... was that...?" A curious expression enveloped the younger female's face, and she focused on rubbing the area where she felt the sensation. Raising her head, she looked up at her brother as she awaited a response.
"..." The male teenager's cheeks rose in temperature, and he looked away, trying to avoid eye contact with his sister. Crap. There was no mistaking that movement. Even Yuka felt it. It seemed that their speculations were becoming a reality.
"How is this even possible?!" Ayumi rubbed her temples, attempting to rid herself of a headache. She had been overthinking their current circumstances.
"You can ask that question as many times as you want, but it won't bring you any closer to an answer." Yoshiki released a slightly-annoyed sigh. He was trying not to think about it himself, but that was becoming an impossible task. In just a few hours, his belly had grown immensely. As a result, he was forced to loosen the waistline of his pants, and his lower abdomen stuck out from underneath his shirt. He appeared to be about six months pregnant. "It also won't bring us any closer to findin' a way out of this hell."
"I know that!" She snapped. The two classmates did bicker once in a while. Typically, it was the result of Ayumi being stubborn and lacking common sense (while Yoshiki was trying to protect her from her own stupidity). "But still... it shouldn't even be possible for a male to... agh!" She closed her eyes as another wave of pain shot through her brain.
"Shinozaki, we were teleported to a world of death by rippin' apart a piece of paper. Nothing surprises me anymore." Yoshiki responded in a flat tone. A few seconds later, he caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of his eye. As he turned his head in that direction, a faint spark of hope flickered into his eyes. There was a key lying on the floor nearby. He started to bend over to pick it up, but he quickly came to an unpleasant realization. He couldn't move like he used to. Even such a simple action hurt his back, and his large stomach got in the way. Wincing, he slowly straightened up again and glanced over at his classmate.
"I think I found it." Yoshiki informed her, wearing an embarrassed expression as he rubbed his sore lower back. "Do you think you could... pick it up for me? I c-can't quite reach it..." His cheeks became a light shade of pink upon uttering those words. Shit. If I can't even bend over, then how am I supposed to protect Shinozaki?
Ayumi opened her eyes and turned toward the male.
"Sure. Where is it?"
Yoshiki pointed toward the silver object, and Ayumi nodded, following his finger. She bent down and picked it up, and her own expression brightened significantly.
"Finally! I was starting to think we'd never find it." Holding the key tightly in her grasp, she began to leave the room.
"Yeah. We're one step closer to gettin' outta here." Yoshiki followed after the female, grateful that he was able to help lift her spirits. Even in spite of his condition, he was starting to feel hopeful as well. However, his decent mood rapidly started to deteriorate as they made their way through a particularly long corridor. He didn't understand why... he never had such a sudden, unprovoked mood change before. A single, warm tear rolled down his cheek. Huh? Why the hell am I crying? Raising his left hand, he gently wiped away the droplet of moisture from his skin. Wait... isn't this another symptom of pregnancy? "Khh!" He clenched his fists, frustrated with his hormones. I can't let her see me like this.
As if on cue, Ayumi turned around to face the emotional young man.
"Are you all right, Kishinuma-kun?"
Yoshiki immediately forced his lips to curve upward into a big, stupid grin. "Yeah! I mean, we found the key, didn't we?" He tried to make his voice sound as cheerful as possible... although that probably looked even more suspicious. Everything considered, it should have been pretty obvious that he was anything BUT okay.
"That's... good, I guess." Ayumi raised an eyebrow, briefly staring at Yoshiki with an odd expression before turning around again. She clearly wasn't buying his little act. It seemed like she finally understood that he was suffering more than he let on. "We can stop and rest for a while if you want to."
"Uhh... no. I'm fine." The male teenager facepalmed. No matter what he did, he always felt so lame around her. He was starting to think it was impossible to impress her. Then again, Satoshi somehow did that on a daily basis without even trying.
"I wonder how we'll explain this to Mochida-kun and the others when we meet up again." Speak of the devil. The tone Ayumi used whenever she spoke Satoshi's name held such passion.
"Not sure." Yoshiki's fake smile quickly faded, and he lowered his head. He realized that his classmate was probably trying to lighten the mood by talking about their friends, but in this case, it actually made him feel worse. Setting a hand over his bulging stomach, he tried to hold back his tears. These mood swings certainly were troublesome. Why won't she ever say my name like that?
"Just a little further. We're almost to the infirmary." Naomi encouraged her classmate. However, she was wearing a slightly nervous expression since she possessed some unpleasant memories of that particular room. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly thrilled to be returning there.
"Sorry, Naomi." Satoshi replied in an apologetic tone. One of his arms was draped around Naomi's shoulders while the other was draped around Yuka's. He was having difficulty walking on his own due to the excess weight he had gained in the past few hours (and on top of that, his feet felt like they were swollen as well). Appearing to be a full nine months along, he had been forced to unbutton his pants, and his shirt barely covered up his round abdomen.
The two females helped him into the infirmary and laid him back on one of the beds. Naomi began to search through a cupboard in the corner of the room while Yuka took a seat beside her brother.
"I guess we won't meet up with Yoshiki and Shinozaki as quickly as we thought..." Satoshi looked away from the others, ashamed to have caused a delay in their schedule. In circumstances such as this, time was everything. Even a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
"Don't worry." Naomi glanced over at the young male, and her lips curved upward into a faint smile. "It's not your fault, Satoshi. We'll just meet up with them a little later than we planned. I'm sure they'll understand if we tell them that we ran into some difficulties."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right..." Satoshi nodded in response to her words, but the expression of shame was still present on his face. Yuka placed one of her hands on top of his, trying to provide some comfort... even if it was only a little.
"Onii-chan..." Sometimes that seemed to be the only word in her entire vocabulary.
"Hmm?" He turned his head and focused his gaze upon his younger sister.
"Are you okay?" She reiterated her question from before.
"As long as you and Naomi are okay, then I'll be okay..." He attempted to reassure her, but moments after those words left his lips, he winced. "...and as long as this thing stops kicking me in the ribs."
Yuka giggled as Naomi stepped over to the bed, carrying some cloth and other supplies that she had discovered in the cabinet.
"I think we'll be able to use some of this stuff." The older female set the supplies down on the second bed.
"For what?" Yuka asked in confusion.
"Uhh... Yuka-chan, you don't actually believe in the stork, do you?" Naomi scratched her cheek in an uneasy manner. She wasn't looking forward to explaining this process to a fourteen-year-old girl.
"Stor-uuuuaaah!" Yuka suddenly shot up from the bed.
"What's the matter?" Naomi blinked, surprised by the random outburst.
"Onii-chan wet the bed..." Yuka pointed near the place where she had been sitting.
"Huh?" Naomi's eyes followed the other female's finger, and she soon released a quiet gasp. There was indeed a puddle of moisture forming below the young man's legs. However, it seemed to be coming out of a different place...
Satoshi quickly sat up when he felt the warm fluid seeping out from in between his legs. He tried crossing them in a futile attempt to stop the steady stream that was flowing out from his body.
"Yuka-chan, that's not what you think it is..." Naomi informed the younger girl.
"What is it then?"
"I'm pretty sure Satoshi's water just broke."
"EEEEH?!" The startled male moved his hand down and touched the area where the liquid was coming from.
"What does that mean?"
Naomi inwardly cringed at Yuka's inquiry.
"Aaaghh-!" Yoshiki bit his lower lip, just barely holding in a loud cry of pain. He was sitting with his back against the wall in a corner of the library. The two students had been searching through the bookshelves the moment he went into labor.
"The contractions are becoming more intense, aren't they?" Ayumi pulled out a white handkerchief from her pocket and started to wipe away the beads of sweat from her classmate's forehead. "Breathe through the pain, Kishinuma-kun... deep breaths..." She encouraged him, gently dabbing at his forehead with the fabric.
Obeying her words, Yoshiki began to inhale and exhale deeply. Eventually, the contractions ceased, and he let out a relieved sigh.
"They keep comin' sooner and sooner."
"That means you're probably almost ready to push." Ayumi informed him, returning the sweaty handkerchief to her pocket for the moment. She had taken a parenting class in school, and part of it dealt with childbirth. Thanks to this, she knew the basics of delivering a baby, but she had never actually done it before.
"Great." Yoshiki responded sarcastically. He still didn't understand how this process was supposed to work with his... male parts.
"Umm..." Ayumi hesitated as she started speaking again, and she appeared to be blushing faintly. "...is it all right if I touch it?"
The young man blinked, surprised by her unexpected question. A few moments later, he nodded, and his cheeks turned a light shade of crimson as well.
"S-sure."
After receiving her classmate's permission, the female reached out and placed her left hand over his large, bloated belly. She started to caress it gently, and her eyes brightened when she felt a light kick against her palm.
"Sugoi..." She seemed utterly fascinated... as though pregnancy were some rare phenomenon (which, in this case, it technically was).
Yoshiki blushed even harder... he just couldn't help it. Ayumi's adorable intrigued reaction and the feeling of her warm hand gently caressing his bare skin caused his heart rate to increase. If she had been affectionately touching him under different circumstances, he would have been the happiest man alive.
For several seconds, the young woman was seemingly lost in a trance. Finally, she pulled her hand back and sighed in an oddly satisfied manner. Yoshiki quickly turned his head away, hoping that she didn't notice that he was still blushing.
"S-sorry, Shinozaki."
"For what?" Ayumi's expression transformed into one of confusion.
"For ending up like this." He was still trying to avoid eye contact with her as he continued. "It'll take us even longer to meet up with Satoshi and the others because of me." He certainly felt like a burden to her right now.
"It's not your fault, Kishinuma-kun." She replied in a soft voice. "...and I'm honestly more worried about you than Mochida-kun and the others right now."
Yoshiki's eyes widened in response to this confession. She was actually worried about him? Moreover, this was probably the first time that she had ever thought about him before Satoshi. He quickly turned his head to look at her again, completely forgetting about the fact that he was blushing. Their gazes instantly met, and he could see genuine concern in her beautiful teal eyes... concern that was meant for none other than Yoshiki himself.
"E-eh?" The male teenager was so surprised by her words that he couldn't even come up with a proper response.
"Pregnancy is difficult enough for females... so I know it must be even more difficult for a male since your bodies aren't properly equipped for such a condition." Her eyes suddenly became glossy with moisture. She was on the verge of tears. "I... I don't want to lose you, Kishinuma-kun..."
"Shinozaki..." Yoshiki was truly touched by Ayumi's words... she did care about him after all. He opened his mouth to reply, but before any words had a chance to escape, his lower body was hit by another wave of excruciating pain. "Ghhh!" He was enduring the situation as best as he could without making a lot of noise, but that task was becoming nearly impossible now.
"Kishinuma-kun!" Ayumi placed one of her hands on top of the young male's.
"I think..." He managed to speak through his contraction.
"Wh-what is it?"
"I'm starting... t-to feel the urge... to push..." His voice was quiet, and he was forced to pause and clench his teeth in between every few words... otherwise, a loud, involuntary noise might erupt from his vocal cords.
"Really?" Ayumi felt a small hint of relief upon hearing those words. Finally, they were making progress! The sooner this 'infant' was out of her classmate's body, the sooner they could return to their quest of escaping Tenjin Elementary School. Yoshiki merely nodded in response, clenching his jaws together tightly in response to the agony. After taking some deep breaths, he tried speaking again.
"Unfortunately... I don't think... I c-can take my own... pants off..." There was a tinge of embarrassment in his tone as he admitted his own helplessness. On top of that, he was about to have his entire lower half exposed to the girl he loved.
"I-I see..." Ayumi's cheeks suddenly turned a rather bright shade of crimson. She hesitated for a few seconds and then slowly reached out, grabbing onto the waistline of his pants with both hands. Swallowing hard, she carefully began to slip the garments off. "I'm sorry, Kishinuma-kun." She whispered under her breath.
"Oh gooood... another one's coming!" Satoshi moaned, thrusting his head back.
"Yuka-chan, help your brother sit up!" Naomi was sitting on the bed in front of the male teenager's exposed private organs.
"H-hai!" The younger female rushed over to the bed and helped Satoshi sit up slightly, propping his back up against a pillow. Her eyes were red from sobbing. She had been listening to her brother cry out in agony for nearly two hours... it was both frightening and heartbreaking for her.
"All right, Satoshi..." Naomi's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she slowly spread apart his legs. "Take a deep breath and start pushing along with the contraction." She was trying her best to remain calm (at least on the outside). She knew that if she started freaking out, it would just make things worse for the two siblings.
Satoshi inhaled deeply and then closed his eyes, leaning forward slightly as he began to push. "Hnnnngh!" His face turned bright red, and two veins popped out on his forehead. His upper body also began to tremble.
"Easy now! Gentler pushes..." The older female encouraged him, rubbing his lower right leg in a vain attempt to provide him with some comfort. Heeding her advice, the young man eased up a little... even though he desperately wanted that 'baby' out of him. His face changed from scarlet to pink, and he wasn't trembling as violently. Eventually, he stopped pushing altogether and gasped for breath as he fell back against the pillow once more.
"That's it... just breathe. Rest for as long as you can until the next contraction." Naomi continued to gently stroke his leg. Yuka fetched a wet washcloth from the nearby desk and then took a seat on the bed beside her brother. She started to wipe the sweat from his forehead, silently watching him with a concerned expression.
The sensation of the cool fabric on his warm forehead made Satoshi feel a little better, but it certainly didn't alleviate any of the pain. Once he managed to catch his breath, he opened his eyes slightly. The first thing he saw was the worried expression of his younger sibling, which made his heart ache. He hated worrying her like this, even though he technically had no control over his current circumstances. Conjuring up a tiny smile, he finally spoke in a soft voice.
"A... arigatou, Yuka..."
Yuka shook her head in response... she didn't need any thanks. She just wanted to assist her brother in any way she could. However, her expression did seem to brighten a little when Satoshi voiced his gratitude. A few moments later, his jawline tensed up. He could already feel another contraction starting to build up. Naomi noticed it too... she could see the lower part of his rotund abdomen forcing itself inward slightly. As the male teenager's face twisted in pain, she removed her hand from his leg and placed it over his belly instead. Then, she leaned forward and whispered against his skin.
"Try to take it a little easier on him..." Her brown eyes were starting to fill with moisture as those barely audible words left her lips. I'm begging you. She wasn't sure how much longer she could maintain her calm appearance.
For a moment, her request seemed to have been granted by the fetus. The contraction lessened in intensity, and Satoshi's face returned to normal. Unfortunately, this act of mercy was short-lived. After merely a few seconds of relief, the muscles underneath Naomi's palm abruptly tightened... more than they ever had before. The young man's entire body jerked upward, and he released a scream of pure agony. This was the most intense contraction yet.
"Onii-chan!" Tears began to stream down Yuka's cheeks again, and she grabbed onto her brother's arm.
Whilst trying to hold back her own tears, Naomi lovingly caressed the boy's large belly. She hated seeing him in such a horrid state.
"Satoshi, I know it hurts, but you have to push through the pain." Her voice was starting to tremble.
Satoshi continued to push along with his contractions in spite of the overwhelming agony. After about fifteen minutes, the top of the child's head finally began to emerge from his bottom. Well... it looked like a head at least. However, it was completely black, and it was emitting an eerie purple aura. Naomi gasped at the disturbing sight, and her eyes widened. Just what exactly was Satoshi giving birth to?! Then again, she shouldn't have expected anything less from Tenjin Elementary.
"Wh... what is it, Naomi?" The male asked as his contraction subsided, and his body leaned back against the pillow.
"N-nothing!" Naomi gave the siblings a faint, uneasy smile. There was no way she was going to tell them that Satoshi was pushing out a demonic baby. The situation was already bad enough. "I've just... never seen the miracle of birth before." She continued. "I can see part of the head already. You're doing great, Satoshi."
Her response appeared to lessen the siblings' anxieties, just as she had hoped. She released a sigh of relief, but as usual, the next contraction didn't give them much of an opportunity to relax. Once more, the older female placed a hand over the young man's stomach when he started to push.
"Gh... aaaAAAAAH!" Satoshi didn't have any control over the noises that were spewing from his mouth anymore. The agony had become nearly unbearable.
"Easy, easy." Naomi spoke in a gentle tone, rubbing his lower abdomen again. Hang in there, Satoshi. The infant's head started to protrude a little more as it slowly moved down through the male's... 'birth canal.'
"Just a little more..." Ayumi encouraged her classmate with a tiny smile. However, she couldn't conceal the traces of worry in her eyes.
"NnnaaaAAAAAAAGH!" Yoshiki screamed, digging his fingernails into the wooden floor as he pushed out the widest part of the baby's head. Up until that point, he had been doing a pretty good job of holding in his cries of pain.
The young female reached out and placed one of her hands on top of his own. A few more minutes of difficult pushing ensued before the entire head emerged from Yoshiki's body. Ayumi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine when her eyes met the red glowing eyes of the baby. She honestly wasn't sure if she should try catching it with a towel or a giant talisman. Fortunately, the male teenager couldn't see the horrors past his round stomach. He probably already knew it wasn't exactly a normal child though.
"The head's out." The female announced, caressing the top of her classmate's hand. "It won't be much longer now."
Yoshiki swore under his breath and leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily. His entire body was glossy with perspiration.
"I think I've... g-gained a new respect... for women..." His voice was unnaturally high-pitched.
"I'm sure you have." Ayumi released a soft giggle in spite of their circumstances. She couldn't help it after hearing that remark.
After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Yoshiki tried speaking again.
"Hey, Shinozaki..."
"Hmm?"
"Do you... uhhh... well... I mean, would you... nevermind." He looked away again, momentarily losing all of the remaining fire in his eyes. It appeared as though he had grabbed his own heart and crushed it in his grasp, shattering it into a million pieces.
"What is it?" A confused expression returned to Ayumi's face, and she entwined her fingers with her classmate's.
"It's nothing." He assured her, closing his eyes as he abandoned his most precious feelings once and for all. A few moments later, his body tensed up. The next contraction had come even sooner than the previous one, but he didn't care anymore. He just needed to hurry and deliver this baby so that Ayumi could return to searching for a way out of this dimension. More than anything, he wanted her to be safe... he wanted her to make it out alive.
"Fuuuck." He groaned as he sat up a little more. He was extremely tired, but the feeling of the young female's warm fingers gave him enough strength to keep going. Clenching his teeth and releasing a grunt, he began to push out the baby's shoulders. The infant seemed to be taunting him by moving at a sadistically slow pace. Eventually, he had to stop pushing to catch his breath again. As he gasped for air, Ayumi used her free hand to wipe his forehead with her handkerchief.
"With a few more good pushes, the baby should slide out." She informed her classmate of the good news.
"I hope you're right." Yoshiki's eyes focused their gaze upon the smaller hand that was laying on top of his own. He wanted to smile, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. In less than a minute, he was assaulted by another brutal contraction. However, much to his relief, Ayumi's advice had been correct. After only two more pushes, he could feel the child quickly making its way into the world.
"Guuah!" That final cry escaped from the young man's lips as the rest of the infant's body emerged from his bottom. Ayumi caught it in a towel, but she only had a few seconds to study the malevolent creature before it suddenly dissolved into thin air along with its umbilical cord.
"Wha-" Her eyes widened in shock, yet she was also thankful that her classmate didn't have to see the demon that he had given birth to. "...it vanished."
"Good." Yoshiki's eyes were closed again, and his chest heaved violently in his struggle to breathe. Eventually, his eyelids slowly opened, and he looked at Ayumi with a serious expression. "Shinozaki... you n-need to... leave here. F-find Satoshi as quickly... as you can. He'll... p-protect you." He couldn't speak without gasping for breath.
"What are you saying? We're going to find the others together, remember?" She managed to display a small fake smile, but it quickly faded. She could tell from his tone that something was wrong. "You just need to rest a little first. I don't mind waiting."
The young male shook his head in response.
"No... y-you've gotta go." His face was extremely pale, and there were dark circles around his eyes. Sachiko's experiment had taken a heavy toll on his body. "I wanted to protect you... but I don't think... that's possible anymore..." His respiration still wasn't returning to normal.
"Why n-" Before Ayumi could finish her question, her classmate let out another grunt, and then something splattered against the floor in front of them. Her two teal eyes moved down, and she instantly released a horrified gasp at the sight she beheld. Yoshiki had just passed the baby's placenta and some more bodily fluids... but there were also various internal organs mixed in as well. Since men aren't properly 'equipped' for pregnancy or childbirth, this experience undoubtedly caused some fatal damage.
"I'm sorry." He muttered a quiet apology, utterly defeated. He could already tell from the excruciating pain and the extreme drop in his body's temperature that he wouldn't last much longer. The spark of life in his eyes was growing dimmer with each passing second.
"No, no, no..." The female teenager just sat there in shock for a few moments. She should have been expecting an outcome like this, but for some reason, she hadn't been. Perhaps her mind had been unconsciously blocking out all of the negative possibilities for the sake of her sanity. After all, giving in to despair was the worst thing anyone could do in their circumstances. Her eyes became glossy with tears as her lower lip began to quiver. Finally, she lunged forward and wrapped both of her arms around Yoshiki's neck in a gentle embrace. "I don't want to lose anyone else who is precious to me!"
The young man's eyes widened slightly at that unexpected reaction. However, a few seconds later, his expression softened, and he slowly wrapped his arms around his classmate. This was the second time she expressed the way she truly felt about him. So I really am special to her after all, huh? Even if she didn't carry the same type of feelings that he held for her, he didn't mind. Simply hearing that she cared about him was enough. He felt a few droplets of moisture fall against his shoulder, and then Ayumi's warm breath blew against his ear as she whispered to him.
"Don't leave me, Kishinuma-kun..."
"I'm sorry, Shinozaki... I can't stay with you anymore..." He whispered back, rubbing her back affectionately. "...but you'll be okay. Everything'll be okay." He attempted to give her one last bit of hope. He knew that she would need it in this place. The pain in his body was becoming dull, and his vision was beginning to fade... but he still felt an intense warmth within his heart from her words. "You'll escape from this place... with Satoshi and the others... and you'll all live... long, happy lives together..."
"..." There were so many feelings that she wanted to convey to him, but no words came out when her lips parted. Don't talk that way... like you've already been removed from our future. I don't even want to imagine a future without you in it...
"...so promise me..." He paused in between every few words due to his breathing difficulties. "...you won't... give up..."
"...I... I promise..." She barely managed to choke out a quiet vow through her relentless tears. The reality of the situation was finally sinking in. No matter how much she wished for it, her classmate wouldn't be escaping from Tenjin Elementary.
Satisfied with Ayumi's response, Yoshiki's lips curved upward to form a faint smile, and he used all of his remaining strength to run his fingers through one of her pigtails. The softness of her hair was the last sensation he felt as one final breath escaped from his lungs. Then, his labored breathing ceased altogether, and both of his arms fell limply to his sides while his head dropped forward.
"Kishinuma-kun?" Ayumi's eyes widened when he suddenly released her from his embrace. She couldn't feel him breathing anymore, and his head was currently resting on her shoulder. It felt heavy... like he no longer possessed any strength in his neck to hold it up. Slowly pulling away from him, she could see through her blurry, tear-filled vision that his eyes were closed. She also noticed that there was a tiny smile present on his face.
"He looks like he's sleeping peacefully." She whispered to herself, desperately wanting to believe the blissful lie that her eyes were showing her. If only he were just sleeping. A few moments later, she leaned forward and pressed her ear against the young man's chest to confirm what she already knew. There was no heartbeat. Yoshiki was gone.
"Why...? Why did everything turn out this way?" Once again, the tears started to flow down her cheeks uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, Kishinuma-kun... I'm-" Before she could finish mourning, she suddenly heard familiar, malevolent cackling behind her.
"Just as I thought!" Sachiko was floating in the air a few feet behind the other female. "The male body can't handle pregnancy after all!"
"Sachiko!" Ayumi quickly rose to her feet and turned around. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of sorrow, fear, and anger. "H-how... how could you do this?! If you knew your experiment would fail from the beginning, why did you even conduct it in the first place?!" She already knew the answer to those questions, but her intense emotions caused her to blurt them out anyway. Sachiko was doing this for pure sadistic pleasure. The only desire that remained within the tragic ghost's heart was to watch other people suffer. There could be no reasoning with her.
"Hmm... because I thought it would be interesting?" As she uttered those words, the female spirit's voice turned high-pitched and cute (almost like a normal child's). However, the next time she opened her mouth, that deep, menacing tone returned. "And I was right! Ahahahahahaha! I'm actually surprised he managed to carry the baby to full term! It must have been really hard on him! Eeeeheheheheheheh!"
"URUSAI!" Ayumi screamed, clenching her hands into fists.
"Oho?" Sachiko stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow. "I was planning to kill you once your friend died, but I think I'll let you live... for now. I want to see how much more suffering and despair your heart can take before you completely break. I'm sure it won't be long until you'll be begging for your own demise!" With a final cackle, the ghost girl vanished, leaving Ayumi alone with her classmate's body once more.
"Kishinuma-kun..." She collapsed on her knees and lowered her head.
"We should go now, Yuka-chan." Naomi spoke in a melancholy tone, placing a hand on the younger female's shoulder.
"...I d-don't want to leave him..." Yuka was kneeling beside the bed, sobbing into the sheets that were covering the corpse of her older brother.
"I know how you feel, but remember his final request..." Naomi was barely able to hold back her own tears. "...he wanted us to meet back up with Iinchou and Kishinuma. He wanted us all to find a way out together. We should respect his final wishes."
"I know... I know that..." Yuka's voice trembled as she attempted to stop herself from crying, and she slowly rose to her feet. "...but... but... IT HURTS, NAOMI ONEE-CHAN!" Without warning, she leapt toward the older female and wrapped both arms around her, sobbing hysterically. "It hurts... my chest hurts r-really bad... I didn't know losing a loved one could hurt so much! Make it stop... make it stop, Onii-chan! Come back and make it stop!"
Initially, Naomi's eyes widened in surprise at this sudden outburst, but after a few moments, she returned the embrace. As she held Yuka close, warm droplets of a clear liquid began to seep from her eyes. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She tried to be strong for the younger girl's sake, but she just couldn't take it anymore.
"My chest hurts too, Yuka-chan..." Her voice cracked as she uttered those soft words. "It's... it's really painful and frustrating, isn't it?" She closed her eyes and pulled the other female a bit closer. "It's almost unbearable..."
"What are we s-supposed to do without him? It hurts! It hurts so much!"
For several minutes, the two females held each other in a tight embrace and cried. Eventually, they both calmed down, and Naomi grabbed onto Yuka's hand.
"Come on, Yuka-chan. I'll be here with you. It won't be easy, but we'll get through this together."
The younger girl nodded in response, and then the two students started walking toward the door. Prior to departing from the room, Naomi took one last glance over at the motionless figure that was completely covered by sheets. Farewell, Satoshi.
Before long, the two females reached the designated rendezvous point in the middle of a particular hallway. Ahead of them was a large hole in the floor, and on the other side of it sat a third figure. It was another young woman with green hair that hung in pigtails over her shoulders. She was spacing out with her back resting against a wall, and she didn't seem to notice that she had visitors.
"Iinchou!" Naomi cried out, instantly recognizing her classmate.
Snapped out of her thoughts, Ayumi turned her head in the direction of the familiar voice calling out to her and then shot to her feet.
"N-Nakashima-san! Yuka-chan! Thank goodness you're both okay!" She sighed in relief, wiping her eyes. Judging from how red they were, she probably had shed many a tear.
"We're glad to see you're okay, too! Sorry we're so late! Were you waiting for a long time?" Naomi squeezed Yuka's hand. "We kinda had to take a trip to the infirmary for a while..."
"No." Ayumi shook her head in response. "I just arrived here a few minutes ago, and we actually got a little caught up with something on our end as well..."
"I see. Well, I'm glad we didn't make you both wait long. Speaking of that, where's Kishinuma?"
"He..." Ayumi looked down again, clenching her fists. "He... didn't make it."
A loud gasp escaped from Naomi's throat, and she covered her mouth with her free hand. Another piece had just broken off from her shattered heart. A brief silence ensued, but it was soon broken by Ayumi, who didn't raise her head.
"What about Mochida-kun?" She had a feeling she already knew the answer to her question. The facial expressions her friends had been wearing spoke louder than words.
"Satoshi is... probably having an argument with Kishinuma right now... about how neither of them could protect us to the very end."
"...I see." Ayumi lifted her hand and clutched her chest. "So even Mochida-kun was taken from us."
"...he was." Naomi closed her eyes as her classmate's words stabbed into her heart. She knew that she had to say something or else the pain and despair might overtake her completely. If that happened, everything would be over. Opening her eyes again, she attempted to conjure up a determined facade. "I know it's sad to leave them behind, but we should all keep searching for a way out together. That's what they both would've wanted."
"You're right." Ayumi looked up at her classmate, and a small trace of determination returned to her eyes as well. "I made a promise to Kishinuma-kun just before he passed away... I promised him that I wouldn't give up."
"Good." The corners of Naomi's lips curved upward slightly. Even in this horrendous environment, the young females were still managing to hold on to a small thread of hope. "Did you find any leads?"
"Yeah, we found an interesting room, but we didn't get to finish searching through it because of some... unexpected circumstances. I'll go ahead and complete the investigation."
"Okay. We discovered a few interesting places on our end as well, but we weren't able to complete our search either. Yuka-chan and I will continue where we left off. Hopefully we'll be able to find a place where the three of us can meet up and perform the ritual together. Are you ready to go, Yuka-chan?" She looked over at the younger girl with a faint hopeful expression. However, that hope was immediately replaced by horror. Yuka's entire body was emitting a strange blackish-purple aura, and she slowly looked up at the older female with crazed blue eyes.
Before she knew what was happening, Naomi found herself being pushed forward... and then she was suddenly falling through that giant hole in the floor. It felt like she was falling for a brief eternity as her life flashed before her eyes. Finally, she was brought out of the dream by an excruciating pain that spread throughout her entire body and rattled her bones. She felt something snap, and she could instantly see a view of everything behind her. In the next moment, everything vanished as each of her five senses ceased functioning simultaneously.
Ayumi stood there in shock for several seconds, staring at the young girl who had been completely devoured by the Darkening. Then, her eyes focused their gaze down into the 'abyss' before her. It was almost pitch black down there, yet she could still just barely make out her classmate's deformed figure lying on the floor. Naomi's head appeared to be facing the wrong direction, and her limbs twitched for a few moments before becoming entirely still.
"N... no way..." The teal-haired female's body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her one and only remaining hope of escaping Tenjin Elementary School had just been mercilessly destroyed. Naomi was killed right before her very eyes, and Yuka wouldn't be able to leave due to the Darkening's wretched curse. There was no one left to perform the ritual with now.
Ayumi could feel her own mental state rapidly deteriorating. At last, she understood what true despair felt like. She knew with absolute certainty that there would be no salvation for her. I'm sorry, Kishinuma-kun... As she silently apologized to her deceased friend, she noticed that a black substance was starting to ooze out from her body. An intense, throbbing pain abruptly shot through her head, and she released a shrill scream in response. It was taking over. Her vision was beginning to fade... it wouldn't be much longer. I couldn't even keep my last promise to you... I'm so sorry. Those were her final thoughts before the world around her went utterly black, and her entire being succumbed to the Darkening.
WRONG END