A/N: This story contains spoilers for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. Also, its my first Higurashi fanfic so please be kind!

Disclaimer: I do not own Higurashi or any of its characters. If I did then my life would be complete and I could die with no regrets xD

Reverie

Rika Furude was weary. Not her bones, nor her muscles, but rather her very soul itself. She had lived forever through this endless June .

With a soft sigh, Rika twisted the handle of the faucet, watching the steaming water spew forth, endless drops trickling into the four corners of the bathtub. Once the water had accumulated, she immersed herself in the water, cringing slightly as the searing heat from the bath met with her skin. Rika settled back into the tub, eyes flickering closed.

Hanyuu had recently noticed the change in Rika, the melancholic disposition, the hardened out look on her fate. It worried her. No... it scared her. Rika had always been strong. She had always had a fighting spirit, a will to meet fate head on.

Hanyuu was worried. She needed to talk with her dearest friend to ease her fears. Materializing in front of Rika with a soft "pop" the small, horned girl opened her mouth to speak. Eyes widening at the scene before her, Hanyuu's mouth formed a slight "o' shape as a small murmuring of "auu" escaped her lips. Her palm quickly covered her mouth as a light blush crept up her cheeks. Rika was nearly asleep in the bath, oblivious to Hanyuu's presence. It felt wrong, like looking into Rika's deepest thoughts. But Hanyuu did not move. Instead she settled herself down to sit atop the basin, leaning her back against the mirror behind her. It was rare to see Rika's face this unguarded. Hanyuu could not look away. In this state Hanyuu was reminded of a younger Rika, a less jaded Rika who's only worries involved avoiding Mion's punishment games and surviving Rena's "Omochikaerii mode". As Hanyuu watched the peaceful face of her companion, her thoughts began to drift.

Hanyuu had witnessed many atrocities done "under her name" by misguided souls. Her heart had become burdened with guilt and sadness, taking personal responsibility for the countless deaths. Her life had been filled with these burdens. Until the day she met Rika.

She had gazed down at the tiny infant lying in her cradle, eyes half shut. The small baby's lids slowly fluttered open, focussing in on the horned girl peering down at her. A soft giggle escaped the child and her tiny hands flailed and clutched the air, hoping to grasp a tendril of Hanyuu's long periwinkle hair. Hanyuu's heart lurched in a surprising way. To her amazement, tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyelids. This child, this infant, was able to see her! It was unspeakable, unheard of. Hanyuu's presence had always gone unseen by those around her. She had watched from afar while the ancestors of Hinamizawa had "demoned away" the unsuspecting villagers of the rural town. She had listened as rumours began to spread far and wide of an unforgiving god, the one they all called Oyashiro-sama. It had de-humanized her. If she had ever even been something close to human. She was an outsider to the rest of the world until the day she laid eyes on little Rika Furude asleep in her crib.

From that day forth, Hanyuu and Rika had been inseparable. Rika's parents and those around her had denied Hanyuu's existence, dismissing it as merely a child's wild imaginings. But Rika's belief in her companion would never waver. She had known since the beginning that her family was in fact made up of four people, rather than three.

Rika had never been very close with her own mother. They had not been able to see past their differences and Rika had, for the most part, rejected any kind of parenting her mother had attempted. Instead it was Hanyuu who ultimately took on the role of Rika's mother figure. It was Hanyuu that taught Rika the ways of the world. It was with Hanyuu's guidance that Rika became wise to the secrets of Hinamizawa. But this frightened her parents, frightened those around her. She had knowledge that no child her age could possibly have. Knowledge of Oyashiro-sama and the dark past of the village. Rumours spread that Rika was the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama and the villagers began to look upon her with newfound respect and love, love that Rika felt was ultimately misplaced.

Over time, as Rika grew older, her relationship with Hanyuu began to change. The age gap between the two friends was still significant, however Rika's maturity had always been significantly greater than that of her dearest friend. Rika had lived through an endless June for what seemed like eternity to her. Though her outward appearance was that of a child, inside she was growing weary. She could no longer see the world through the eyes of the innocent child she had once been. To Rika, every action, every motion was calculated. Her mind whirled with strategies to combat the fate she had been dealt so many times now. She was not ready to give up on her precious friends quite yet. Through all of her suffering, Rika thought only of saving her friends. Protecting Satoko from her uncle's abuse, preventing Mion's jealousy regarding the doll incident, saving Keiichi from his own undoing. Rika Furude could not watch her precious friends parish another time. It was simply too much for her soul to bear.

"Splish..splash"

Hanyuu's head jerked up in surprise at the sudden noise, waking her from her reverie. Her eye's met with a pair of purple tinged orbs, twinkling with mischief. Rika leaned over the side of the tub, a handful of bubbles in her palm.

"Au..au.au" whined Hanyuu softly. "I'm sorry Rika! I didn't mean to intrude..I was just thinking about some–mphf!!"

Hanyuu's sentence had been cut short by a mouthful of bubbles.

"Rika!" she exclaimed in indignation. As Hanyuu glared down at the dark haired girl however, her irritation seemed to drift away. She couldn't stay angry at Rika when she was in this kind of mood. It was always so reassuring to see Rika's smiling face and to hear her unguarded laughter. This kind of Rika reminded her of the Rika of years passed. The Rika who was innocent and unjaded. The Rika who's thoughts were not centered around the repeating June. Hanyuu let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It was going to be ok, she told herself. Rika is still Rika.

Hanyuu's thought was cut off by yet another handful of soapy bubbles. Hanyuu would not go down without a fight either. She would show Rika her own strength as well. When the time came for this world to end, and for the next to begin, Hanyuu would be there, right by Rika's side till the very end of June. Reaching into the tub, Hanyuu clasped a handful of bubbly water, splashing it in Rika's general direction. The fight was on.

Together we will always persevere until arriving at a far better future.

Thanks for reading! R&R if you don't mind :3