"Rika! Satako! You two are late~!" I sang. The two young girls slowly came to a stop on their bikes. "Mii. I'm sorry for making you wait. I had a flat tire and Satako decided to help me." Rika had her usually cheery smile. "It's okay. Let's just go meet up with the others or Mion will have my head for being late again." I laughed lightly as I pictured Mion shouting at me in irratation, Keiichi trying to calm her down and the others watching in amusement. I mounted my bike and rode off with the young girls in front of me. We got to the toy shop at the time Mion said to be there. "Hm? Mi-chan isn't here…neither are Keii-chan or Rena-chan…I wonder where they could be?" I glanced at Rika. She was looking down, her happy smile gone. I bent down. "Rika, what's wrong?" She looked at me and smiled again. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering where they might be and what might be keeping them. Nippa~!" I kept looking at her, worry filling me. "Hey, you guys!" We all turned around when we heard Mion shout. I waved excitedly. "Rena, Keiichi, Mion! Nice of you to finally make it." I joked. Rena got off her bike and hugged me. "Hi~! Oh, you look so cute today! I wanna take you home!!" She hugged me tightly, refusing to let go until Mion told us of the club's actvities for the day. We were to play a game I totally sucked at. I numbly sat at the seat I was assigned to and played the game the best I could. Before the game was finished, Mion put the game to a stop to be continued the next day. The shop owner gave Keiichi a doll. I'm not sure why, since I was zoned out at the strange feeling of déjà vu. The feeling was broken when he gave Mion the doll. "Hm…?" I didn't realize I had made a questioning noise until Rika pulled at my shirt. "What's wrong?" I looked at her, smiling at my own confusion. "I just felt like this has happened before. Except the doll was given to Rena and not Mion." I could easily read the expression on her face. She was shocked, but it was a happy kind of shock. "Kasumi, you have to tell me, what made it feel like déjà vu?" I looked her in the eye, trying to decide whether I should still worry for her or not. "Tell me!" "I'm not sure. It might've been a dream or something." She looked at me sternly. She let go of my shirt and dropped her gaze down to the ground. "Thinking it was a dream is better then not remembering at all." She mumbled. The others were busy talking and joking, leaving me as the only one to notice the change in her voice. Maybe I really should worry for her mental health… I couldn't help but think that. As I looked at Rika with concern, I thought I saw a girl next to her. "Rika!" She glanced up at me. "I-- but-- am I going crazy?" "What? Did you remember something?" I shook my head and chuckled. "I thought I saw a girl with light purple hair next to you. I guess I'm going insane since no ones there." We had a small stare down, as if we were trying to read each other's thoughts. We were interrupted when we realized Satako was saying good-bye to the others. "Rika! Come on, we have to get dinner started." Satako was smiling away as she mounted her bike. Rika gave her the sign to go on. She looked at me and whispered, in a voice deeper then usual, "If anything else gives you déjà vu, or you see a little girl again, please report to me as quickly as possible." Before I could respond, she mounted her bike and rode off.
I flopped on my bed and looked at the ceiling. "Rika…what were you talking about today?" I rolled on my side and grabbed the remote to the television. I turned it on, changed the channel to my favorite horror station, and started watching a movie. Ten minutes into it, I watched the main character beat the other two with a crow bar until they died. I gripped the sheets to my bed tightly, as I recalled what had happened. I quickly turned the television off, and scrambled to find the phone. I knocked over a few things, but finally I got the phone in hand. I dialed as fast as possible. "Hello?" "Oh, Satako-chan! Is Rika there? I really need to talk to her about something." "Oh, yeah, she's here. Hold on a second, please." I heard Satako run off in search of Rika. I curled my knees up to my chest, and rocked back forth, in wait. "Kasumi? What's up? Is something wrong?" I nodded, but then realized she couldn't see me, so I spoke. "Yes…I-I saw something…and I felt the pain." I shut my eyes, and rubbed my arms, legs and torso as they began to throb from the non-exsistant pain. "What was it? What did you remember? You have to tell me what it was! You can't skip any kind of detail!" Her voice had gone to the deep, serious voice it had heard earlier today. "I was watching a movie, and then it hit me like a brick." I paused as I gripped my head. "I was visiting Keii-chan…I heard footsteps and other noises upstairs. I went up there, and when I opened the door….he had killed Rena and Mion…" I had started crying at this point. "Do you remember anything else, Kasumi?! If you do, please tell me! This is more important then you can understand!!" I caught my breath and continued. "He saw me and froze up. I screamed at him. 'What the hell have you done, you bastard!?! They were just going to play the punishment game!!' He then accused me of helping them. I told him what they had told me. That they were just going to dress him like a girl and take pictures. He didn't believe me at all. While I was crying over Rena's blood drenched body, He hit me with the bat. Over and over he hit me, breaking every bone. Before the final strike he shouted 'die'. The entire time, a girl was standing there…she kept saying 'I'm sorry' over and over. She looked like a ghost. It looked as if she truly wanted to help me, to stop Keiichi-kun. Then…everything changed. I was standing with Rena, Mion, the girl and you. You said we had to wait for at least one other person. I assumed it was all a dream, but now….now everything seems much more real…" I was staring at the ground by now. My tears had stop. I was now working my mind to the limit. Who was the girl? Was she the same one I saw next to Rika this morning? Did everything actually happen? "Kasumi…when is the next time I can talk to you? Alone, in person, I mean?" Rika's voice brought me out of my continuous thoughts. "How about…tomorrow? Right after school we can make up an excuse and ditch the others so we can talk." There was a thirty second silence. "Alright. That's possible." Her voice had gone back to normal. "Well, then I'll talk to you tomorrow, Kasumi. Good night. Oh, and if you have a dream or anything, remember to contact me immediately." "Yes, Rika. I will, I promise. Good-bye." I hung the phone up. I sighed and took deep breaths.
Before I knew it, it was morning. I got up, changed to my school outfit, and walked to the meeting spot. I saw Rika and Satako chatting away happily. I stopped and smiled. "If my dreams are real…why do such innocent girls have to meet such a cruel fate?" I looked in their direction for a moment longer, until I saw her. "Hey…it's the girl from my dream!" I quickly ran up to my friends. "Rika…can you help me out with something after school today?" She looked at me, a small ounce of confusion in her eyes. Then it clicked. "Of course. After all, you did entertain the people before my performance at the festival." She smiled. The girl from my dreams….she still hasn't disappeared! Am I going crazy, or is she really there?! Maybe…I should talk to Rika about this today… "Are you guys ready to catch up to the others?" Satako asked, walking backward. I smiled, despite the worry and confusion building inside me.
The entire day was normal. Mion and Keiichi got into multiple fights, Rena and I talked about 10 million things, and Satako and Rika played and helped each other all day. After school, Mion assumed we'd all be staying for club activities. I stood up and apologized to Mion for both Rika and me. Afterward we left and quickly made our way to the river. We sat on a ledge of land and dangled our feet over the water. "Have you had any other 'dreams' yet?" She asked dazing into the clear water. "Well…yes. I…had trapped Mion and Shion somehow. They had lied to me, or so I thought. I had gone crazy…and I tortured them both. Finally, when Shion broke and shouted to kill her…I took Mion out. I chained her up in front of Shion, and for about five minutes, I would harshly cut random parts of her body. After I had had enough of Shion's pleas, I started stabbing at Mion. I killed her. Four days later I killed Shion, then within the rest of this month, I killed Satako, Keiichi, and Rena. I even killed you..." I glanced at her. She was just staring at me. "You're memory…is incredible." I sat up straight. "My memory? You mean this really did happen!?" She explained to me that we were living in another Hinamizawa that was destined to a fatal end. At first I didn't believe her, but then the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. "Oh, and Rika…?" She cocked her head in curiosity. "The girl I thought I saw the other day…I'm still seeing her. Every time I come near you, I see her. Does that mean I'm going crazy?" She looked down. "Her name is Hanyuu. She's the one responsible for all of us still being here." She looked down at the water. Then she laid on her back. "Hanyuu. Show yourself." The girl appeared. "R-R-Rika…are you sure its safe to call my name? What if she's just making things up?" Hanyuu asked. "I don't lie." I saw her jump out of the corner of my eye. I giggled. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to freak you out."
After we finished talking and all, I went home. I quickly got in the shower to help get rid of the slight headache I had developed. "I wonder if this Hinamizawa will meet a fatal end? If it does meet a fatal one, will someone go crazy due to the Hinamizawa Syndrome and who this time?" I often spoke to myself when in the shower, or doing something that involves little thinking. Some people have called me crazy for this little known fact. I stood in the shower, thinking aimlessly about all I was told. I heard three quick knocks at my door past the water beating down. I turned the water off and put on my robe. As I opened the door, I heard Rena and Keiichi saying hello. When I had completely opened the door, I froze and blushed deeply. Keiichi had stopped and was staring at my exposed legs, due to the fact I didn't have a very long robe. "Keiichi-kun…I-I didn't know you'd be visiting me…" He kept staring. I saw a buldge appear in his pants. "K-Keiichi!!" I shouted, blushing even deeper. I saw a very deep blush appear on his cheeks. "I-I'm sorry! But please, don't blush, that makes it worse!!" After about two more minutes of this bickering, Rena took me upstairs, and had Keiichi sit on the couch and think of things that would un-excite him. When we finally came back into the living room, I made sure my jacket was zipped up. "So, what brings you two here?" They looked at each other, then back at me. "We…we can't find Shion. She's gone missing." Rena said, looking down in sadness. Shion is gone?! Is this due to the curse?! "What do you mean she's gone missing? For how long?" Keiichi looked at me, his eyes full of worry. "Two days, now." I looked down. "What about Mion?! Where is she?!" Rena layed a hand on my shoulder. "She's still here. We saw her earlier today. But the reason we came was, we're afraid someone else might disappear." I balled my hands into fists. "Who do you think will disappear next?" Rena shook her head before speaking. "I'm not sure if she will, but…I feel like Satako will be next." I clenched my fists tighter. C-could Satako really be next?? Why Satako? Why not me instead?! "We're trying to keep an eye on Rika and Satako for the next few days. Will you help us out?" Keiichi asked. I nodded once. "Of course. I think of them like the sisters I've always wanted." Rena smiled widely, along with Keiichi. "Thanks, Kasumi!" They said in unison. Rena stood and walked to the door, Keiichi following her. "We'll leave you alone now. You seem really tired." Rena opened the door as she spoke. I walked over to the door with them. "Eh, just a little." All of sudden Keiichi hugged me tightly. I was shocked by his abruptness, but hugged back anyway. "Thank you, Kasumi. For everything…whether you know what I'm talking about or not, thank you." He released me, said 'good-bye' with Rena, and left. I went to the window and watched them walk away as the sun set. "I know exactly what you're talking about…Keii-chan…" I smiled to myself and went in search of pajamas for the rest of the night.
Saturday is the kind of day where a kid can sit at home and relax. That's not true if you live in Hinamizawa. I was woken early that Saturday. "Hau…who would be knocking at the door at eight in the morning?" I slowly got up and opened the door. "Ooshi-san? What are you doing here?" The big-boned police man stood at my door with a fresh cigarette in his mouth. "I'd like to speak to you about Shion Sonozaki. Would you like to come out to my car?" I opened the door wider. "Not in my pjs, no. Come in, I don't mind." I smiled sweetly. He hesitantly walked through the door. "So, Kagami-san…where were you three nights ago?" I sat in my mushroom chair before responding. "Lets see…three nights ago I was with Rika. She was helping me practice my singing." He sat on my couch and frowned slightly. I guessed by the frown he wanted a confession of murder rather then my answer. "What time did you meet with Furude-san?" I put a finger to my chin in thought. "We met with each other about four in the afternoon. I stayed the night with her and didn't leave for home until six the next day. Me, her, and Satako had fun playing at their house all day." He took a draw off his cigarette then took out a note pad. He quickly scribbled what I had just said. "Have you seen Shion Sonozaki at all since the night of Watangashi?" I had to rewind the past few nights in my head. "No…last time I saw her, it was that night. Then again, we don't see each other that often anyway. Half the time we just talk on the phone." He finished his cigarette then quickly asked, "When was the last time you spoke to her?" I shook my head. "I can't remember that…I've made so many phone calls to people, I can't remember. I'm sorry, Ooshi-san…" He slowly nodded once. "I understand. Well, Kagami-san…" He got up and walked to the door. "If you remember anything, come see me as soon as you can." He walked out and shut the door with a slam. I scowled. "My name is Kasumi Kagami…everyone but him calls Kasumi! I hate having to act like I like that damn creature!!" I couldn't help but shake. I hated that man, but never let him know of my hatred for him. I was close to throwing something at the wall in anger when the phone rang. I picked the phone up. "Hello?" When I heard the voice, I froze in shock. "Hey, Kasumi-chan! It's Shion! When are we going to hang out again?" I was silent. But Shion was reported missing…could Mion be pulling a cruel prank? Or is it really Shion calling from where ever she is?! "Kasumi? Is everything okay?" "O-oh...yeah, everything is fine, I just saw something outside that caught my attention. But, Shion, where are you? You've been reported missing since no one has seen you for three days now." There was a silence. "Shion! Where are you?! Wait…you've never added 'chan' to my name…only Mion does that. You're not Shion…are you?" I waited a few seconds in utter shock and fear. "Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!" She broke out in laughter. It wasn't normal laughter. It sounded maniacal. I hung the phone up and started to back away from the phone. I tripped over a chair leg and fell on my butt. I quickly got up again and changed into everyday clothing. I rushed to the kitchen once I grabbed my bag. I opened a drawer and grabbed a knife that looked good enough to use in case something went wrong. I sprinted out of the house, going in one direction; straight to Rika's. I ran as fast as I could. I apologized to everyone I ran in to. I had to find Rika and Hanyuu as fast as possible. I dashed through the forest. Unfortunately, I tripped over a loose root of a tree. My bag fell off my shoulder and slid ahead of me. "Ah…ow…damn…I'm wasting time just sitting here!" I started to get up when I saw feet in front of me. Slowly, I looked up. "M-Mion? W-what are you doing out here?" Mion was in a blue and white kimono type outfit, staring down at me. "Hello…Kasumi…" She smiled evily. I tried to get up and run away, but before I could get off my knees I was hit with an object hard enough to knock me out.
"Shion! Let her go! She has nothing to do with Satoshi!!" "Shut up!! You lie!! Just like Grandmother!!" I slowly opened my eyes to the shouting twins. When I fully came to, my hands had been shackled above my head, while my feet were shackled to the floor and wall. "Hu….hm?" I looked straight ahead to see one of the twin girls in a caged cave. "Kasumi? Kasumi! I'm so happy you're alright!! Listen, that's Shion, I'm Mion! She's gone crazy! She thinks we all did something about Satoshi-kun's disappearence!" I was shocked that both of the Sonozaki girls were alive and in Hinamizawa. "Mion, what is she going to do?" I heard her voice crack when she spoke. "I-I don't now what she plans on doing…all I know is she's gone mad!" She burst out in tears. "I just hope…Keiichi and the others don't run into her…I don't want them to get hurt!" I looked down. "I'll stop her. Somehow, someway. I won't forgive myself if she murders or hurts any of our friends…"
Hours passed. No noise entered the chamber. The only sound that went on was Mion and I talking about the good times, and whenever Shion would walk in to check on us. I hung my head down, for I was depressed. How did this come to be? My head shot up when I heard Shion talking to someone else. I locked eyes with Mion, who had also heard Shion speaking to someone. It was Satako. I couldn't make out words, but I know something bad was going on. "Can you hear this, Mion!? Kasumi?! Can you hear her screaming?!" "SHION STOP!! DON'T DO THIS!!!" I shouted, hoping the slightest bit, she would. She didn't. I heard Satako lightly. She was talking about something…most likely talking to her nii-nii, Satoshi. It got silent quickly. We heard the weapon being used hit the floor. I began to cry. Satako…why?! Why her?! Why not me first?!? "Kasumi…" I heard the voice. "Hanyuu?" I whispered. She appeared in front of me. "Rika…is dead. She died upstairs a few minutes ago. She killed herself." I cried harder. I tried to get loose by trying pulling my hands through the cuffs. It usually was easy for me, but she made sure the cuffs were close to skin tight. "No…no!!"
I eventually gave up and waited for my time to come.
I remained chained for the next few days. Shion barely entered the chamber. I thought about everything that had happened. Why does this feel so familiar? Mion had fallen asleep at the time Shion finally came down. She threw pebbles at Mion, trying to wake her. Mion, slowly, looked up at her double. "I thought you might want to see this…" Shion said, as she stood up from her crouching position. Mion, almost instantly, was plastered with fear. "What…? What are you going to do?!" I watched as Shion made her way over to me. "I took care of Rika…I took care of Satako. Now its your turn. But before I do anything horrible, I'll give you a chance to tell the truth." She pulled out a knife from her sleeve. It was my knife. The one I put in my bag before I was brought to the chambers. As if her feet had chained balls attached to them, she inched toward me. "Tell me…what happened to Satoshi-kun…" I closed my eyes. "Shion…all I know is he disappeared after his aunt was found dead." "LIAR!!" She cut into my left arm deeply. "Shion, I'm not lying! Please…believe me. I've never lied to you…even when we were playing all those games for the club and were put on different teams! I never lied to you then, so I wouldn't lie to you now!" I felt tears beginning to build up. "Please…don't do this…can you not remember all the good times we had? All the games, all the jokes…" She stabbed into my arm again and again, splashing blood everywhere, until my arm lost feeling. "I know you did something about Satoshi!! If you're not going to tell me, I'll blame you for everything and get rid of you!!" I was softly crying. "Fine…I'm helpless at this point anyway…" She continued stabbing parts of my body. I could feel the blood leaving me. Everything started to get hazy. I saw Hanyuu. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry--" Stop saying that, Hanyuu. This was an inescapable fate. It's not your fault. I could barely hear Mion shouting after I told Hanyuu to stop saying 'I'm sorry' over and over. I took one final look at Shion. Her pupils were small, filled with the murderous look. She stabbed my head.
The setting instantly changed. "Kasumi…you finally made it. You lasted longer this time." Rika said. Satako smiled and hugged me. "Kasumi! I'm glad to see you again!" I smiled lightly. "Who do we have to wait for?" Rika shrugged. "Who knows? So far we're the only ones. I have feeling more will come though. By the way, Kasumi, you might not be able to see or speak to Hanyuu in the next world. If that's to happen, I'll ask her to tell me that you once could. That way I can tell you about her." I saw Rika's sweet smile once again. I nodded. It seemed like I was there only seconds before Mion appeared. "Mi-chan!" Satako said happily. They started chatting and Rika instantly turned to me. "I hope this next world holds no bad surprises." I cocked my head. "What do you mean?" She shook her head. "There's actually a small chance one of us might be replaced in the next world. I only know of this because of Hanyuu." I nodded once, sadness overwhelming me. Keiichi appeared before I could respond to Rika. "Keii-chan…!" Mion said, throwing her arms around him. "Shion?" She shook her head, maintaining a smile. "Mion. Shion is the one who killed us." "Oh…well, I'm really glad you didn't go too far over an argument and murder." He said with a laugh. Mion and Satako chucked as well. That's not really funny…but I guess if you're part of this Hinamizawa deal, the best you can do is make a joke out of it and wait for the day of happiness to come, when we all live past the month of June. Shion appeared beside us. "……I-I'm sorry…you guys. I don't know what come over me." She was forgivin easily, as we huddled together. "It's alright Shion. The main thing is, its not over yet. Rena managed to live, so let's all go to the next Hinamizawa together!" I announced happily. Hanyuu walked over, a smile slightly on her lips, with a palm sized crystal in her hand. She put the hand with the crystal in the middle of the circle. "Let's go everyone, and let's hope for a happy ending!" Rika encouraged. We all put our hands on the crystal, and jumped to the next awaiting Hinamizawa.