I've taken liberties to make a Higurashi arc of my own. Higurashi no naku koro ni isn't owned by me I just have a love for writing. This could be seen as a "What if" Scenario and I've taken liberties to twist the story a bit as I please. But I still hold strong to make everyone act as they should. Out of character acting is a horrible thing unless it has a background development. I got inspiration to do this right after I've watched the opening to the second season.

Nakanaide-hen. Don't cry- chapter.

Chapter 1: Family

I want to live peacefully. I want to live peacefully and have many happy days.

I don't………want to die.

His hand was warm on my shoulder. If I should describe him it would be like warm and fluffy rice. Light, a bit tasteless, but yet simple and enjoyable.

-"I don't want to die."

Oyashiro-samas will cannot be changed, especially not by someone mortal like you.

-"Rika-chan……" You look sincerely worried. You look worried over my fate and me. But you cannot save me. I cannot leave this village, and I cannot fight my fate.

-"Akasaka-san. You should be going home. Go back to Tokyo."

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She wanted me to take her away from there.

-"Rika-chan… What you said before…… About not being able to live anywhere else then here." Her eyes still seem distant, as if they didn't look at me or anything else in the environment. As if Rika-chan wasn't present at all.

-"Mi." Then suddenly, just like before she smiles cheerfully like the first time we met only two days ago. I can't really believe in what she said, it fully goes against all reason. Yet a part of me, seems to believe.

And that part is terrified of losing Rika-chan. "Akasaka-san. My parents still live here. I can't leave; and I can't live in the city I already said that."

-"Well I have to be leaving Rika-chan. I'm taking an early train in the morning." It's ridicules, foreseeing events like that, as if she was some kind of prophet. Rika-chan is just Rika-chan. Her small hands take mine, holding gently as if she were the one afraid of breaking them.

-"Akasaka-san needn't worry. The festival will be allot better the coming years." I just blink at her, seeming surprised "Nipa"

¤¤¤

Oyashiro-sama watches you. He stands by your bedside looking down at you. The shadow that is watching you, that is Oyashiro-sama.

I don't want to die.

Rika curled up in her bed closing her eyes. She knew very well what was looking down at her. The shadow that spoke through her. Sometimes she couldn't separate it's will from her own. But she knew, she knew so well. That this year, now at this very night at the Watanagashi, her family would be the ones to die. She didn't know who would execute the murderers, but they would happen. And she would be left alone. She tugged at her long sleeve, she was still wearing her festival gear, the miko outfit.

When would it happen? How would it happen? She'd never imagined she'd be this frightened. She'd always known, she even predicted the deaths. She could have told them of their coming fate and-

And then what? She was merely an observer and a tool for Oyashiro-sama. Would people, after things have gotten this far, believe her words?

She heard sounds outside the shrine. The adults festival was still going on. Drinking and celebrating. Celebrating Oyashiro-sama? Or the survival of Hinamizawa? Or something else?

Rika got up from her bed and opened the door carefully. Then walked down the corridor feeling how her red miko pants where almost dragging against the wooden floor. There wasn't much to observe at the festival grounds right now. Her classmates should already be home by now. Hopefully Satoko would be alright, she had Satoshi with her after all.

Satoshi.

She stopped in her tracks feeling that she was about to vomit. What fate would possibly await Satoko after that?

First loosing her parents, then loosing her only brother. She knew all this but could say nothing and do nothing.

She had never intended to befriend Satoko, at least not being this close, having her come over so often as she did. Having them get along so great. She was of the Houjo family but Rika didn't care the least about that.

But she had foreseen her own death as well as Satokos parents and brother. She would have to leave her best friend to such a fate of loneliness. A fate worse then death. She knew that she was the indirect cause of it; at least she felt that way. But her role as merely the observer remained unchanged. Observe until then end then die. Live alone, close yourself of until the end, safest for the others. Don't make friends, you'll soon loose them. She let her forehead lean against the outside door, now hearing the festival clearly. The music and the celebrating. The others could go on happily; they didn't count the days as she did. The curse must frighten them, not knowing who would be struck down next. But she knew, but she could do nothing.

-"Satoko……" She whispered so low so that she barely heard it herself. She felt her fist clench and she hated herself for her selfishness.

But she couldn't stand Hinamizawa any longer; she felt herself slide down on her knees staring at the floor, her hand still placed on the thin door. She hated this life, and she hated this role. But she hated herself the most, and then her inside was thrown up.

¤¤¤

-"Why is such a little girl like yourself making such an advanced call?" The older mans voice had a cheery and concerning tone to his voice. He seemed confident Rika was just joking or had dialled the wrong number.

-"I'm looking for Akasaka Mamoru-san." Rika said in a cheerful tone trying to sound happy and carefree, she was good at faking such emotions, pretending that last night hadn't been like it was.

-"Are you his daughter?" The voice on the other end still seeming cheerful.

-"A distant relative. Nipa." The voice chuckled.

-"I'll get him over here." He continued to chuckle as he left the phone and a minute later she heard a more familiar voice.

-"This is Inspector Akasaka."

-"Nipa!"

-"Ah Rika-chan! I'd never thought I'd hear from you again." He sounded as genuinely happy as she remembered him. "How are things in Hinamizawa?" For a moment Rika found herself going silent. If this was going to work she would have to deny her entire role as Oyashiro-samas priestess. Was she willing to do that? Going against Oyashiro-samas will, the will that she herself had been claiming unchangeable for so long now.

-"Everything is good Akasaka-san."

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He breathed out. He noticed himself now that he had, mostly sub concisely, been over worried over Rika-chans safety. Hearing her voice now had at first made him incredibly worried but her now glad tone had calmed him. To be very honest his life wasn't looking all that bright. Miyukie, his daughter. Was spending more time with his sister and her man then him. She still was at such a young age, and his sister and her husband had been willing to look after her during the first critical years. She needed a mother in her life after all. But now she was living full time with him, but his sister paid him daily visits.

-"That's good to hear Rika-chan." There was some silence on the line for a moment. "Rika.chan?"

-"Akasaka-san. Can I, come and live with you?" He almost jumped back several meters, he actually didn't expect that to come.

-"Li, live with me?"

-"Just for a little while, a visit."

-"Ri right, a visit." He smiled slightly, for a moment it had sounded like she had wanted to move in with him, but that was a ridicules thought. That was complicated and as good as impossible.

¤¤¤

-"What are you talking about Rika-chama?" The old man tried to encourage her after the loss of her grandfather, the shrine owner and her grandmother. The ones she had been living with as long as she could remember. They had been supporting for her all her life, through all her days. Yet she still felt a feeling of relief that they were gone. It felt horrible to feel such a thing, relief over your dead relatives. Nevertheless they were, according to paper, the only ones who could drag her back to Hinamizawa. Now she just needed to overcome the strong call of Oyashiro-sama, and the even stronger regret of leaving Satoko behind. Then she could run away from her tragic fate; and start to live.

-"I'm going to see a distant relative in Tokyo."

-"A relative in Tokyo? I've never heard of that Rika-chama."

-"Well I said he was a distant relative after all." Her face lit up in a smile. "Nipa."

-"Rika-chama……" The old man sat down having his hands on her small shoulders. "Are you trying to run away from Hinamizawa?" Rika was just to respond that she would never intend to do something like that when he interrupted her. "Then you'd better hurry Rika-chama. Hinamizawa and it's fate is nothing for a little girl like you Rika-chama. Life is waiting out there isn't it?"

-"………….Nipa."

¤¤¤

Rika looked around her at the train station holding on to her luggage tightly. Tokyo was so much bigger then Hinamizawa, and she had never left the village after all. She looked around one more time and then she found a smaller bench that she could seat herself on. The people moved back and forward in front of her. Everything here went in a much faster speed then in Hinamizawa, but she would just have to get used to it. Even so she did miss the village more and more by the seconds.

-"Rika-chan!" She felt her face shine up as she heard his voice from the crowd and she spotted him immediately as he moved up to her. His face just as glad as hers when he saw her. "I can't believe that you made it all the way here to Tokyo by yourse-

Rika didn't know herself what must have come over her, but she let go of her luggage and grabbed hold of him in a hug tugging at the back of his coat with her small hands. "……Rika-chan……" She felt a warm feeling of comfort and belonging when she felt his arms returning the hug washing away all the doubt she'd felt about leaving Hinamizawa. She finally had somewhere she belonged, her message for help her finally been heard.

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