A voice—my own voice—screaming.
A name—your name—resonating throughout the park.
A deafening cry and my knees hitting the concrete.
How could this happen?
Tears… so many tears.
I hiccupped, grabbing hold of your mangled body.
I never said it…
With a gasp, I sat up in my bed, my breathing ragged and my face moist with sweat. The room was oddly quiet, only the loud chirping of the cicadas from outside. There was a weight settled in my stomach and I felt sick.
Maybe it's a sign to just go back to bed… I sighed, shaking my head and chastising myself for even considering it. I can't let any of this trip go to waste… how often would Hiyori invite me out? The thought of spending time with her picked up my spirits slightly but the unsettling feeling didn't go away. Surely it had to do with that crazy nightmare.
When I had finished pulling on my shorts, I made my way into the main room.
There was a fair amount of light filling the room but not a soul was in sight. I stood for a moment, relishing the quiet atmosphere that reminded me of my home in the countryside.
But the feeling still wouldn't go away.
I honestly thought it was childish that I was letting something as trivial as a bad dream ruin my morning. I laughed to myself aloud in an attempt to push the graphic images of red and blue from my thoughts.
"Why're you laughing to yourself? That's so gross," a disapproving voice sounded behind me, "I don't know why I bothered to invite you." She stepped around me and sat herself down at the dining room table, crossing her left leg over her right.
"A-Ah! G-Good morning, Hiyori," I chirped, my cheeks getting warmer by the second.
"Yeah, yeah…" she rolled her eyes, "Good morning and what's for breakfast?" She watched me, not a trace of amusement in her face… more something along the lines of pure boredom.
"Well, uhm…" I mumbled, "What do you want to eat?" She shrugged—definitely not to the response I was looking for—but I took it as a sign to get to work on something for her to eat.
"Oh," she said, making me think she'd decided, "and remember to make enough for Konoha too." I frowned, that was one thing I didn't like about staying at Hiyori's uncle's house… Konoha.
Supposedly he was Tateyama-san's adopted son but he always seemed… lost? Yeah, that's the right word for him.
His long white hair was always tied up in a ponytail at the nape of his neck and his large pink eyes were always dazed.
And Hiyori was always talking about him. That's what really irritates me…
When Hiyori called me up to ask me to accompany her to the city, I had jumped at the chance—assuming that it would be just us.
Either way, once we were finished with our meal, Hiyori mentioned wanting to go to the park. I hastily agreed to the plan—only for her to again call me gross—and we headed out the front door, the nearest park only a few blocks away. This could be considered a date, I guess… I could feel myself grin, even so… why am I so uneasy?
The two of us walked slowly down the deserted sidewalk. The heat glimmered up off the road and my shirt stuck to my back with sweat. How disgusting…
Everything around us shimmered red. How sinister…
The park we reached was empty—odd for being summer—and Hiyori sat down on one of the swings. As I watched, a lean, black cat seemed to appear beside her and hop into her lap.
Ah, so she likes cats…
I sat beside her, watching her and listening to the obnoxious cicadas and the eerie silence of the road.
Where is everyone? I looked around the park, an exact mirror of my dream, and tried to process the absence of life.
"You know…" Hiyori muttered, petting the feline in her lap, "I really hate summer…"
I blinked; I didn't really think it was all that bad…
Suddenly, the cat leapt up, running out of the park and down the sidewalk. Hiyori muttered out a quick 'I have to go' and then rushed after.
"W-Wait!" Standing up—nearly tripping on my own feet—I took off after her, the feeling in my gut becoming increasingly more urgent. No… This isn't happening…
We soon came to an intersection—the cat skipping across the road… and Hiyori after…
"Hiyori!" I reached out to grab her arm but she was inches from my reach as the light turned from red to green. NO!
Though the road had been cleared mere seconds previous, a large truck raced towards where we were and before I could even blink, a warm, red liquid splattered against my hands and face—staining my white hoodie crimson. The smell of copper and rust was enough to choke me.
How… I couldn't even finish the though as my eyes locked onto the disfigured mess now lying in the street. I felt myself scream—the sound scratching my throat and resounding in the air. You… No, that can't be you, it can't be! Without bothering to check for the car responsible, I dashed into the road, desperately grabbing for you… what was you. My vision blurred as I held your form in my arms, tears… so many tears…
Just as in the dream, I briefly looked up, seeing a figure standing before me and laughing.
"This is all real."
My eyes shot open, a sob caught in my throat—this isn't happening, this can't be happening. I roughly grabbed my hoodie—not a trace of blood on it—and ran out into the main room, Hiyori already sitting there eating.
"What's wrong with you?" She deadpanned, glancing up at me briefly.
"N-Nothing… Hey, do you wanna go to the park today?" I knew from past experience (watching movies with Hiyori the past few days) that situations in which a subject was stuck in a loop of the same day only ended when something changed. Certainly, I could be that change…
"Eh?" She looked up at me in surprise, "Actually, yeah… I'm surprised you had such a good idea." Then, with a slightly hmpf, and a turn of her head, I thought I saw her smile.
Again, the roads were deserted and the sinking feeling returned to my gut.
It's fine. I'll change this. We walked side by side; the suffocating heat was all around us. You know…
As we sat on the swings, Hiyori finished my thought—the same opinions she'd expressed before, "You know… I really hate summer." I nodded, watching as the black cat appeared from the brush beside the entrance.
"H-Hey, Hiyori!" I stood, startling her slightly, "L-Let's go somewhere else!" She frowned about to protest when I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me, past the feline and out of the park. However, I noticed as her arm slowly slipped and before long, she was no longer running with me. I turned, gasping loudly as I watched the scene before me unfold.
Hiyori stood in the middle of the sidewalk, unaware of falling spears above her. Large, iron bars—the ones you'd see typically on construction sites—plummeted towards her, piercing the ground around her and leaving nothing intact.
"Hiyori!" My voice—screaming again—and then my footsteps, wildly running over the cracked pavement. Tears welled up in my eyes as I desperately climbed through the beams to reach her. That limp form in the center of the chaos, a hint of a smile on her lips. A sob rose in my chest, raking my body as I futilely stretched to reach her—she was again out of my grasp.
No, no, no…
The heat of the summer increased, making everything shimmer, and from behind Hiyori's body, I could see that same figure laughing.
"I told you… It's all real."
"Hiyori!" The cry woke me up—the taste of tear lingered in my mouth and my pillow was wet from the droplets.
I followed the day's sequence again, reliving all the pain each cycle.
Time and time again, only tragedy.
Time and time again, only death.
I woke—seemingly the thousandth time this day. I've figured it out… It has to work…
As the sun rose higher in the sky, we found ourselves back at the park… That cat that sat in your lap, running away.
All the same… All the same…
"I have to go…" Before you could say the words, they had fallen from my lips and before your feet hit the ground, my body was already moving.
"W-Wait! Hibiya?!" Your confused call was enough to propel me forward, I have to save you!
As my foot stepped off the curb and onto the striped pavement, I heard the loud horn of a truck and turned back to you as I launched myself into the way.
…
Screw you, cat. I win.
A/N: Hello there! I've been working on this for a little while... I enjoyed rewriting Headphone Actor a while back and thought that since I don't often write for the elementary schoolers, I ought to give them a little love too. Truth be told, I actually really love both Hibiya and Hiyori but unfortunately so far, they don't have as much character development and information in cannon material as some of the other characters... which in my opinion makes them more difficult to write for... However, I hope I did alright with this...
Originally, Konoha was not supposed to be mentioned at all but while I was first drafting the story, I lost my train of thought and began almost to rewrite the MCA episode, Konoha's State of the World. Oops!
Either way, please leave your thoughts in a review, I'd love to also receive critique for how to write these precious children!