If I owned Higurashi, you could be assured that there would be at least 3 giant mechs per episode.
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AnimeXploiter: Thanks for the compliment. Nice to see you...again ;P I hope that you'll enjoy this version of the story, and I also hope you enjoyed the original too. Thanks for reviewing.
Japaneserockergirl: Thanks for the compliment. I totally see what you're saying with the word flow, for some reason I can't seem to nail it right now. The emotions are also eluding me. If it's not too much to ask: please comment whenever you see more problems(there's probably around 100 in this chapter alone), and suggest any ideas you might have to help correct them. And thanks for reviewing.
Tails-Coyote-Carnivore: Am I being threatened? Have I done something to ask for this? Why me!? Police! Just kidding. Don't worry, it's definitely gonna change, not to mention go further then the last one. Thanks for reviewing.
Randomreviews?: It's nice to hear from someone who enjoyed the last version. I didn't get any reviews from you on that one, but I'm very happy to get one from you on this one. I'll do my best not to let you down with this story. Thanks for reviewing.
"Wow! This general store has everything!" I shout, scanning all of the different items inside the huge store around me. "I haven't been to a place this huge in a long time." I smile to Dr. Miuchi who brought me here.
"You should be able to find whatever supplies you need for your journey here." Dr. Miuchi smiles at me. "Don't worry about the expenses, your parents left behind quite a sum for you."
"Yeah..." I'd rather be poor, as long as I could have them back. But at least I'll be able to put this money to good use. "I think I want to buy some clothes first, these don't really suit me." I gesture to the business suit I'm wearing(courtesy of Dr. Miuchi). "No offense."
"None taken." Dr. Miuchi let's out a cheerful laugh. "My wife and daughter always get on me about the stuffy clothing I wear."
"Oh, so you're married?"
"M-hm. They mean the world to me." He smiles with just the recollection of his loved ones.
"Ah~ how lucky can one get? That such a stiff gets a loving family." I mock.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." The kind doctor chuckles. "How about these?" He asks, gesturing to a rack of boring looking suits.
"Maybe for a business meeting, but I think I'll go with what I used to wear." I laugh, grabbing a set of clothing that looks similar to my old wear(red sleeveless shirt, green shorts), but larger sized.
"You really are still like a kid."
"Well I'll probably still feel like one for a few years."
"True, true."
"Who knows, maybe I'll come back an adult?"
"Maybe..." He suddenly falls silent. "So you're really going to go through with it, something this dangerous?" His tone is wrought with concern. "I'm not one for superstitions, but everybody else seems to believe that town is cursed. Hinamizawa has been practically untouched for the past six years. And you still want to go there?"
"Yes." I nod my head.
"Even though your chances of actually finding anything are next to nothing?"
"It'd be harder to just sit here, and act like nothing happened." I clench and unclench my fists. I'm not being brave in saying this, I truly mean each word I'm saying.
"Well if you're so resolute in your decision, then I won't stop you." He shakes his head in resignation.
"Thanks, but what about you? Are you sure it's okay for you to help me like this?" I can't help but ask this question. I don't want to ask too much of someone who's been so kind to me. I never even thought that I'd have someone be so willing to help me.
"The hospital staff might be mad at me for taking you out so soon, but I've been working with them for a long time now. And I don't think anyone there would let word slip out about you waking up, so you don't have to worry about being swarmed by press asking about the "Sole Survivor", at least not until you're already in Hinamizawa."
"Wow... You've really thought this out, haven't you?" I ask incredulously.
"Just a part of being an adult. You'll know soon enough."
"Will I start getting grey hair soon too?"
"If you're not careful, you won't live that long."
"Moving on then! What else should I bring on my trip?"
"You should also have food, some basic survival tools, and maybe some kind of weapon...just in case." He suggests.
"Good idea! I think I know a good idea for the weapon." I laugh.
"Really? Well I'll take care of the others then. I'll pick you up something to carry everything in too." He smiles, before walking off in another direction.
"Well then, I'll be off to look at the sporting goods section." I call out, before going to look for my weapon of choice.
The sporting goods section is exceptionally large. All kinds of equipment fills the area to the brim. It's hard enough to even walk around.
It'd be nice to come back here one day, when I can look at this area and just think of fun things, but what I need right now is a weapon. I don't think I'll really encounter any dangers in Hinamizawa, but it's always best to be prepared. I want something I'm comfortable with, but not something that will guarantee someone's death. So the choice for me is obvious: The bat.
I choose a decent sized, metallic baseball bat. It sits there on the rack, as if waiting for me. I slowly reach out with my hands and grasp it.
The cold metal....I remember this feeling.
Suddenly my mind is filled with memories! The last time I held one of these! The day I killed Satoko's uncle! I can still see his face, contorted with fear! And then I'm killing him! Shouting with each strike! I can see it! I can see the blood on my hands!
"That's right. You killed him, and you enjoyed every second of it! He deserved his death! Everyone who betrayed you deserves death!"
"Agh!" I clutch my head in pain. My breathing's become shallow suddenly, Dr. Miuchi told me that I was still somewhat unstable. Just what is this voice I'm hearing!?
"Are you okay?" A concerned adult voice asks.
I calm my breathing enough to look at who's addressing me: It's a man I've never met before.
His hair is dark, and around medium length. His eyes are kind looking, but they have a strength to them, as if he's been through many hardships. He stands a few inches above me, peering down with concern.
"Yeah... I think I'm okay." I wheeze, the brunt of the episode now gone. "I'll be okay, thanks for your concern."
His eyes widen slightly when he sees my face. "Have we...met before?" He asks.
"I don't think so." I shake my head. He looks new to me.
"Yeah you're right. But I might have seen a photo of you or something to that effect." He closes his eyes in concentration.
This is bad. What if he knows me from the newspapers or something? What if everyone finds out I'm awake already? I won't be able to get to Hinamizawa!
"Hmm..." He continues to think.
"Papa!" A small voice chimes in. A young girl comes running up, and tugs on the man's shirt.
"Huh? Oh! Miyuki! There you are!" He laughs nervously.
"Don't try and pull that with me." She growls at him.
"Right, right. Papa's sorry." He rubs the back of his head. It's like he's suddenly transformed into child, one that's being scolded by it's mom. He turns to me and bows. "Sorry then, I'll be going now Mr..."
"Keiichi." I smile. He seems like a trustworthy guy.
"Keiichi..." He mumbles, once again lost in thought.
"Come on Papa! We have to go! You finally got a vacation, so we're going to see all the sights here." The girl shouts, pulling on the man's coat.
"Oh right, right. Sorry Miyuki... All of them? Really?" He laughs nervously.
"Yes, all of them. You promised." She gives him a dangerous look."Sorry about Papa Mister, he can get a little strange sometimes." The child apologizes. "But he's really a good person."
"Oh don't worry about it!" I laugh, feeling slightly put on the spot. I wave them off as they walk away, the girl tugging the man along. "Well that was interesting." I chuckle to myself. And suddenly I realize that holding the bat doesn't fill me with dread anymore. Just an effect that certain people have on you, I guess.
"Have you found something to use?" Dr. Miuchi comes walking up to me, arms filled with different items. He examines the bat in my hands. "That should be fine, I don't think you'll even have to use it anyway." He nods his head. "I've got all the essentials for you. If by chance you run into any problems, then you might be able to find supplies in the buildings down in Hinamizawa."
"Nice thinking." I grin. Even though this is serious business, I find myself getting excited despite myself. It's almost like a game, to see how well I fare. If so, then this will be easy. I am a prodigy after all!
"Anything else you want to bring?" He asks.
"I think this is more than enough." I laugh, pointing to his arms.
"One can never be too careful." He chuckles. "All right then, let's go and purchase all these supplies. After that, I'll give you a ride part-way. You can borrow my bike after that." He walks off towards the register.
"All right! Let's get this show on the road." I grin, before running to catch up with him.
Satoko, I'll be there soon. I've got this feeling, I know you're there...... you have to be.
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"Alright then, we're just about to our destination." Dr. Miuchi looks over to me from the driver's seat.
We're now both sitting in Dr. Miuchi's car, speeding along towards Hinamizawa. We've been in the car for a while now, and I'm beginning to feel a bit sore.
"You sure you're okay with me taking your bike?" I ask, squirming uncomfortably.
"Of course, I haven't ridden that thing in years." He laughs.
"I'll put it to good use." I grin.
"See that you do." We fall silent for a moment, neither sure of what to say.
"You know... it's still not too late to turn back." He breaks the silence first.
"It was too late for me the second I heard about Satoko." I do my best to smile, but it still feels like a frown to me.
"I hope I don't come to regret letting you know." He shakes his head.
"Don't worry. I'm a big boy now, I can take care of myself." I smirk.
"Tell me that when you learn to wear clothes suited for adults." He chuckles.
"I'll have you know that this is the original "Keiichi Maebara" look." I gesture to my clothes.
"I'll take your word for it." He shakes his head.
"We're almost there." I change the topic. I can feel it now, Hinamizawa drawing closer, calling out to me. But...what? What's calling out to me? "There's a dirt road just a little bit ahead, you can drop me off there." I point ahead.
"Alright then." He nods his head, falling silent again. "You know," He starts again. "Once you return, my family and I would love to have you over for dinner."
"That sounds good, but make sure you have room for two." I give a cliche thumbs-up(accompanied with cheesy wink).
"It'll be hard to even get to you though: by now, word of you waking has probably spread. You'll be a pretty big deal, at least for a while." He sighs.
"Really?" I sigh in the same manner he does. "Just what I need, people whose goal is to annoy me."
"Don't worry. The press tires of everything eventually, it's only a matter of time."
"I've already wasted six years in bed! The last thing I need to do is go into hiding for another six!" Why is it that I can never get a break?
And now I can see it, the all-to-familiar dirt road coming into view. I'm almost there, I'm almost there. The dirt path is almost perfectly level, undisturbed for all these past years. The tall trees loom overhead, as if enclosing Hinamizawa from the rest of the world.
"All right then." Dr. Miuchi says, bringing the car to a stop. "I take it this is the place?"
"Yeah..." I mumble, slowly crawling out of the car, my sore body grateful to finally be allowed to stretch. I get that surreal feeling again, like this is nothing more than a dream.
"You grab the supplies, I'll grab the bike from the trunk." Dr. Miuchi says, before moving towards the back of the car.
"Alright." I mumble again, opening the door to the car. I grab the bag full of supplies and the bat, before closing the door to the car. I turn around, to see an old-looking bike in front of me.
"It's a bit old, but it should get the job done." Dr. Miuchi laughs, patting the bike.
"Well let's hope so." I stare at the junky old bike. "Because if I die while riding this thing, I'll definitely come back to haunt you."
"Are you sure you're going to be okay from here on?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Besides, you've already done so much for me." I reassure him. "I don't even know why you've gone through this much for me."
"I'm not so sure either." He shakes his head. "I was there the first day you came into the hospital. You were so young, and you had gone through so much. I wanted to do whatever I could to help you, so I promised to do what I could for you if you ever woke up."
"Thank you." I clap a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad that I've had someone looking out for me all this time." I clamber onto the bike, supply sack slung around my shoulder, bat clutched with both hands across the handle bars. "I'll definitely be back. And I'll find a way to pay you back for all of this one day"
He stares at me for a minute, as if confirming something. "Alright then, just make sure to come back and join my family for dinner. We'll call it even after that." He smirks.
"Just make sure you serve something other than curry!" I shout, pedaling away down the dirt path.
Dr. Miuchi's waving form slowly shrinks and fades away. And once again, I'm alone, but it won't be for so long this time. I'm sure of it.
I'm coming, Satoko.
Another chapter down! Hi-five!
I liked this one, even if it's nothing more than a transition chapter. I got to put more details into everything, so that was something fun.
My stupid computer erased half of this chapter though, so I had to rewrite the entire freaking part! Darn you evil computer!! I'll have your job for this!! I hope that the rewritten portion is somewhat superior to what I already had, but I guess we'll never be able to tell.
I introduced another Higurashi character in the mix in this chapter, but it might be hard to realize who it is. Those who have read the manga might realize who it was though, but don't spoil it!!! Either way, this character is part of the "MAJOR CHANGES" in this story, so look forward to it.
I had trouble with Keiichi's personality in this one. It's just such an unusual situation, that I wasn't sure how to portray him. Hopefully it'll be easier as soon as he's back in Hinamizawa.
I hope this chapter is okay, I'll work harder on the next one. Please drop a review in if you have the time, criticism fuels me to improve, and compliments fuel me to write faster(hence getting more compliments faster, I'm greedy!!). I hope I see you all again next time!
