Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Ato Yosomono
When They Cry, A Stranger
Disclaimer: I do not own Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry Higurashi) nor do I ever hope or dream of owning Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni or any of the original characters from the series. I do, however, own my own characters or elements present in this story that are not normally present from the series.
((Note: Alright, I decided to start working on the second part early... I get ideas, and I want to get them into writing as soon as possible when I do. I just hope it is a good idea . ….R&R please ^.^))
"Itsuninai-hen Sono Ni - Kawari" (奇怪し編 其ノ弐 比)
"The Unusual Chapter Two - Strangeness"
Keiichi smiled as Mion stood up and headed to the lockers they kept their games and other such supplies in. "Which game...." Mion spoke quietly as she rummaged around the items.
Rena loomed behind Mion for a few seconds before tapping her on her shoulder, "How about a different game than we usually play as the trial?"
Mion turned around with a finger on her lip and a wicked smile slowly spread across her lips, "I know of the perfect game then. Tomorrow, at recess, we shall play it. Everyone... our meeting has been concluded. Rest up, you are going to need it."
Satoko groaned, and Keiichi did an arm pump while declaring, "Yes." Rika closed her eyes while smiling brightly. Xezion grabbed up his bag and headed out the door before everyone else had gotten their things together. He exited the building and left through the gate, taking the path that he believed to be to his home. A few seconds passed and he heard foot steps behind him getting closer. He looked up from the path and slowly turned around to see Keiichi running up behind him.
"Hey man, what's up? You sure seemed in a hurry to get out of there.. Something up?" Keiichi arched an eyebrow, and had his hands on Xezion's shoulders as if preparing to shake him if he didn't like the answer he was given.
Xezion slowly shook his head, causing Keiichi to shake him as he had suspected. "I just wish to get home." Xezion spoke quietly. Keiichi stopped shaking him and withdrew his hands from his shoulders.
"Your voice says one thing, but your attitude says another." Keiichi was interrogating him, which was getting to be annoying. Xezion spun on his heel and began to quicken his pace away from the pest. "H-hey!" Keiichi charged after him. Xezion broke into a sprint and took off down a street, Keiichi falling slightly behind. Xezion turned a corner, and as Keiichi turned it after him, he stopped dead in his tracks. "What the--?" Keiichi scratched his head. He had lost Xezion.
Xezion slowly walked up the path to his new home, opening the door and entering it. No sooner than he had closed the door did he hear a knock on it. 'That pest found me after all...' Xezion opened the door and peered around, seeing nothing.
"Nipaa! Hello Xezi-kun. I asked Chie-sensei where you lived so I could visit you if the need arose." The familiar voice of Rika rang out. Xezion looked down to see Rika's familiar smiling face.
"You said, 'So I could visit you if the need arose.' but I see no reason for that now." Xezion put his hands on his hips as he looked down at the small girl standing just outside his door.
Rika's eyes narrowed, her pupils seemingly disappearing. She slowly pushed the door, which Xezion had just barely open enough to see anybody outside, and forced her way inside. Xezion took a step back as Rika entered into the threshold of his home. She pushed the door shut behind her, and turned around, turning the the lock, and drawing the chain so that the door was locked securely. She slowly turned around, and slowly made her way towards Xezion.
"Rika-chan, what is this all about? Why'd you lock my door?" Xezion gritted his teeth, as Rika flung her head up to look him directly in the eyes, her own eyes wide open, and her pupils clearly missing.
"You. I told you once before." Rika spoke in the deep voice that Xezion remembered from earlier in the day. "Why are you here? You clearly aren't even supposed to be here."
Xezion narrowed his eyes at the girl, "Again with this, huh? Why must you be so rude?"
The girl shook her head, "You haven't appeared in any of the worlds before this."
"Worlds? What do you mean?" Xezion arched an eyebrow.
"Tell me... can you change destiny?" Rika questioned him, a look of curiosity was clearly visible, even on that very serious face of hers.
Xezion looked away from the girl. 'This again...' He turned away from the girl. "I don't know what you are talking about..."
Rika walked forwards and around to his front. "I know you have a secret.. I shall find it..." With that, the girl moved back towards the door, unlocking the lock, and removing the sliding chain, and stepping back outside. Xezion turned to watch as she stepped outside. She turned around to face him, her eyes closed, and a smile as big as usual across her face. "Glad I know this is your place, desu. Byye!"
Xezion watched as Rika closed the door. It cracked open only slightly to reveal only half of the girl, as she spoke in that dreadfully deep voice again, "You will tell me soon." The door closed completely with a slam, and Xezion hurriedly locked it and ran up the stairs to his room. He laid down on the sleeping mat he had placed there the previous night, and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he drifted into a deep sleep.
There was a knock on Xezion's door, and he woke with a start. "Xezion, I brought home some food. Come eat." Xezion slowly got up and went outside the door and down the stairs behind his father. He grabbed his food off the counter and slowly began to eat. His father, swallowing a bite of food he had in his own mouth, finally broke the silence. "So, how was your day at school? First day, new people... Was always exciting for me.." Xezion shrugged slightly, as his mouth was too full to answer with words. "I see, well. Things will get better. Just remember our reasons for coming here.."
Xezion looked up at his father, slurping a noodle that was hanging out of his mouth in, and swallowing. "Right... I shall father... I am going to go to bed now..." Xezion threw the rest of his box of food, which wasn't very much, onto the table and dashed upstairs. His father shook his head as he grabbed up the box and moved it to the sink.
Xezion closed his door behind him and finally collapsed onto the mat and drifted to sleep again.
Rika and Satoko settled into their sleeping mats. Satoko stretched before looking over to Rika in her sleeping mat. "Rika... where did you disappear to earlier?"
Rika rolled over to face Satoko, "I went to find Xez-kun's house! We should go meet him in the morning. He may have forgotten how to get to school."
Satoko nodded, and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. "Sounds like a plan, Rika-chan." She closed her eyes, whispering quietly to herself, "Maybe he will be a better oni-chan than Keiichi.." Rika couldn't help but hear it, bringing a look of surprise to her face, but she ignored it, rolling over to go to sleep.
Xezion awoke with a flash, his eyes flinging open. He had felt a presence in his room, though he didn't know what it was. He sat up quickly, peering around his room. He laughed slightly, noticing that the presence was only Rika and Satoko.
"How... how did you get into my room?" Xezion sculpted an eyebrow at the girls.
Satoko held her hands together at her chest, "Your dad let us in and showed us to your room."
Xezion stood up and straightened out his sleeping mat 'Great... That little girl knows where I sleep as well as being trusted by my father...' He turned to face the girls, and smiled brightly. "So, we head to school together then?" The girls nodded as they turned and headed out of his room and down the stairs. He left his room, grabbing his bag, which was right outside his room door, and headed down the stairs. The girls turned, heading out the front door, Xezion only slightly behind them. The headed down the path to where the school was, finally meeting up with Keiichi, Rena and Mion at the front gates. Keiichi frowned slightly before heading into the building, shortly followed be the rest of the gang.
Hours passed and Chie-sensei left the room declaring it lunch break. Xezion looked through his bag, grabbing his bento box only to open it and realizing he didn't get his lunch for the day before he left. "Dammit.." He muttered to himself. Rika tugged on his shirt sleeve beside him, holding her bento box in her hand.
"I noticed you forgot your food today, Xezi-kun. Do you want to share with me?" Rika smiled and tilted her head slightly to the left side.
Rena stood up making her chair clatter to the floor, "Hau, hau! Rika-chan is so cute! Offering to share her food with the newest student! And she gave him such a cute nickname too! Xezi-kun! Xezi-kun!" Rena continued to loom around Rika as she took her seat beside Xezion, who signed slightly.
"Thank you... Rika-chan." He nodded at the girl, who smiled back. Rika opened the box revealing a nice pile of yellow rice mixed with egg and some sausage and chicken. "Wow, Rika, that looks delicious." Xezion had to admit as he drooled. "Did your mother make that just for you." Rika didn't answer him, but instead looked away and down. He tilted his head in confusion, looking at the girl, before finally noticing everyone else looking at him.
"Xezion... Rika-chan lives by herself along with Satoko-chan at the Furude Shrine. Neither of their parent are alive..." Mion stared at Xezion with a stare that seemed to pierce his very soul.
Xezion looked down, "Sorry, I didn't know."
Rika poked him in the side, causing him to look up at her again, "It's okay, Xezi-kun. Nipaa!" The rest of the lunch break went along without incident. Chie returned to the class thirty minutes later, and class began again. Another few hours passed by and Chie declared it recess. Mion grabbed Xezion by the collar of his shirt and ran full speed outside, the others following quickly behind.
"Alright guys, it is time for Xezi-chan to take his trial!" Mion yelled, flinging an arm up. Everyone cheered as Mion began to explain herself. "We are going to play Zombie Tag! Xezion is the 'It Zombie' this time. Everyone knows how this works again, right? Depending upon how well he does, he may join the club. Alright, everyone, run. Xezion count to fifty."
Mion took off at full speed in the opposite direction of Xezion, Keiichi off to the far right, Rena and Satoko to the far left, and Rika took off somewhere behind him. "But I don't know what I am doing... It's just like normal tag, I guess... right?"
"Yup!" Rika yelled from behind him.
Xezion sighed, lowering his head and counting slowly to fifty while thinking to himself, 'I don't remember ever saying I wanted to join this club, but if it gets it done, then fine.' Xezion finished counting to fifty and lifted his head up, charging in the direction he believed Mion to have gone. He broke into a mad sprint, charging around a shed type building, catching Mion by surprise. She leaped up from behind a trash can and took off. Xezion chuckled, running quickly after her. "You aren't getting away that easily!" He yelled after her. She darted behind the school building, Xezion coming around the corner to see that she had lost him. "Dammit."
He looked around, noticing a corner where the building made a right angle into the building's perimeter. Inside the opening stood Rika. "Uh oh!" Her eyes got wide, as a wicked smile spread across Xezion's face as he leapt at the girl to tag her. He poked her with his index finger on the forehead. "Hehe, you got me, Xezi-kun. That means I join you as a zombie it as well."
Xezion's eyes opened wide, "So, that is what Zombie Tag is. So in a sense, I infected you with the 'it' status." Rika nodded and took off around the corner. Xezion smiled, running around the opposite direction of Rika. Tagging her just made his job easier. He ran around the corner and looked around seeing Keiichi jump, and try and hide in a bush. Xezion ran up to the bush, reaching in and tagging Keiichi.
"Dammit!" Keiichi's head popped out of the bush and he shrugged, running off in some direction. Xezion peered around again, seeing a flash of green hair again. It was Mion again, of course. He ran in the direction he was sure 'the flash' was heading, cutting Mion off on the other side of the shed.
"So, you finally have me where you want me, eh?" Mion smiled widely. Xezion noticed Satoko acting zombie like coming up behind Mion.
"Nowhere for you to run, eh, Mion?" Xezion smiled.
"I can still turn and run away from you; I know I am faster." Mion turned to run away, but felt a poke in her stomach by Satoko.
"Hahaha! I got you." Satoko held a hand to her mouth, laughing.
Mion looked confused. "He got you already?"
"Actually, Rika-chan did."
Mion looked back at Xezion. "Well, you got me then. Who's left?"
"Rena-chan, as it would seem. I haven't even seen her." Xezion arched an eyebrow. Mion nodded and ran around the corner. Xezion circled around, joining up with her on the opposite side
Keiichi was running around the corner of the school building with Rika only a short distance behind him. Xezion smiled and ran around the opposite side of the school building, Satoko and Mion following him. He smiled as he rounded the corner, seeing that they had cut off Rena, who was trapped between Keiichi's gang, and his own group. "Give up, Rena-chan." Xezion declared. He moved closer just as he heard the school bell ring. He heard Mion stomp her foot.
"Dammit, you didn't get her in time. So that means that Rena-chan wins, and you lose Xezion." Mion put her hands on her hips.
"But, weren't you on my side, along with Keiichi, Satoko-chan, and Rika-chan?" He was really confused at this time.
Mion smiled wickedly, "We were testing you, not us. You would have won, had you gotten all of us, and those of us who you tagged were technically no longer in the game along with people they tagged in addition, making it so that if you won, people out of the game would be the losers, and anyone who you didn't tag would be the winner and you the loser."
Xezion still didn't understand. Though Mion started up again, "In any case, you lose, Rena-chan wins, and she gets to do with you as she pleases." Xezion's eyes widened.
"B-but, wait. I am not in your club." Xezion added quickly, backing away from the group.
"Oh, contrare, I said 'Depending on your performance, you would be in the club' and I say your performance was great. You are in the club."
Rena squealed, running up and grabbing a hold of Xezion, hugging him tightly. "Yay, I get to do with you as I please. As I please!"
The kids all went back inside the school building, finishing up this day of schooling. The group gathered up their desks in the back of the class and took their seats. Rena was holding onto Xezion's arm to make sure he couldn't get away from her. She dug in her bag, pulling out a box that had a marker pen in it. She smiled, while she grabbed a rope and tied him to the seat. He struggled, but Mion helped keep him still so that he could be 'punished' by Rena.
"You have to take it like a man, Xezion!" Keiichi jeered.
Rena drew around the outline of Xezion's eyes, making it appear as if he had eyeliner on. She then pulled out a purplish compound and began putting it underneath his eyes, and doing designs with it. She then took the marker pen and drew him whiskers. Rena whispered into Mion's ear something that Xezion didn't quite hear, and Mion laughed wickedly. The green haired girl ran out of the room, and into another, finally returning with a Black maid costume that looked just about Xezion's size. His eyes widened as she undid the ropes on the chair and pushed him out the door and into the bathroom with the costume. "Put that on, Xezi-chan."
Xezion sighed, putting on the costume, and heading back into the other room. He heard the girls in the room snicker and Keiichi burst into laughing so hard that tears ran down his face. Xezion sighed as he walked to his bag. "Hey, I am not done with you!" Rena puffed up, waggling around impatiently. He sat down in the chair and she painted on his fingernails, and put his hair up purposely uneven pig tails on the sides of his head that were tied up using frilly black and white ribbons. She grabbed the rope and tied it around his wrists behind his back and held onto the rope tightly. "Oh! I just want to take you home so badly! Hau!" She did a little dance.
The others laughed as everyone left the school building. Rika grabbed his bag so that he wouldn't forget, considering that he had no free hands. They all walked down the path to the post that Keiichi, Rena, and Mion usually met at. "You know, Rena, he is going to have to go home...."
Rena frowned, puffing out her bottom lip. "But.. I wanna keep hiim!"
Mion laughed, "Well... Like I have any authority over you other than being the leader of the club. Take him, fine."
Xezion's mouth was gaped wide open. "B-but, I--!" Rena tugged him and forced him to follow him home with her. 'Well, explains why she tied me up again, I guess. She never intended to let me leave...' Keiichi was still laughing as he broke away from them and headed home.
Mion later broke off and headed home, but not before adding in a sly comment. "You two enjoy yourself, you hear me?"
Xezion tilted his head in confusion, arching an eyebrow. "What?!" Xezion got tugged to follow again, so he did as he was told. 'Didn't know that the rules specified this far...'
They arrived at Rena's house, and she pushed open the door. She tugged, and made him go up the stairs before her. She forced him into her room and she danced again. "Hau! I finally got to take someone cute home. Finally got to!" She smiled and closed her room door and he took a seat on the ground. She walked over to the closet door and opened it up, and grabbed his rope, tugging him into the closet. She tied the rope end to a pole that was hanging horizontally one foot from the ceiling.
"And just what are you planning?" Xezion asked suspiciously. He was feeling rather awkward by this point.
A wicked smile spread across Rena's face, as the pupils in her eyes seemingly disappeared just as Rika's had done the previous day. She began to cackle maniacally and slammed the closet door shut. "You shall see what I have planned for you." Xezion heard the door to Rena's room fling open and then slam shut as her footsteps were heard going down the stairs.
'I don't think I like this... she is doing like Rika-chan...' Xezion tried to wiggle himself free of the rope, but to no avail.
((Note: Well, I shall have another one up as soon as possible. I had to get this over with before I forgot. I hope this works as well as I had planned. Hope you enjoyed!))