Lesson 1-2 Promise

Kou felt sick to his stomach. He and his sister stood before a door, and behind the door was an unknown mystery. Kou always suffered from a sense of raving paranoia, and because of this he always had trouble bounding with people his age. Receiving an invitation from a group of students he barely knew made him feel vulnerable. He stared at the door fearing that if he opened it maybe he would be attacked and thrown in a dumpster. Kou could feel himself pull away; his paranoia was driving him to return to his room. Kou began to back up readying his return home, but he felt another force keep him in place, tugging back every time he tried to move. His arm was holding him back; no something was holding the arm. It took a second for him to notice but his sister had grabbed his arm performing a sort of silent protest of his pointless fear. She did not look at him, but instead stared at the door in a slightly intense but dry manner. She wanted to go through the door, and she wanted him to open it. Kou's heart was pounding but then thoughts of discovering paradise flooded in his head.

Kou: *maybe paradise starts here.*

Kou reached for the door, and began to slowly open it. The light of the room flooded the dark dinky hallway Kou was standing in. The light began to mellow out, and what Kou saw was… well not too impressive. This was the school's anime club room, and as the name suggested it actually had video cases filled with anime, no doubt bought out of the pockets of the club members. The room was filthy having pizza boxes laying around and other trash, the room had one TV, a card table surrounded by chairs, a coat hanger and office desk, the last too possibly being left overs of whatever this room used to be used for.

Hiro: "Kou you finally made it! Come on we have a little game we'd like to play with you."

Kou and his sister took their seats at the table, somewhat eager to see what game they had. Hiro picked out an old deck of cards and handed them over to the pink haired girl. The girl gave a slight grin, and Hiro as well as the two apparently younger brown haired twins giggled a bit.

Hiro: "Michi happens to be our newest member well at least until you two showed up, so I'll let her tell the rules of the initiation game."

Kou: *an initiation game? Oh the sound of this is already making my stomach hurt.*

Michi: (holds up deck) "this deck has been passed down this club for nearly 50 years. Every time the club gains a new member we pull out this historic deck to play a game of Go fish, but there is more too it whoever is the loser has to follow a request from the winner."

Kou: "wow 50 years, I would've never thought a school club could even last that…. Wait if that's fifty years old than you guys already know what each card looks like from rips and tears."

Hiro: "wow most people don't realize that till were halfway through the game."

Kou: "come on isn't this a little un fair."

Michi: "don't worry so much it's all for fun plus it's a necessary initiation ceremony that all members take."

Kou: "well I guess so." (the dark grin returns to Michi and her friends and she immediately deals out the cards) *something tells me I don't want to lose this.*

Michi: "the cards have all been dealt out but before we begin let's get a more formal introduction. I'm Michi Towada I'm the current club president, I basically plan all the meetings for the club."

Kou: "club president? But I thought you were one of the newer members."

Michi: "I am, but Hiro and the twins aren't really leadership material. Beside I won my title of leader in this very game."

Hiro: "(sarcasticly) and forever will that day live on in infamy. Anyway I'm Hiro Matsuda, but you already know that. I come up with most of the games, and fun stuff for the club."

Girl twin: "yes you come up with all the games yet you always lose them. (she give a childish grin)"

Hiro: "oh shut up and introduce yourself."

Girl twin: "fine I'm Keiko Maebara and….."

Boy twin: (blatantly interrupting) "and I'm Kochi Maebara!"

Keiko: "don't let our size and age fool you we're the most senior members of the club."

Kochi: "not to mention we were smart enough to skip a few grades."

Keiko & Koichi: "so how about you."

Kou: "well I'm Kou and this is my sister Asuka. We came here from the orphanage. They said since I was 18 I was allowed to go off on my own."

Michi: "you're an orphan I'm so sorry we didn't know …"

Kou: "no no no. don't feel bad. We've more or less adapted to life on our own."

Hiro (Fake tearing up): "dude you're my new hero, let's give it up for the bravest and toughest member of our club!"

Kou: *wow this guy isn't much on subtle.* "I'm not really that brave it's just well the life you grow up with."

Michi: "well I think that's enough for introductions let's get this game started."

With that everyone picks up their cards and begins to examine them. Kou notices he has a 5, a 3, a king, a jake, and a 9.

Kou: *well I'm off to a bad start I already don't even have a single match.*

Michi: "hey Kou do you have the king of hearts."

Without even allowing him to respond she takes the king of hearts off of Kou, leaving him dumbfounded.

Kou: *hey I can still win this.*

Michi: "I'll take that Jake of diamonds off of you."

Kou: *well this is going to be annoying.*

Michi grins a bit at Kou, mostly just mocking him. She proceeds to go around till she gains all for kings and jakes before someone finally didn't have the card she wanted. The game progress relatively poorly for Kou he was receiving no matches, and everyone else once had already gained at least one, even his sister (even though she's mute) was doing better than him. Kou began to think how he could turn this around. Everyone knew all the cards and he was clueless.

Kou: *what can I do at this rate I'll lose. Think.. think..think! wait (he takes a look at all the matched piles, the kings, jakes, 7's, 3's, 6's, 2's, 8's,10's, and queens were matched. Kou looked at his hand he had a 4, a 9, and an ace.) There were only four matches left, and I have a piece of three of them. All I have to do was correctly guess each hand, and maybe I can win. hmmm but who to choose first. (Kou pushes his 4 of diamonds higher to expose it to everyone's view. Kou quickly examined all of their faces, since each time it was his turn he failed to get a match he knew someone was just waiting to take their pic off of him. Hiro made the most obvious reaction

Kou: (almost saying yes under his breath.) "Hiro do you have any 4's?"

Hiro became surprised seeing Kou finally guess right for once.

Hiro: "lucky guess."

Hiro gave Kou three 4's giving him only one card left in his hand. Kou made his match knowing that he had to find the other matches before Hiro could have a chance to win. Kou gave a quick scan of the room. He made sure his too cards were far enough apart for everyone to see them. Then he slid his ace behind the 9 acting as if he was hiding it. Everyone sort of gave a disgruntled look of disappointment all except for Keiko who gives a faint smile.

Kou: "Keiko do you have any ace's."

Keiko becomes flustered and gives up her 2 aces. Kou then turns to her brother who seemed a little nervous. Maybe because he realized Kou had discovered a way to level the playing field.

Kou: "Kochi I know you have to have an ace as well don't you?"

Kochi: "but how, did you somehow memorize them?"

Kou: "the games still afoot, so I won't reveal my secrete."

So now Kou had only one card left now. He observed the faces again to see which one would reveal his victory. He gave an intense look towards each but Michi's emotion seemed the most prominent. It had to be her.

Kou: "Michi do you have any 9's?"

Michi gave a look of defeat and disappointment. Everyone seemed dumbfounded by Kou's apparent knowledge how could anyone compete with such a fast learner.

Michi: (evil grin) "Go fish."

Kou: "but how!?"

Michi: "I could easily tell you're just reading facial expressions you might be able to fool the rest of the club members but you can't fool me. So draw your card."

Kou picked up a 5 from the deck and waited patiently to see what Michi would do.

Michi: "well Kou this was a fun game, and that was a cool trick, but I'm only one 5 from victory and you have it!"

She reaches out and grabs Kou's five declaring her victory.

Hiro: "wow that was close that would be a first for a newbie to win. But you've played well Kou."

Keiko: "yeah you've earned our respect tenfold."

Kochi: "you were awesome!"

Michi: "he was indeed, but now for the punishment game."

Michi pulls out a black marker and gives an evil grin.

A few minutes later Kou found himself looking into a mirror. His friends had drawn a monocle on his face as well as a handle bar mustache.

Michi: "pip pip cheerio right Kou."

Kou: "I'll get you guys back for this."

Hiro: "what's that sounds like a challenge?"

Kou: "it is and this time I'm going to win."

Kou and his friends played for most of the day Kou won a few matches but by the time the day was through he looked like a cross between the mad hatter and the chaser cat. As embarrassing as the get up was Kou had fun. In fact he had more fun that day than any other day he could remember.

It began to grow late so everyone began to return to their respective homes. Kou walked his sister home and took her to her room. Than he went to the bathroom trying to wash all the makeup his friends put on him during their punishment game.

Kou: (talking to self) "well today was a big day. See I told you there was nothing to worry about. Now I have four friends, who would've thought I would even have one friend. I guess it didn't help that I was always shy and hated interacting with people, but that doesn't matter now that I have friends."

?: "good for you I applaud your accomplishment."

Kou became wide eye and his pupils shrank in fear. Kou's body began to tremble all over as he glared into the image in his mirror. Behind him was a boy similar to his age that had blood red hair and a pale complexion. The boy had dry empty eyes that stared straight into the soul, never blinking never tiring. The boy broke a grin as Kou trembled before him.

Kou: "you're not here."

Kou quickly turned to look behind him. The red haired boy was gone no longer in his sight. Kou then turned back at the mirror. In the mirror he saw an image of Michi she had been ripped open and the red haired boy was …. The boy had dug his hand into the girls open chest ripping an tearing at her innards. A gooey sound could be heard and then a fleshy snap. He pulled from her a heart and places the still beating organ in a jar.

Kou: "Leave her alone you vulture!"

The red haired boy turned to look at Kou and placed the jar on the floor.

Red: "no need to raise your voice. I was just keeping some of her parts safe."

Kou: "Don't touch her you hear me, don't!"

Red: "heh heh. Don't worry it's not like she's actually dead, I'm just rehearsing for when she really dies."

Kou: "she's not going to die!"

Red: "oh my mistake I though the buzzard saw her. I could have sworn he did."

Kou cringed a little thinking about what the boy was saying.

Kou: "yes the buzzard saw her… but that doesn't mean anything."

Red: "oh it doesn't?"

A burst of cold air rushed through the room, blowing around the miscellaneous items in the bathroom, and slamming the door shut.

Red: "last time I checked the buzzards selections are absolute and are destine to die."

Kou: (low confidence) "we don't know that. There no guarantee they will die."

Red: "no guarantee? (The floor below faded away turning into an endless void, Kou fell terrified as he soared through the abyss at great speeds. As Kou fell thin spring began to wrap around him, suspending him in the emptiness. The red haired boy appeared again in front of Kou seeming to defy all laws of gravity as he stood as if there was ground to support him.) My dear friend you shouldn't be so delusional. It's obvious to tell that you have absolutely no method of stopping any of these deaths."

Kou: "I…. I do too have a method."

Red: "do you really? You know you can't hide any information in that blank little mind of yours. You have nothing."

Kou: "I could come up with a plan!"

The red haired boy merely smiled at Kou. The scenery around the two began to quickly change. Kou found himself in a small house populate with a quaint family of four. On the couch to the back of the room sat a woman with long white hair and violet eyes. She was crocheting small blankets for her small children. Two little tykes on the floor one was a small girl only 2 years old the other was 4 year old boy. The 2 year old as a beautiful little girl with snow white hair, the other was a boy also with white hair. They both had violet eyes just like their mother. The two children were playing with toys when their father came in. he grabbed the two children and hugged them. The little girl was happy but the small boy seemed unsettled. The whole day he stared at his father, with nervous and unsettled face. The father around 6 that day left to buy some food for the family. When the father went for the door the small boy freaked. He cried and cried and his parents tried to console him, but nothing they said or did would make him calm down. The father tired left through the door believing maybe if he just returned with food his child would calm down. Hours passed and the father never returned home. The child in a few days attended his father funeral greatly hurt from his lost. He and his sister grew deeply attached to their mother till one day when the boy was 6 he found himself dropped off at kinder garden. He attended normally as everyone else, until one day he refused to leave his mother. The teacher had to hold on to the small boy so that his mom could leave for work. When class was over no one came to pick up the boy. At age 7 he and his sister were adopted, at age 8 both parents died. By age 9 the boy had gain a friend at the orphanage at age 10 the friend died. At age 11 the child was moved again to a new family only to be victims of a terrorist attack. Age 13 the boy found a new orphanage, and made many friends. At age 16 the orphanage burned and he and his sister were all alone.

Red: "and two years later here you stand."

Kou: "shut….shut up…. Leave me alone! I can save her life! I can stop death."

Red: "heh heh. Do you need help with that you know I'm actually around and…."

Kou: "no. I will save her life."

Red: "Is that so. You know everyone has to die some time. Even if you think you've stop death it will just rear its ugly head again and snatch her life away."

Kou: "don't you have someone else to torment."

Red: "fine but don't forget your first friend."

The boy faded and was no longer in Kou's sight for the moment normality had returned to him. But the question remained how do you stop death, for anyone this is a momentous task often described as impossible, but Kou concluded in his mind that Michi will not die, she will live a long and healthy life, and he will do everything is his power to accomplish this.

A whole month passed since Kou had met his friends. In time Kou came to be known in the group as the tutor. Although Koichi and Keiko were doing fine in school Hiro, and Michi were greatly lacking and Kou was the only one kind enough to help them in their work. Kou and his sister blended well in the anime club. Every day they met in the club room and played games. Kou at first was an easy target, but in time he learned how to play against his more gullible friends. It was nice, for the first time Kou and Asuka were actually having fun with friends something in the past they had very little time for. Though it may have been fun the buzzard was a constant reminder of what was to come. It began to stress Kou. Every day he woke up early for class, waiting patiently for his friends to arrive. In his class the first person who would always enter was a boy with purple hair. He was always reading and very distant. Every time Kou tried to communicate with the kid he'd just ignored him. After him came the twins and often times it was a tossup between the two bullies or Hiro showing up. Then always second to last came the red headed boy. Kou knew good and well that the figure he saw in his room was a figment of his imagination but the figure that stood before him in class was real. Every day he would pass Kou's desk and flash a dark grin and then continue to the back of the room. There Kou could feel the boy's stare burn into the back of his skull, yet throughout the whole class they would never speak nor make eye contact, but all the same the tension remain. Always last to class most of the time after it started Michi would come in. Kou always felt frighten he knew he couldn't just barge in her home to check up on her, but with each day she was late Kou thinks in his mind she's dead.

It was now the end of class everyone was departing, and as the Red haired boy walked by Kou shivered with a chill. Michi then tapped his shoulder causing Kou to jump a little.

Michi: (smiling) "hey scardy pants do you mind helping me study tonight."

Kou: (regains composer and try to act as if nothing happen) "now by help study you don't mean do your homework for you?"

Michi: "oh of course not I would never; I just need you to help me solve each problem step by step."

Kou: "well I assume it wouldn't help to do a little assistance, but you have to actually do the problems okay."

Michi: "okay dokay captain smarty pants."

Michi just as most of the student lived inside the school, although not for the same reasons as Kou. Kou had no other place to go while for the other students it was a way of declaring independence from their families, and making their first steps to adulthood. Kou had never been to Michi's room before now as they normally would either meet in the anime club room or Hiro's room which both had an equal level of unsightly grime and disorder to them, but Michi's room was different her room was well organized and didn't reek with the scent of pizza everywhere, a change quite welcome to Kou. Her room had a similar setup to Kou's as they were all school apartments. The two walked over to the couch and pulled out their notes. At first Michi tried to avoid doing her work, as she was distracted by handheld gaming systems. Kou eventually got her to focus, but in around 10 minutes she had lost focus again.

Kou: "well Michi I finished the work for you, now are you ready to study over it."

Michi: "booyah high score!"

Kou turned off the little device and handed her a book.

Kou: "we have to focus you'll never pass the test at this rate."

Michi: "fine …..(grumbling something)"

She opens the book and scans the page. She gives the book a frustrated look and then sets it back down.

Michi: "maybe we should take a snack break?"

Kou reluctantly heads over to her fringe to find a snack for her.

Kou: *well I can assure myself thinking to death is definably not the way she's going to go. Though I will say this she doesn't seemed too stressed about anything. She seems to have no enemies, and everything she could ever want or need is in a safe distance. So why would she be a target of the buzzard. (Kou examines the refrigerator and finds a pre-made meal. He takes it out and heads towards Michi's microwave. On the counter next to the device is a picture. Lifting the picture to get a better view he makes it out to be some man in the woods. It was too dark to make out any features. The man in the picture gave Kou the feeling that he didn't want to be seen. He quickly glanced to Michi and immediately knew this picture was important. Kou wanted to know what this was to her.) I have to keep the situation calm in case this is bad. I know a joke is one of the better ways to start.* "Hey Michi is this picture of your boyfriend or something?"

Kou lifted up the picture and Michi freaked. She grew pale and her pupils shrank as she began to shiver, she ran towards Kou and snatched the picture from him.

Michi: "you weren't supposed to see that!"

Kou: "I wasn't supposed to see what?"

Michi: "nothing it's … nothing."

Kou: "come on it can't be nothing you wouldn't be so worked up about it."

Michi(flustered) : "I'm not worked up about anything."

Michi gave a pout that Kou had to admit seemed pretty cute. As flustered as she seemed Kou knew he had to know who was on the picture it could be a matter of life or death.

Kou: "come on Michi you can tell me I'm your friend remember."

Michi fluster look grew a little sheepish she was obviously thinking it over. It drew Kou curiosity she really didn't want to share what was on the picture, but she also seemed to trust him.

Michi: "you won't think I'm crazy if I tell you?"

Kou: "oh course not."

Michi: "promise."

Kou: "I promise."

Michi: "pinky promise."

Kou: "pinky promise"

Michi: "okay now make a blood pact."

Kou: "what!?"

Michi: "he he just kidding. (she holds up the picture thinking hard about it) you see I have a feeling that this man on this picture is a murderer, but not just any murderer, but the mastermind behind the chain of mysterious deaths happening in this city."

Kou: "mastermind?" *boy I know how to pick em don't I*

Michi: "you probably just think I'm a random conspiracy theorist. If you do I don't blame you everyone else thinks so."

Kou: "you're not a conspiracy theorist if you think that picture means something then I think it might mean something."

Michi: "you think it means something!?"

Kou: "I think it might mean something, but I don't know anything about this case. If you wouldn't mind you could try to convince me."

Michi: "really you're interested in my investigation?"

Kou: "I've always been a fan of mysteries, and I kind of know what it feels for people to not believe in you. So tell me what is this mystery."

Michi led Kou to the couch sitting him down and then went to her room. She came back with a folder holding a number files and photos in them. She sat down next to Kou and laid the folder on the table in front of them.

Michi: "for the last 5 year of the Watanagashi festival a string of mysterious suicides occurred. The first year Ichimaru corp. was hit hard when Sachiko Hojo was found in her office with her throat clawed out. On the same day Kanzo Mogi who had just started working for Ichimaru corp. the year before disappeared. Many of the police dismissed the case as suicide as they found no one else's DNA on Sachiko and it didn't appear that she was struggling with anyone. On the next year a family of missionaries was found killed. The entirety of the congregation was found poisoned at the dining hall of the church. The only known survivor was the son of the pastor. The police couldn't find out whether they poisoned themselves on purpose or if someone else poisoned them. On the third year the members of the Sonozaki house were found dead. They had all cut their stomachs open with swords and were found dead in one room. The only exception was a girl found locked in the closet. She seemed traumatized, and police couldn't get her to speak of what happened. On the 4th year multiple employees of Ichimaru corp. were found dead in one of the break rooms. They had all clawed their throats out. All of those who died in there had no families except for Mr. Matsuda's wife. The police again said that they could only conclude it as mass suicide. Last year the Mio family household was burned to the ground all members died. In 5 years a series of unfortunate suicides happen or at least that's what the police think. Each year I found this mysterious figure lurking around the crime scenes and I have a strong feeling he was behind all of these deaths.

Kou: "these are strange deaths. They do seem like suicides but relatively strange suicides."

Michi: "I was thinking that too"

Kou: "have you learned anything in your investigation?"

Michi: "well…. Ummm I took these photos."

Kou: "hmmmm well if we take the time to think of it, it seems that the targets were enemies of the old houses that used to rule this town well all except for the Sonozaki residence. You say these deaths happen the night of the festival I have a feeling some kind of fanatic would be your mysterious figure, but this is only a theory."

Michi: "do you think you know who it is?'

Kou: "no and we only have a week before the festival so a full investigation would be tough if there really is a murderer it would be best to devise a way to catch him before the act."

Michi: "how could we do that?"

Kou: "again it's only a theory but if this murderer exists than he must be a believer of Oyashirou curse or at least is trying to mimic it. A good idea would be to wait around Oyashirou shrine there's a chance he may go to pray before he kills or maybe even hide the body."

Michi: "do you mean you're going to help me solve this mystery. Oh Kou I should have never doubted that you would believe me."

She quickly hugged Kou before he had the chance to speak.

Kou: "yeah maybe if we stake out the shrine we'll be able to find out if your theory is true or not." *also if I'm lucky solving this case may save her life. These are strange suicides and to happen the same time every year. I have to be careful but if I can succeed I may stop her death*

Michi: "thank you Kou, thank you."

She begins to tear up a bit and Kou brushes the back of her head embracing her. Michi tears flow on Kou, acting a symbol of her gratitude towards him for believing her.

Kou: *don't worry Michi I promise that I will protect you.*