AN: This took me a little longer to get up - sorry I really wasn't in the mood to upload. Thanks very much to Ela for your multiple reviews - I haven't had a chance to yet but I fully intend to utilise your suggestion, so thank you for that!
And, without further ado, enjoy the penultimate chapter!
Three:
The floor shook and Seiko stumbled, cringing at the creaks of rotten wood that emanated from both above and below her. A hand found her elbow, warm and steadying, and it drew her eyes up from the rattling floor.
"Whoops." She said, grinning at Kishinuma who, with just a slight touch of exasperation, returned the gesture.
"Careful." He said, glancing up at the ceiling as it sent a small downpour of dust onto them. Coughing lightly Seiko waved it away with a hand, wincing as the coughs sent a jolt of pain through her throat. A sneeze made her jump and as she went to say 'bless you' found Kishinuma doubled over, breathing in sharp gasps.
"Are you alright?" she asked immediately, instinctively, gently touching his shoulder. His blonde head bobbed in a way that was neither a yes nor a no and, arms tight about his stomach, slowly straightened with a grimace and a soft curse. For a moment Seiko struggled to find something to say that would lighten his spirits but it was too hard, what with her own being so low. The only lights in the dark were that she was, at the very least, reunited with some of her friends and, more importantly, that Naomi was safe. Another wave of elation made her heart swell gently. She knew that she shouldn't be so happy, what with seven of their original nine being dead and the inevitability of her and Naomi's never seeing each other again, but she couldn't help it. Her dearest, darlingest Naomi was safe back home. How could she not be glad? She really wanted to thank Mochida but didn't quite know how. It seemed a little insensitive to thank him for, well, dying.
"Should we stop?" Seiko asked, seeing how drawn her blonde, delinquent friend looked with a face lined and grey with pain. For a moment he seemed to consider it before he shook his head firmly, straightening his back completely. "You can lean on me if you like." She said, and catching his unwilling expression flexed an arm for him to see. "I'm strong, see?" It wasn't one of her better lines, not by a long shot, but it still earned her a rueful smile. Letting out a long breath Kishinuma loosened his grip on his stomach and as he shifted Seiko caught another glimpse of deep and bloody reddish-pink that made her just a little nauseous. Upon meeting the three of them she had found herself oddly glad that she had perished in the way she had. So long as she didn't crane her head too far or talk too loud she was relatively alright, though there was a definite chill in her body that occasionally became painful if she thought about it too long. All things considered it could be a lot worse, though she doubted any of them had been killed by loved ones. Shocked at herself Seiko shook her head slightly. It hadn't been Naomi, or at least she hadn't been herself. It had been some strange concoction of the school's, or some dark entity set on destruction. NotNaomi. Never Naomi.
"Shinohara?"
"Hm?" Blinking Seiko started out of her daze, to find the two Mochida's stood at her side. They had been lagging behind a little, and had apparently caught up when she had fallen deep into thought.
"Are you alright? You look a little dazed." The elder Mochida peered at her through the gloom and she hoisted her smile back onto her lips. To be fair it wasn't that hard to smile at him, seeing as he had saved her beloved.
"I'm fine." She chirped, her voice contrasting strangely with their surroundings. She glanced around swiftly, almost embarrassed to be acting so cheerful. All the same Mochida smiled, unperturbed by her somewhat forced cheeriness, and even Yuka, who had been looking on with just as much concern, managed a little smile. Seiko stared at her for a moment, wondering why her little body seemed so tense – it didn't seem to be caused simply by the school's oppressive, broken atmosphere or her horribly murdered state.
As they walked on Seiko considered what her three companions had told her, when they had filled her in on what she'd missed after her early and untimely demise. Mulling it over she hoped they wouldn't encounter any ghosts, though she supposed now that they had been put to rest the four children wouldn't pop up any time soon. There were plenty of others, however, that they could stumble across she supposed. Glancing swiftly at Kishinuma again she wondered just how formidable this 'Yoshikazu' was, and for the briefest moment was taken with a desire to find and see that hulking spirit. She chided herself immediately, telling herself she would jinx it and assuring herself that she really didn't want to meet him. Even as she thought it, however, she became aware of a noise somewhere nearby. At first she assumed it was just the school as it fell to pieces around them, but as she listened she realised it was a series of distinct sounds. There were slow, heavy thuds accompanied by the creaking protests of rotting wood, and after every few there followed a kind of muffled, drawn-out 'shff' sound, as if something heavy were being dragged across the floor.
"Do you guys hear that?" she asked after a minute of hard listening, and they all glanced at her.
"Hear what?" Mochida replied, tilting his head and halting to listen. Upon catching the sound he furrowed his brow. "What is that?" They lapsed into silence, and a low groan worked its way above the shuffles and creaks.
There was movement beside Seiko as, quite suddenly, Kishinuma went rigid. His three companions all turned to look and Seiko was startled to see his face had gone completely white, and his eyes looked black his pupils were so wide.
"What's wrong?" she moved a little closer to him, peering into his face. He twitched at her voice, let out a long and shaky breath, turned to her slowly.
"N-nothing." He managed, trying to smile. "Let's just… not go that way, 'kay?" Seiko watched his Adam's apple bob nervously as he swallowed.
"Sure. Doesn't sound very tempting anyway." She said, seeing the two Mochida's give the blonde looks filled with just as much concern as hers were. She took his sleeve gently, feeling him flinch away ever so slightly, and began turning him round so they could backtrack a little way. As she turned she saw something move in the gloom at the end of the corridor they stood in and halted, staring. Someone said her name and she held up a hand to halt them, narrowing her eyes as she peered through the gloom. Then she saw it. It was a silhouette – a person's silhouette – and they had to be the largest person she had ever seen. Stood directly under the flickering of the hallway's only working light they were slow and hulking and shuffling steadily in the four companions' general direction, each step a dull, heavy thud. She thought she saw the glitter of eyes after a moment, and it was undeniably red.
"Uh, guys…?" she heard them turn at her faint voice and lifted a finger that was shaking slightly to point. "What… is that?" Yuka gave a little squeak of fear as her brother swore, violently. Even Seiko was surprised – swearing was normally Kishinuma's job.
"We should hide." Mochida said after a split-second's hesitation and Seiko tore her horrified eyes away, more than ready to comply. Moving to the nearest door Mochida made to open it; suddenly realising he had no fingers to do so he stepped back with a harsh noise. Hurrying forward Seiko nudged him aside with a hip with the command to keep an eye on the approaching figure that had instilled so much panic in him and set about attempting to pry the door open. When it didn't budge she danced around a hole in the floor to the next and when it slid open with much protest and no little effort on her part to reveal a flat wall of dusty black she turned to her companions and called to them softly. When they turned she beckoned and Mochida came, steering Yuka forward with his stumps on her shoulders. Kishinuma didn't move.
"Go on ahead." Seiko said to Mochida as he passed her and he nodded, herding his sister into the darkness of the classroom beyond. Sure they were out of sight Seiko turned, a wary eye trained on the slowly approaching silhouette, and moved to Kishinuma's side.
"Come on, Kishinuma." She said, "Let's go." She had hoped that her tone of false optimism would rouse him but when his wide, dark eyes fell on her she knew the attempt had fallen horribly, completely flat.
"I- I can't move." His voice was little more than a choked whisper. "My legs won't move." Seiko noticed he was shaking, so much that it was actually visible.
"What's wrong?" Moving to stand in front of him, Seiko turned her back with some discomfort on their mysterious foe. It didn't seem to matter because Kishinuma's eyes had fixed on him as soon as she had moved.
"Kishinuma?" He moved a bloody hand to his face, running it through his hair and across his skull as if to check his head was still there. Seiko watched with increasing concern. Pausing his movements he rested his hand against his temple and suddenly laughed a laugh that was more of a short, sharp exhale.
"Stupid, isn't it?" he looked at her again. "S'not like he can kill me again, right?" It suddenly all clicked into place and Seiko gave a quiet 'ah', glancing over her shoulder. So the hulking form making its way down the corridor was the infamous 'Yoshikazu'? The very same Yoshikazu she had just moments again been wanting to get a glance of? Hadn't she told herself she'd jinx it?
"Right, but let's not take any chances m'kay?" Seiko raised her eyebrows and he nodded slowly, dazedly allowing her to herd him to the classroom that Mochida and his sister were hidden in. Once they were both safely over the threshold Seiko turned and curled her fingers around the sliding door's edge, pulling. It wouldn't budge. Cursing internally she tugged a little harder, feeling the ragged wood dig into her already sore fingers. Gritting her teeth she heaved again, feeling it give a little under her ministrations. She got it about halfway closed before she had to halt, panting and shaking her hands about in an attempt to alleviate the pain shooting down her fingers.
"It's too stiff." She hissed into the darkness, barely able to make out her companion's silhouettes. They stirred uneasily at this information, and she got the feeling one of them was about to speak when those dreadful, dragging footsteps sounded right outside the door. Seiko froze, despite being stood directly in front of the door and therefore in Yoshikazu's line of sight should he look into their chosen hiding place. As it was lighter out in the hallway Seiko's wishes were fulfilled as the tall, heavyset figure stopped right in front of the gap between door and frame. Turning his head slowly this way and that it appeared he was searching for something, and as Seiko caught a glimpse of his face she felt as though she had seen him somewhere before, and she chewed her tongue thoughtfully despite the anxiety that had her stomach clenching nervously and her head feeling fuzzy. Dull red eyes swept across their hiding place and the mouth hidden behind cracked black lips opened to let loose a long, low moan of something that sounded like pain or distress. Seiko could hear one of her friends gasping softly for breath behind her and though she wanted to turn and check they were alright she still couldn't bring herself to move. Just like Kishinuma, her legs wouldn't move.
It seemed to take an eternity but Yoshikazu eventually decided to move on, lumbering away with his lurching stride, and Seiko caught a glimpse of the sledgehammer she had been told of. It was horribly bloodstained and caked in dried viscera, and Seiko thought it looked horribly dangerous. She would hate to be on the receiving end of a blow from it.
After another age of waiting Seiko finally found the strength to move again, moving right up to the door and pushing her head through the gap she had left. Someone moaned her name softly but she ignored them, scanning the gloom first to her left – the direction Yoshikazu had disappeared in – and then to her right. The light was still flickering, but even as she watched it went out and what little light was left vanished. The darkness that the hallway plunged into was absolute, save for the faintest glow of a light somewhere way down to the left.
"Shit." She assumed it was Kishinuma who moaned the word and she turned at last.
"Everyone here?" she asked into the gloom. She got three affirmatives. "I think he's gone – shall we go?" They were slower to reply to her next question, and as she waited she thought she heard a whisper of speech from beyond the door.
"Let's just wait a little longer, okay?" Mochida replied eventually, and Seiko felt no need to argue. She wanted to make sure Yoshikazu was as far away as possible before setting out again. "Yoshiki, are you alright?" Mochida continued, and Seiko watched the shadows stir around her as he moved.
"Y-yeah." Kishinuma sounded shaken, but his voice was stronger than it had been earlier. "Don't worry about me."
"Kishinuma?" Seiko started at the sudden voice, which had rung out from beyond the door. It was strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she knew it from. Yuka gave a little gasp at the sound.
"Kishinuma, are you there?" the voice came again and Seiko again watched the shadows stir. Hands gently moved her aside, and a quiet 'shh' cut off the protest that sprang to her lips.
"Miss Yui?" When Kishinuma spoke Seiko suddenly realised why she knew the voice. Kishinuma slid the door open and, with a jolt, Seiko noticed how easily it went, almost as if it had decided that, now they were no longer in danger of being found by a homicidal spirit, it would open as easily as if it wasn't rotted and stiff with age. She frowned as a bolt of annoyance shot through her. Slowly, with no little trepidation, Kishinuma stepped out into the shadows. For a moment his footsteps receded into the near distance and then stopped.
"Well, don't you guys look like crap?" His voice came from the gloom a moment later and Seiko could quite easily hear the smile in his words.
"Language, Kishinuma!" Her teacher's familiar, chiding cadence quipped in return and Seiko smiled despite herself.
"It's alright, you guys. It's just Miss Yui." Knowing he was talking to her and the Mochida siblings Seiko stepped forward, going slowly so as not to crash into or fall down anything in the darkness. She felt as if she had suddenly been blinded. Knowing she was going to friends Seiko hoisted a smile onto her face and plunged on through the gloom, coming to a halt only when Miss Yui and her own companions came into view. She was a little surprised to see both Suzumoto and Morishige stood a little way behind their teacher, and as she swept her eyes over them she struggled to maintain her smile as another wave of sorrow crashed down upon her. Suzumoto looked relatively alright, though her peachy skin was painted with an abstract pattern of faint purple bruises, and Morishige's side and neck were completely soaked in blood. Seiko resisted the urge to cringe as she wondered what had happened to him. His eyes held a slight manic edge behind his glasses, and his body was completely rigid as if he had been frozen by some dark force. It wouldn't be surprising, really, considering the environment. Realising that there had been no more movement from inside the classroom Seiko turned back, wondering why Mochida and Yuka were taking so long. Beside her Kishinuma mirrored the action.
"Come on, Yuka. It's alright." Mochida's soft voice floated from the pitch black. "What's wrong?" Wondering if their brief run-in with Yoshikazu had frightened Yuka badly Seiko felt overcome by a sudden sympathy, but even as it came over her Yuka made a soft noise of consent and there were the soft footsteps of the two siblings. They materialised beside Seiko and she started slightly at the suddenness of their appearance, hearing as she did a dismayed gasp from one of the newcomers. All at once a kind of tangible tension fell about their group, and Seiko wondered why exactly Yuka was hiding so fretfully behind her brother. Her large blue eye was flitting from Miss Yui to Morishige to Suzumoto and back to Morishige. However much she tried to look away her eye seemed to always manage to flit back to him, and following her gaze Seiko had to admit he did make a pretty gruesome sight. Despite that, and the tension that seemed to be radiating from him, he seemed to be the calmest of them all, his frenetic green eyes observing them all quietly from behind his glasses. Something about them sent a shiver down Seiko's spine and she looked away, realising suddenly that all seven of their group who had died were together again.
As they slowly become reacquainted with one another Mochida, being the only one of them who had lived to attempt an escape, explained what had happened with Sachiko and the other ghosts, and Seiko noticed Suzumoto looking oddly relieved at the thought of their being put to rest. As Mochida reached the end of his speech Kishinuma cut in to tell them how, currently, the school was collapsing – for good. At the knowledge of their impending disappearance the three newcomers expressed varying degrees of dismay that quickly settled into resignation. Perhaps it was better that they were going to vanish, instead of lingering in the school's gloomy halls for an eternity, suffering the pain of their deaths as they did. Looking between Yuka, Kishinuma and Morishige Seiko decided that it was certainly the better option. Maybe they might even find some peace of their own.
During their discussion Seiko noted vaguely how constant the school's shaking had become, not particularly violent but nonetheless definitely there. The air seemed to be steadily clouding with thick grey dust that both made the corridor seem lighter while at the same time steadily obscuring it, hiding all the gloom and death beneath a pale blanket. The school gave a sudden loud, fierce shudder that set them all staggering and Seiko distinctly heard something collapsing. She wondered what it was as she steadied herself.
"Do you think we should go somewhere a bit safer – where nothing can crush us, I mean?" Kishinuma asked as the clattering died down and they all glanced at him. He shrugged a shoulder. "Just a suggestion."
"Yes, let's." Miss Yui agreed, clasping her hands together. "But where?"
"The walkway that connects the two buildings might be alright." Mochida suggested, waving his arms slightly. "It's a little rundown but will probably be safer than underneath all these floors." No one protested and he began moving away, dragging Yuka who was still clinging to him. He was the only one who knew the way, after all, so they traipsed after him like some horrible, macabre parade. Miss Yui brought up the end of the line, as if she were trying to guard them from any potential harm, preceded by Morishige and Suzumoto, whose proximity was almost as close as the siblings heading their parade. Seiko fell into step beside Kishinuma, who limped along with a look a grim determination on his drawn face.
Seiko couldn't help but look around at their surroundings as they went. Despite the shadows obscuring much of the view, she still strived to peer into the black interiors of each classroom they passed, or cast her eyes onto the holes in both ceiling and floor. Another great shudder tore a small shriek from someone behind them and Seiko whirled, to find Suzumoto pressed close to Morishige's chest as he pulled her away from the edge of a hole that had suddenly appeared in the floor beneath her feet. With quick, deft movements Miss Yui skirted around it, a hand firmly atop her head, chivvying them on when they all paused to stare.
"Come on, we haven't got all day." She said, her voice its usual teacher one. They obeyed, just as they always did, and their grisly procession picked up its pace, following Mochida through the school's bewildering interior. Seiko was impressed by his ability to navigate its many twists and turns, and soon they were approaching a pair of large double doors beyond a small antechamber filled with cupboards and littered with tiny shoes. Casting her eyes about the area Seiko realised she knew it – she had struggled to open those very doors alongside Naomi. Would they, perhaps, open now? She got her answer as Mochida braced his shoulder against the right-hand one and began to slowly but surely force it open. Yuka had finally relinquished her grip on him and was hovering nervously about a metre behind him, small hands clasped to her chest. Kishinuma moved to help his best friend, and there was a soft grating noise as it began to open.
"Shige-nii?" Suzumoto suddenly spoke and Seiko turned just in time to find Morishige moving up along their line. As he passed her she caught a glimpse of the dark, gaping hole in the side of him neck. Had he been stabbed? She couldn't even begin to imagine how much it must have hurt – hanging had been bad enough. The group, save for the two still trying to open the doors, all watched him with interest as he hesitated before, very gently, tapping Yuka on the shoulder. She jumped, spun, and took a hurried step back. Seiko was surprised to see fear fill her young face and peered suspiciously at Morishige, just as he rested his hands on his thighs and bowed.
An apology.
What he was apologising for Seiko didn't know but their cold, bespectacled friend was apologising to Yuka. Seiko had never seen him apologise before – or heard him for that matter, but then she doubted very much he could speak at the moment. She wondered if, seeing as he had clearly done something worth apologising for, he had decided to try and wipe the slate clean before his existence, and the opportunity, was gone for good. That or he was continuing to try and uphold the 'nice guy' appearances that he strove so hard for.
For a long moment Yuka simply stared at him, wide eye confused and afraid, before some of the tension left her and she smiled hesitantly.
"Th-thank you." Mochida turned at the sound of his sister's voice. "I'm- I'm sorry for what happened to you." Seiko had no idea what was going on. Glancing behind her she found Miss Yui looking just as bewildered as her, while Suzumoto watched with an expression that was a clear mixture of worry and pride as a slight smile played across her lips. Facing forward again Seiko watched Morishige stay still for a long moment before he straightened, stared at Yuka for a moment before he nodded as much as he could around the hole in his neck and retreated to the safety of Suzumoto's presence. Catching Kishinuma's eye from where he stood, having also paused his attempts to open the door, Seiko exchanged a brief, confused look with him and he shrugged a shoulder noncommittally before shifting his attention back to the door. It suddenly gave up the fight and swung open, sending him flying through to the walkway beyond with a loud and startled curse. Seiko couldn't help a slight laugh at the spectacle, knowing she shouldn't but unable to stop herself.
"Yoshiki!" Mochida, meanwhile, had reacted quite differently. "Are you alright?" he peered through the open door as Kishinuma gave a low groan in reply and Seiko moved forward to see what had become of the blonde. The sight that greeted her stopped her short for a moment. There was indeed a walkway between the two sprawling buildings, but though she distinctly remembered seeing a rain-soaked forest through the school's window now all she found surrounding the school was a swirling miasma of deep purplish-grey. The sight sent a chill through her and she quickly directed her eyes onto the prone figure at her feet. He was sprawled on the steps leading to the walkway, wriggling feebly in an attempt to get upright as painlessly as possible.
"What was that, you klutz?" Seiko asked with a startled laugh, crossing to his side. Sinking onto one knee beside him she helped him back onto the top step, which actually proved quite difficult when he persisted in using only one hand, the other secured to the wound in his stomach. Seiko didn't know whether to be grateful or exasperated – on the one hand she was glad to be spared of another glimpse of his insides, but on the other surely by now they had all seen worse? In some cases much worse? She didn't comment however, except to tease him for the sudden act of clumsiness. He shot her a glare that had no bite behind it and she grinned.
As Kishinuma was settling on the step the rest of their group crept through the open door; first came Mochida, closely followed by Yuka, then Suzumoto pulling Morishige and finally Miss Yui, who gently closed the door after her. Seiko suddenly felt as if they had successfully escaped. It was stupid, she knew, but the strange miasma around them was steadily hiding the buildings and there was a definite sense of no longer being inside the school. Perhaps it was simply because she knew that, technically, they would have been outside had the smoke not been obscuring the view. As she thought about the sudden shift in atmosphere her friends were picking their way down the creaky wooden steps and out across the rubble-strewn walkway. Chunks of stone lay here and there, and fine cracks were steadily creeping across its length and breadth. It made a desolate sight but it was remarkably corpse-free, which instantly made it favourable in Seiko's eyes.
"So this is where Nakashima and Shinozaki escaped?" Miss Yui asked, carefully manoeuvring around a rather large piece of building. Mochida glanced round at her question and nodded once, shame flickering into his expression at the reminder of the way they had gone. Seiko decided now was her chance. Skipping down the steps she all but dashed to his side, hugging him briefly, impulsively, before stepping back and smiling her best smile.
"Thank you, Mochida." She said, seeing the confusion in his eyes. "Thank you for saving Naomi – and the Pres."
"No- it was-"
"Yeah, thanks Satoshi." Kishinuma grinned as he cut across his friend's denials, obviously knowing he was making him uncomfortable. "Who knew you were actually so brave?" That earned smiles from the rest of the group – Mochida's cowardice was, after all, well-known by them all. Or at least it had been. They couldn't exactly call him a scaredy-cat anymore.
"Sh-shut up, Yoshiki." Mochida grumbled, face colouring a little. It quickly drained away, however, as the walkway gave a lurch and they all staggered. Glancing about Seiko found the school's two buildings completely hidden from sight, as if they had been erased completely. Then again they probably had.
Suddenly faced with the reality of their impending disappearance Seiko shivered, hugging herself as fear ran like ice through her veins. She didn't want to disappear. She hadn't thought it would bother her so much but she suddenly found herself on the verge of tears, barely able to move. A hand found hers and she jumped, looking up.
"Shall we do the charm again?" Suzumoto smiled as Seiko looked at her. "That's what Nakashima and Shinozaki did, isn't it? It might not work for us, seeing as we don't have our pieces of the charm, but I think it will make me feel a little better – always together, right?" Seiko looked about at her companions, who had all turned to listen to Suzumoto. There was a brief pause before Kishinuma hauled himself to his feet.
"Sure, why not?" he grinned when the eyes fell on him. "It's worth a shot, right?" The seven took a moment to take in their steadily deteriorating surroundings, the rubble and the creeping miasma, and decided they might as well try. They quickly formed a circle, and Seiko found her hands intertwined with Suzumoto and Kishinuma's. There was no need to put hands in the centre as they had no charm scraps, and anyways Seiko felt a little more comforted by being able to feel their presences through their cold fingers. She tightened her grip on their hands and when Suzumoto squeezed gently the two girls exchanged scared little smiles.
"Alright then, everybody." Mochida again took the lead. "We have to say it eight times in total – one for each of us and Sachiko as well." Seiko wondered if there was any point in addressing a spirit who had already left the building, but she didn't protest.
"Everyone ready?" Mochida's gaze moved steadily around the circle and as his eyes fell onto them each of the companions nodded or gave some kind of consent.
"Okay then." Mochida nodded once and smiled gently. "Sachiko, we beg of you."
"Sachiko, we beg of you." Yuka and then Kishinuma echoed the phrase, and Seiko noticed that the mist was crawling between the gaps in the walkway's fences.
"Sachiko, we beg of you." She went next, determinedly making her voice light and strong so as not to show her fear, despite the fact that the thick purple miasma was now nipping at their heels.
"Sachiko, we beg of you-" Suzumoto paused to glance at Morishige and they exchanged slight smiles. "Sachiko, we beg of you." She said again, her voice wobbling only slightly. Seiko could no longer see her own legs.
"Sachiko, we beg of you." Miss Yui's voice cut clearly through the air, bright and strong and so very alive. The tears came again and Seiko shut her eyes, or she thought she did because she could no longer see the world around her. All she knew was that both Kishinuma and Suzumoto's grips were strong in her own.
Sachiko, we beg of you.
AN: Dun dun duuuun. One more chapter to go! Hopefully it'll be up by the end of the weekend! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you thought - I feel kind of like Morishige was a little out of character 'cause he doesn't seem like the apologising type, but tell me if you thought it was okay/awful - it's most definitely appreciated. Thanks for reading!
