CHAPTER 1 (3)
(Three years ago)
14 year old Ryosuke Katayama was currently at the local supermarket. He was wrapped in a gold coat, with his sand brown hair falling in front of his green eyes. The young boy stood with his nose pressed against the shop window. There, on the other side of the glass, was a game known as MikoMiko's Dating Party. But this wasn't any old ordinary copy. This was the Special X Edition, complete with new characters, new stories... and was completely uncensored.
"I need... that... game..." Katayama breathed. His gaze eventually drifted over to the price tag: 9,250 yen. The blond reached into his pocket and looked at the note in his hand. Only 5,000 yen... now where near enough... he thought sadly.
"Oh! You want it as well?" A young voice said from behind him. Katayama turned around to see a boy standing behind him. He was of similar age, but was slightly shorter than Katayama, which surprised him since he himself was the shortest boy he knew. He was wearing a green jacket, had brown, curly hair, and big blue eyes.
"What's it to ya?" Katayama replied, suspicious. "I was going to get it myself with my birthday money," the boy said, as he opened his hand, revealing several coins and notes, totalling up to 8,000 yen. "Sorry, but you're still too short," Katayama said as he pointed at the price. The boy sighed sadly, but then noticed the note in Katayama's hand. "What if we put our money together?" He suggested. Katayama gasped. "Then we'd have more than enough!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him into the shop. "H-Hey! That hurts!"
(Later)
The two boys looked in awe at the game in their hands. By their expression, you'd think they'd found a chest of treasure. "I can't believe it..." Katayama said, his mouth agape. "It's in our hands..." the other boy finished. He then turned to Katayama. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Tomohiro Ohkawa," he said, offering his hand. "Ryosuke Katayama!" Katayama replied as he shook his hand. "Wanna go to my place? I have my own computer! We can play it there!" Ohkawa said. "Lead the way!" Katayama replied, as the two dashed off, both eager to play their new game, even more so now that they had someone to play it with.
(Present)
"Oi! Ryosuke! What's wrong?" Ohkawa asked. Katayama blinked, then looked around him and remembered where he was. He must have been daydreaming. "Don't worry! I'm fine!" He reassured as he continued walking. Ohkawa gave him a sceptical look as he followed. "You still haven't told me about that dream." Katayama cringed as he remembered the nightmare he'd had just a few minutes ago. "Nothing for you worry about!" He said as he turned the corner. "I'm perfectly fi-"
Squish!
"Eh?" Katayama looked down to find his foot buried in a pile of meat. "AAAHHHH!" He screamed as he leapt back, Ohkawa staring at him with confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked as Katayama pointed at his foot, then the wall opposite him, his face white. Ohkawa looked in the direction he was pointing. "What tha- AHHHH!"
Blood and guts completely covered the wall from floor to ceiling. One could easily pick out organs, bones, and even brown hair in the gory mess. It was as if someone had been flung at the wall at incredible speeds. It was the most disgusting thing they'd seen in the school so far.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Ohkawa cried. "WH-WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?!" Katayama yelled. "This... I stepped in..." he said as looked down at his now bloody foot, horrified. "We... We need to find the others... and get out of here!" Ohkawa said. "Yeah..." Katayama agreed. "Yuuya's fine, so Masato... Yamamoto... Urabe... Kirisaki... Kurosaki... and Shimada." Ohkawa nodded. "Come on..." he said as he and Katayama continued walking down the hall, careful not to look at the bloody stain on the wall.
(Elsewhere)
The sheer size of this school still amazes me... Kizami thought as he made his way through the dark halls of the school. This place is clearly separate from the reality that I'm used to. It is dangerous here... I should find the others and find a way out... I wonder if there is even a way out of here... maybe the spirit was right after all... it does seem unlikely that I, or anyone else will get out... Kizami stopped walking.
Then that means that I was right... he thought, his eyes closed, his face expressionless. If there is now way out... Then everyone will die... and if everyone will die... Then it doesn't matter whether they're killed by the school...
"... Or killed by me..." Yuuya said, as a small, sinister smile made it's way onto his face. "SEIKO!" Someone yelled. "Hmmm? Who's that?" Kizami wondered. The voice seemed female, and was coming from around coming from the other end of the hallway, which was shrouded in darkness. It was accompanied by light, quick footsteps, as if they were running. "SEIKO! WHERE ARE YOU!" The voice continued, now closer than it was before. Intrigued, Yuuya began walking towards the direction of the voice and footsteps, and sure enough, a figure appeared from the darkness in front of him.
It was a girl, around his age, was fairly slim, but seemed a little on the short side, being nearly a foot shorter than Kizami. She had short brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing an unfamiliar uniform, consisting of a tan sailor outfit, with a blue collar, skirt, and cuffs, as well as a yellow bow held by a blue brooch. Her student ID was pinned to her... rather large chest. Judging by her expression, she was very anxious, until she noticed Yuuya.
"E-Excuse me!" She stopped as she called to the tall man in front of her, unable to see him completely. "You seem... worried," Yuuya said, his charm on and working. "Are you looking for someone?" He asked, with fake concern as he stepped forward and fully revealed himself. He inwardly smirked as the girl's cheeks gained a faint red tint as she took in his appearance. He had that affect on people.
"Y-Yes! I'm looking for my best friend, Seiko Shinohara! My name is Naomi Nakashima, an 11th grade student from Kisaragi Academy!" She said. "I'm Yuuya Kizami. I'm also in 11th grade, at Byakudan Senior High School," Kizami replied. "You haven't seen Seiko have you?" Naomi asked. "She has brown hair done in curls, she's a little shorter than me, has brown eyes, and a kitty-like smile." She sighed sadly as Kizami shook his head. "Sorry. I haven't seen her," he said. "Did you come with anyone else?" He asked. "Yeah, eight others, including Seiko, after we did a charm," Naomi replied.
"The same for me," Yuuya said. "I found two of my classmates, but we separated to cover more ground, and I haven't seen anyone else since." The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before Kizami once again spoke up. "If you wish, you may accompany me. We can look for your friends as well," he offered. Naomi thought about for awhile, before nodding. "Sure! It will be nice to have some help!" She said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll join her again," Yuuya assured with a soft smile on his face. Naomi once again blushed slightly as she continued to walk down the corridor, failing to notice Kizami's smile slowly turning into a dark smirk as he followed her.
Yes Naomi... You WILL reunite with your friend... Don't worry... I'll make sure that you never separate from her, or your other friends ever again...
(Elsewhere)
"Hey! Ryosuke! Look what I found!" Ohkawa called. The two were in another room, searching it to find any clue as to how to leave the building. "What is it?" Katayama asked as he walked over from the other side of the room. "I found a newspaper," Ohkawa replied as he handed it over to his friend. The name was blacked out, but the date in the corner said 1973. "1973? Jeez this is old..." Katayama said as he began to look over the front article.
Serial Kidnappings Continue!
Yet another child has disappeared from Heavenly Host Elementary. This is just the latest in what authorities are calling a serial kidnapping. These kidnappings have several damaged Heavenly Host's reputation, and there have been several rumours that one of the teachers is behind the kidnappings. Principal Takamine Yanagihori has repeatedly denied... Continued on Page 3.
Alongside the article were two pictures of the school. The first showed the outside of the school. It was extremely large, with a sign in front of it that read "Heavenly Host Elementary School". The second picture however, showed the inside of the school, and looked strikingly familiar.
"That corridor!" Ohkawa gasped. "We've been in there!" The hall in the picture was in much better shape, and had no corpses or ghosts in it, but it was undeniably the same hallway. "This must be Heavenly Host..." Katayama concluded. "H-How did we get here?" Ohkawa asked. "This newspaper is over thirty years old!" Katayama rubbed his eyes. "This is all starting to take it's toll on me..." he sighed wearily. "Don't fall asleep Ryosuke! We need to find everyone else!" Ohkawa said. "Yes..." Katayama replied as he dropped the newspaper and followed Ohkawa out of the room.
(Later)
Katayama's mood continued to deteriorate as the two continued on their way. It was as if someone had torn every single positive emotion out of his head, and pulled it with every negative emotion they could think of. Ohkawa's comments didn't help.
"This sure is spooky..."
"Ahhh! Look at that corpse!"
"Are you alright Ryosuke?"
Katayama ground his teeth. "I'm fine..." he said. "A-Are you sure? You look tired," Ohkawa replied. "I'm FINE!" Katayama yelled. His patience was wearing thin. "If you're so concerned then shut up!" Ohkawa stepped back, caught off guard by the outburst, before his temper began to rise as well. "I'm just worried about you Ryosuke! What do you expect me to do?! I'm your best friend!" Katayama glared at him, his teeth bared, and to Ohkawa's shock, his eyes flashed a bright crimson, before turning back to normal. "My best friend?! Don't make me laugh! You were never my best friend!"
Ohkawa's eyes widened as he processed those words. The hate and anger from Katayama's face slowly vanished. He blinked a few times in confusion, as if waking up from a dream. Then he remembered what he said. "Tomohiro I-" he began, but... Then stopped. He couldn't finish it. The word sorry was stuck in his throat, as if someone was squeezing his throat.
Ohkawa's shock slowly faded, and he looked down, trying to hid the sadness in his eyes. "I see..." he said, before he turned and walked away. Katayama tried to follow him, but something was constricting his movements. He couldn't move his legs or call out. He was powerless to do anything as his best friend walked away. It was only long after Ohkawa's footsteps faded that whatever had trapped him let go, once again giving him movement.
"Tomohiro! Wait! Come back!" Katayama yelled in the direction Ohkawa had gone. If the brown haired boy had heard him, he chose to ignore him. "I'm sorry..." Katayama whispered, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. "I'm so... sorry..." Wiping away his tears, he set off in the direction Ohkawa took.
I swear Tomohiro... I'll find you... I'll apologize... and we'll find a way out...
(With Ohkawa)
"What's up with him?!" Ohkawa yelled, having a rare burst of anger. "I try to help him, and he just yells at me! And he's supposed to be the calm one!" Furious, Ohkawa stormed down the corridors, ranting all the way. Eventually though, he finally began to calm down. He could never stay mad at Katayama for long.
"I suppose I was little annoying," he admitted, a pained look on his face. "And I guess this place was getting to him... So maybe he didn't mean it when he said..." Ohkawa couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. "We need to get back together... and find everyone else!" He said, a look of determination on his face.
Creak!
"Huh? Who's there!" Ohkawa said as he quickly turned around. There was nobody there. He stared in the direction the noise had come from for a few more seconds, before chuckling. "I'm must be losing it too..." he said as he turned around...
...and saw a girl standing in front of him. "AHHH!" He yelled as he leapt back, landing on his backside. The girl was very young, about six or seven, with long black hair, and deathly pale skin. She was clad in a long, crimson dress. Her eyes were completely obscured by her bangs, but her mouth was drawn into a tight, straight line.
"Ummm... hi?" Ohkawa called, still on the floor. For awhile the girl's expression didn't change one bit. Then, slowly, the ends of her mouth curved upwards into a cold, dead smirk as she started walking towards Ohkawa.
(With Katayama)
"AAAAHHHHHHH!"
"Huh!?" Katayama stopped in his tracks when he heard that scream. He knew that voice. It was impossible for him not to recognize it. "Tomohiro!" Quickly, he turned in the direction of the noise, and began sprinting towards it. "Hang on Tomohiro!" He called as he ran through the dark halls of Heavenly Host. As he ran, he couldn't help but remember his dream. No... he thought. I will find you! I will save you!
Seemingly an eternity later, he saw a figure appear from the darkness in front of him. It was a boy, crouched on the floor. He was wearing the Byakudan Senior High School uniform, and had a head of brown hair. "Tomohiro!" Katayama called out, relieved. However, as he got closer, he noticed something... off. Ohkawa's clothes, were torn, as if he'd been attacked by a dog, and stained with a dark red liquid in certain parts. Katayama stopped as Ohkawa turned around, his brown eyes wide with fear and panic, which only seemed to grow when he noticed Katayama.
"No! NO!" He screamed, crawling away from Katayama, who stared at him in shock and confusion. "Tomohiro?! What's happened!? What's wrong?! It's me! Ryosuke!" He reassured. "No! Don't! Don't take me to her!" Ohkawa yelled as he scrambled to his feet and dashed off. "Tomohiro! Wait!" Katayama called, racing after him. Ohkawa didn't listen, just kept on running and screaming. "Go away! I don't want to go back to her!" He cried as he reached a staircase, and began running down it. "Tomohiro!" Katayama said as he reached the staircase. "Hold o-!"
Trip!
Slice!
Katayama stopped running as he heard the sound of two objects dropping to the ground. "Tomohiro..?" He called as he slowly made his way down the stairs. No reply. He turned around the corner to the second set of stairs, and looked at that was at the bottom.
Ohkawa was dead. A string of now bloody piano wire was a tied at the foot of the stairs. Ohkawa's head now lay several feet from his body, which was sprawled unceremoniously on the floor, soaking in a growing puddle of blood. "..." Katayama didn't say anything as he walked down the stairs, unconsciously stepping over the wire, and stopped at Ohkawa's head. It's eyes, once full of life, were now cold, empty, and lifeless, yet still held a small echo of life. Of terror.
"Tomohiro..." Katayama cried as he sank to his knees, tears flowing down his cheeks in a steady stream. The only thing that was going through his head was the words he'd heard in his dream, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the current situation.
"You let me die..."
"No..." Katayama whimpered, staring into his friend's dead eyes, which in turned stared right back at him.
"You let me die..."
"No...!" Katayama said louder. He was breathing heavier. His eyes seemed to shrink as he stared at his best friend's head. A friend he'd spent the last three years with. A friend he would have called a brother. A friend he had let die.
"You let me die Ryosuke..."
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! TOMOHIROOOOOO!"
CHAPTER 1
END
A/N
And that brings us to the end of CHAPTER 1! It's been nice experiencing Heavenly Host with these two (three?) hasn't it? Next up, is CHAPTER 2 which will focus on another pair, and introduce the first of the two mystery characters. Leave a review and tell me what you thought of CHAPTER 1. Until then, goodbye!
P.S. Just so you know, I may piss a few people off with the... "fates" of a few minor characters in CHAPTER 2. Just to let you know.
A/N
