"Yuuki, Yuuki? She's coming to!" Satoshi shouted happily. Keiichi, Rika, and the rest crowded around Satoshi at the hospital bed, eager to witness their friend's awakening.

The blonde crumpled her face, opening her eyes slowly. The images of a white room and people were blurry but gradually came into focus. They were shouting things, but Yuuki couldn't make out what they were saying; it was all garbled. Finally, Satoshi's face came into view and Yuuki half-grinned, not knowing whether to swell her heart with joy at the sight of her friends - or break down in tears because she was alive and Mion wasn't. "Satoshi . . . what're you doing here?

"Making sure you're okay!" he sighed happily, patting Yuuki's head, mindful of her weakened state.

Yuuki looked away, glancing at all of the other faces. "Satoko. Rena, Rika. Keiichi. Geez, you guys sure are loyal, huh? Like dogs."

"Nipah!" Rika cried happily. "Welcome back. We thought you were a gonner for sure."

"You need to be more careful," Satoko added. "You could have been killed, you moron. Is that normal for you Americans?"

"We saw what happened," Satoshi lowered his head, ashamed. "We're sorry. We should have helped you when we had the chance. When Rena found a way in, the fight was about over, but . . . you were the only one there. Mion, Shion, and Hanyuu . . . were gone. All that remained of them was their blood." He bit his lip, blood-soaked memories returning to mind.

Yuuki's eyes snapped open before shining with a layer of tears. She gripped the crisp blanket sheets hard, trying to keep her flood of emotions inside. "Mion . . . Shion . . ."

The whole group lowered their heads. "It's called Hinamizawa Syndrome. Shion had it . . . and we still haven't found Mion."

Rika sat down in a nearby chair, cradling her chin in her hands. "That's how it works. Every year, one person dies and one goes missing." her lip curled, remembering the past worlds. I really thought this one would be the end.

"No, I know where she is," Yuuki sat up, looking at the layers of bandages on her arms. "She told me. By the school. Down the hill. She's there." suppressing a groan, she swung her legs out of the bed and stood. The blood rushed down from her head and for a moment she thought she might pass out once more. "We have to find her."

"No." Satoshi grasped her shoulder and tried to get her to lie back down. "You're still hurt."

"How could Mii-chan tell you where she is?" Rika said slowly. She swallowed. "She's gone."

Yuuki used Satoshi as support to remain standing. "So was I. I saw her. Shion and Hanyuu too. I tried to get her to come with me but she said she couldn't. I promised her I'd find her body and that's what I'm going to do."

The group was silent, not sure what to make of this bizarre information. Rika jumped up from her chair, knees trembling. "Hanyuu . . . Hanyuu's dead?" The small girl surged forward, stopping in front of Yuuki, on the verge of tears. "Usoda! She just said she was . . ." Yuuki stared down at her, amber eyes smoldering dully. It was clear that she wasn't lying. Rika looked down, her hair hiding her eyes in shadow. Fluorescent tears slipped down her pale face. Baka . . . Baka, Hanyuu!

Yuuki dared a couple steps and placed a calm hand on Rika's soft head, toying with her violet strands. She wanted to say something, but no words formed on her tongue. It was okay - this moment didn't call for words. She removed her hand and took one shaky step after another, making it to the doorway. She leaned against it, breathing heavily. "I'm going to find Mion," she vowed. "With or without your help. I made a promise . . . to my best friend." She hung her head, her hot tears dripping onto the ground. "But I'd be a fool to do this all on my own. I need an answer: will you help me?"

"I will," Satoshi said, stepping forward. "Who's coming?"

Rika grit her teeth and shot her head up, red-tinted eyes shining with tears. "I'm coming." She said the next bit quietly, most likely to herself, "For Hanyuu . . . and both Mii and Shii-chan."

Keiichi clenched his fist, wounded heart hammering against his chest. "Me too. For Mion . . ."

Rena bit her lip, fighting away her own tears. "I should have gotten help sooner. I owe Mii-chan that much. I'll come."

"Well said," Satoshi said with a tender smile. "Where is she?"

Yuuki stumbled into the hall, determined to make it out and right her wrongs. "I already told you." She placed a hand on the wall and slid it down, a blood trail painting its pearly surface. A drop of sweat plopped on the tile flood, like rain. "She's by the school. That's where I was - where we all were. I remember it all. I protected her . . . from Shion." She took a fresh step and crumpled to the ground, drained and exhausted.

"Yuuki!" The group cried out. Satoshi ran over and tried to haul her up by the shoulders. "Here, let me carry you," he offered.

Yuuki gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No. I didn't survive just to be beaten now. Do me favor though," - she smiled wryly - "help me up. I can still walk."

"Keiichi. Come over here and help me," Satoshi called out, taking Yuuki's right arm and slinging it over his shoulders. Pink dusted his pale cheeks as he wrapped a strong arm around her waist. Yuuki didn't seem fazed.

Keiichi dropped down on one knee and put Yuuki's left arm around his neck, coiling his arm around her. "On three. One . Two. Three." They both lifted and Yuuki stuck out her feet to steady herself, though both boys still held her up. "Thanks guys."

"No problem. That's what we're here for." Keiichi smiled as they went off down the hallway, everyone else following behind.


Yuuki led them into the night, stumbling more than once, but refusing to be carried. "I can handle it," she said stubbornly. Within an hour, they arrived at the school grounds and Yuuki fought a wave of nausea - she could still smell the blood and the reeking stench of Death. "Here. This is the place." She tentatively took a step forward and wobbled. She went down, roughly landing on her knees, pearls of sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Yuuki! Take it easy," Satoko warned timidly. She was uncertain about what to do at this point. Things were happening so fast. "You're still really hurt."

Rena came up beside her and attempted to help the wounded girl up. "Tell us where she is. We'll go get her."

"No . . . I'll go with you even if I have to crawl there!" she took in a deep breath and crawled on all fours like an animal. She was not ashamed to be reduced to this pitiful state. "I made a promise."

Rika stepped up toward the schoolhouse with caution, looking ahead at the darkened building. She could see vague shapes in the patchwork of trees and grass, though it was difficult to make out what they were. A stray cloud buckled beneath the light of the moon and her eyes widened as she saw clearly what those shapes were: the beaten and bloodied body of Mion Sonozaki. Mion had been cut across the back, seemingly stabbed multiple times, blood everywhere. Of Shion there was no trace. Rika landed on her knees, twisting them beside her so that she sat on the ground. The small girl felt nauseous and couldn't look at Mion's body for any more gruesome details. She couldn't believe it. They found the body. "I-I found her!" she half-said, half-screamed in a shaky voice.

Yuuki came up behind her, eyes smoldering with an unnatural fire, but it was a benevolent one. "I did it." She didn't stop crawling until she was touching Mion's body, her heavy breathing caressing the corpse's gnarled hair. "Okay. I found it. I found you, Mion. Now what? Huh, now what? You didn't give me the next step. What do I do now? What do I do now?"

Satoshi lowered his head and didn't dare to see the bodies for himself. It would have been too much. A tear slipped down his cheek, a herald of many. Shion-chan . . .

Satoko looked away and buried her face in her brother's shirt, crying her eyes out, traumatized. "Nii-Nii!"

Keiichi's legs shook and his eyes went wide. "Mion . . ." He hid his face as tears slipped down from his eyes.

Once the initial shock had passed, Rika clumsily crawled forward and looked up at Yuuki. "Yuu,"- she swallowed hard, fighting the lump in her throat just so she could utter these painful words. "Yuu-chan . . . she's gone." She shut her eyes, shoulder's shaking. "Mii-chan's gone . . ."

"No!" Yuuki threw herself against Mion's back, her forehead pressing deep into her mutilated skin. "Sh-she can't! I saw her! She was in front of me! Shion too! So was Hanyuu! Mion, tell me what to do next so you can break this blasted curse! That's why i came back, isn't it? Why are you just sleeping there?" Yuuki had rolled over the Sonozaki girl's body and found not so much as a scratch on her soft face. It truly looked as if she were asleep. "C'mon! Get up already! You're our club leader - leaders can't die, dang it!" She smacked her over and over, crazed grief taking possession of her body. Rika merely sat by and watched.

Satoshi looked up at Rena, who was still running over to the group. "Get help! We found her!"

"Yuuki, I'm sorry," Mion repeated.

"Hauu," Hanyuu's voice came from behind Rika. The small girl resisted all urges to tackle her companion in a grisly bear hug. There would be time for their reunion later. Even though we've been together for over a hundred years, Rika thought, I still feel sad whenever she's taken from me.

"You couldn't help it, could you?" Rika asked in a reserved voice.

"They just wanted to say goodbye!" the horned girl countered with a pout.

"Can't you at least make them ghosts until the Watanagashi?" Rika questioned. She frowned as she witnessed the wavering form of Mion come into view, though her image was extremely transparent. she lowered her head. "All Yuuki is talking to is a memory; that's not even the real Mion . . ."

"Hauuuuu," Hanyuu thought to herself.

Yuuki clenched her fists, fighting back tears. "Baka . . ." she whispered as she perched over Mion's raw face (she had slapped it so many times that someone might have thought she was stung by a horde of bees. "You didn't even tell me the next step on how to get you back. You idiot. Moron. Oaf. Imbecile!"

"Yuu-chan," - Mion reached out and wrapped her ghostly arms around her neck, being careful not to cause her any more pain - "I can hear you now . . . but I can't feel you . . . can you feel me, Yuu-chan?"

Yuuki's tears doubled and she gripped Mion's arms. If this was a memory - then she would keep it alive. "Why . . .? Why can't you tell me how to bring you back? You're killing me, Mion. Literally."

"Because I don't know how . . . Yuu-chan . . ." - Mion's eyes watered - "Every time this happens . . . there is an equal number of people who die to who disappears. I didn't want to disappear . . . not again," she said softly, hurt that Yuuki was so depressed. She tightened her grip on the blood-drenched girl.

Yuuki's eyes fell then snapped open as if a thought had struck her. She had just said a very important clue. "An equal number . . . Mion you're a genius." Mion pulled away slightly, confused. What had she said? "Shion and Hanyuu died and Shion isn't here. They couldn't find you to begin with . . . All that's left is . . ." Yuuki began to craw away without an inkling of where she was going. Rika sat by and watched her leave, doing nothing in her power to stop her. "Those are the rules, right?" the fair-haired girl continued. "One dies another disappears? Hanyuu died - I need to disappear." Satoko bit her lip, worried.

Mion disappeared without even so much as a goodbye. Rika said to Hanyuu, "Finally the memory fades."

Hanyuu fidgeted nervously, stomping her feet in a sort of tantrum. "Hau auu! You're just going to let her go like that? What happened to breaking Fate?"

"Hanyuu," Rika said in a serious tone. The other girl quieted herself. "You and I both know that Fate cannot be changed. We've lived for too long to realize that. What I said before, it was charming, but it was nothing more than a dream. And the funny thing about dreams is that sooner or later you have to wake up."

Yuuki continued her sluggish trek, inching along on her belly (her legs had given up a long time ago). She was curious as to why Rika didn't seem to care about her sudden leaving, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered is that this nightmare would end. She could smell water up ahead and she smiled sadly. "That's where I'll disappear." Yuuki lay by the swamp waters, exhausted and breathless. Every muscle in her body hurt and her throat was dry and hoarse. She wished she could just sleep and not be forced to endure this any longer. Her hard breath rippled the murky water and her hand dipped beneath its cool surface. "This is it . . . I'm done. I've completed the curse." Her eyes closed and she listened to the sound of her fading heartbeat for the last time.

Satoko stood frozen behind a tree, clueless on what to do. "Yuu-chan . . ."

"Yuu-chan."

Yuuki cracked her eyes open only a little and she bit her lip at what she saw. Mion's reflection shimmered in the glassy waters of the swamp, looking for all the world like she had lost her dog. It was a pitiful expression she wore. "Please," she begged, voice sorrowful. "Don't disappear. That'll only make things worse. I know you want to break the curse, but . . . I don't think there is any breaking it. We haven't been able to for quite some time and I doubt that your sacrifice would do anything. You came back because you're a strong person and I'm sure there are other ways to end this. But it doesn't have to be this way." Her bottom lip quivered as she reached out with her hand, but her fingers didn't even break the water's surface; she was trapped. "Please, don't do this."

"Dreams can come true, Rika," Hanyuu countered, doing her best to stall Yuuki while she still could. "That's why people work hard to achieve their goals. I know you must have given up hope long ago, but please, believe just a little while longer. Believe that we can pull through this, but that won't happen if Yuuki disappears . . . The cycle would only start over again . . ."

Rika's eyes drifted upward and she squinted against the bright glare of the moon. "Don't," was all she said. "Yuu-chan . . ."

"Hauuu!" Hanyuu cried happily, but her demeanor changed as she glanced behind her and into the darkness. "Yuuki! STOP!"

Rena jogged over to Rika, who had stood to her feet. "What's wrong? Where's Yuu-chan?"

"Yuuki," Rika started, eyes shining with determination and rekindled hope. "She's going to try and complete the curse by disappearing in the swamp."

Rena swore and clenched her fists. "Don't let her!" She charged into the darkness, calling the blonde's name. "We can't let her do this!"

Yuuki opened her hazy eyes slowly. "Mion . . . I need to complete it." Sluggishly, she moved her body, centimeter by centimeter towards the edge of the water. Mion's memory barked every bribe in the world, ever promise, every vow, but nothing deterred her friend from what she had in mind. "Need to . . . disappear . . . escape . . ."

Satoshi got to the swamp first and panted hard. His eyes widened when he saw Yuuki with her hand halfway into the river. His heart sank. "Yuuki!" he ran faster to the blonde American. "Snap out of it! You can't disappear!"

"WE WON'T LET YOU!"

With one last inch, Yuuki slipped into the swampy water, air escaping her open mouth and nose and water rushing in to replace it. She wanted to fight against it, but willed herself not to. I need to complete it. Those are the rules . . . She sank lower and lower, eyes closed. Everything was slurred together and all she could hear clearly was the rush of slushy blood pumping through her veins.

"YUUKI!" Satoshi called out frantically, reaching for her. His fingers barely grazed her skin before she vanished completely beneath the swamp's unforgivinf waters. "Don't—no . . ." Tears filled his eyes. "The river's too deep to find her . . . she really disappeared . . ."

Rika inwardly gasp and nearly dropped to her knees. No . . . this can't be true. Hanyuu . . . tell me this all a lie. You told me to believe but how can I when she's gone? "Usoda . . . Usoda . . . USODA!"

Satoko came out from behind the tree, fidgeting nervously. She didn't know what to say; it was all her fault. "Nii-Nii . . ." she tentatively took one step after another, chewing her bottom lip.

Satoshi looked up, saddened that his sister had to see it. "Satoko . . ." he extended his arms toward his little sister. "Come here."

The little girl collapsed in his arms, crying hard into his chest. "I'm sorry, Nii-Nii!" she cried loudly.

"Shh. Shh. Why are you sorry?" he asked in a soft tone, cradling his sister.

"I let her go, Nii-Nii!" Satoko gushed, her voice loud. "I saw her and I didn't stop her! I'm sorry, Nii-Nii!"

Satoshi hugged his little sister tightly. "It's okay, Satoko," he pet her head, lovingly, forgivingly. "You were scared. It's okay. I forgive you."

Keiichi gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into a tree trunk devastated. "Why? Why did she have to do that? Idiot!"

"She didn't understand. She wanted the curse to end . . . She had no idea . . . " Satoko said slowly. "She thought that if she wasn't found . . . she would break Oyashiro-sama's curse . . ."

"It doesn't work like that!" Keiichi roared, fury dominant in his tone. "We've seen it so many times to know it doesn't!" He dropped to his knees, gripping the muddy earth. "Dang it . . ."

Satoshi froze and looked up at the other boy. "You . . . remember?"

"For a while now," Keiichi admitted. His hard eyes lifted. "What about you, Satoshi? Remember how you killed your aunt and ran away?"

Satoshi's lip curled. He would have liked to forget what he had done, but the past always came back to haunt him. He gripped Satoko's frail body tighter. "Satoko . . . I'm sorry I left you . . . I'm so sorry."

"Nii-Nii . . ."

Mion's brow wrinkled in disapproval. "After all that . . . she . . . she still dies . . .?" Mion hung her head on Shion's soft shoulder. "But . . . she fought so hard . . . I thought . . ."

Shion hugged Mion's shoulders. "She was doing what she thought was right." Her voice broke. "But it was the wrong choice . . ."

Mion buried her head into her sister's shirt. "No . . . She . . . can't . . . I tried to stop her, Sis. But she still did it," Mion's voice was thick, trying to choke back her tears. She couldn't think of anything logical to say. "Tell me why she did it," was all she came up with.

"She thought it would break the curse . . ."

Mion cried more. "That moron."

"What would you have done?" Shion asked quietly.

Mion nestled her head against her twin's shoulder. "I don't know . . ." she admitted.

Shion closed her eyes. "Then she's gone now . . ."

"No . . . I can't accept that!"

"You have to," Shion nodded.

"Hinamizawa will die again . . . and we'll start over. I don't want it to replay over and over again!"

". . ."

"Dang it!" she cried again.

Shion hushed her sister, rubbing her back soothingly. A soft smile played at the corners of her lips. "Would you like to see her before you forget?"

Mion looked into her sister's eyes, wondering if what she said was an illusion. "Shion . . .?"

Shion led Mion back to the water, walking around its glassy edges as if they were out for a pleasant stroll. They took special care not to have their presence felt by any of the others, although they did steal a final glance at Satoshi and Keiichi. Their footsteps pounded down the dewy grass as they went and Shion stopped when they reached a particularly excluded area overgrown with cattails and weeds. "She's in there," she said, pointing to a break in the vegetation.

Mion shuddered, but otherwise didn't hesitate. "Yuu-chan! Yuu-chan!" She dove into the water, which didn't even so much as ripple, but the splash was heard. "Yuu-chan!" she called out under the surface, searching for her.

The blonde looked up from her spot on the riverbank,shimmering beads of water dripping endlessly from her ghostly skin. She smirked. "You didn't tell her I was sitting right here? Not a very good sister in my opinion."

Shion crossed her arms, voice stoic, "I thought she'd be smart enough to see you, but I guess the days' events have had a tough impact on her psyche. Let's see how long it'll take before she actually sees you."

Mion came to the surface, gasping for breath though she no longer needed it. She hung her head. "I found her body . . . She's pretty be-" she saw Yuuki sitting on the shore, waving at her. she suddenly felt like an idiot. "Yu-Yuu-chan!" Mion surged toward her.

Yuuki half-smiled, but not happily. "No, go ahead. What about my body?"

"Unrecognizable. It's beat to hell and back," she said flatly. She gritted her teeth together. "Why . . .? Why did you do that? The curse will just continue!" Mion cried in the middle of the river.

The blonde's eyes held no pity. "Would have been helpful if you explained to me every detail before hand." She extended an arm to her. "Pull yourself out of the water."

Mion couldn't believe it. "You would really sacrifice yourself? Just like that?"

She sighed. "With everything happening around me I was willing to try any escape. Might as well be something noble."

Mion shook her head and got out of the river. "Baka" She started to hum. "Let your arms enfold us . . ." but stopped.

Yuuki glared. "Enough. I'm through with hoping. I hoped that if I threw myself in . . . I would brake this curse. Instead I just doomed myself. If singing some stupid song brings your comfort then go ahead, but I'm not going to listen."

"Sorry." Mion said. "Unsure of what to say. Her demeanor changed when she heard Yuuki's anger. "You shouldn't have thrown yourself in! You moron!" Mion cried. "You idiot!"

Yuuki gritted her teeth and stood fluidly, as if her disease no longer plagued her. She turned her back and parted the weeds, meaning to leave. "Go ahead. Curse me. I've heard enough of it. Do want to know why I didn't show up at school that day? I overdosed again, Mion. I took my brother's drugs and used them. I passed out and didn't wake up until the following afternoon. Everyone has a secret and I just told you mine." she walked away with a quick farewell to Shion.

"I'm ready for the world to be wiped clean," was all Mion could say. "End this. Oyashiro, end it!"

Hanyuu appeared beside Shion. "There's nothing I can do. All of you have been pulled into this game and you will keep playing until you finish it."

Mion sighed, looking up at the sky in frustration. "So one more will die and one more will vanish still?"

"Until all of you are cleaned from the slate," Hanyuu nodded. "Those are the rules."

Mion wanted to bang her head into a tree. "This. Sucks."

Hanyuu lowered her head and smirked. "No one said Life was easy."

"I'm dead! And it still sucks!"

Hanyuu laughed. "Think about your sin, Sonozaki. Do you know what it is?"

Mion paused. "Arrogance?" she guessed. "Lying?"

"Among others," Hanyuu admitted. "And you will keep exercising your sins until you decide to change. Only then will you break the curse."

Bull. "The curse will stop when we all remember and no one dies."

"Then you won't be able to save Yuu-chan," Hanyuu said. "What is there for her to remember? She did nothing wrong. Just a hapless victim trapped in a series of mad worlds."

Mion's lip curled. "How long do I have . . . before I forget?"

Hanyuu's face darkened. "The next 12 minutes."

Mion swore.

"I'll leave you to do what you wish with your time," Hanyuu said. "Just know, I don't plan on bringing Yuuki back into this. She will arrive at our school, but you must resist the urge to get involved with her after that."

Mion flinched. "But- Fine. I'll give her the cold shoulder . . . Unless she just attaches to me," she smiled at the demon.

Hanyuu didn't find humor in the possibility. "If being a friend means anything to you, then you would do your best to push her away. For her own safety."

"You tell her that."

Now it was Hanyuu's turn to smile. "Why should I when I'll leave the task up to you?" in an instant, she was gone.

Mion swore- "Yuuki!"

"She ran off that way," Shion pointed behind her. "Don't take too long."


AN: Here's a slight paragraph that didn't make it into the final cut - I didn't know where to stick it and it interrupted the flow of the chapter - but I managed to save it and store it away. For all of you KeiichiXMion and SatoShion fans out there - this one's for you!

"I'm sorry," Mion's voice echoed by Yuuki and Keiichi's ear.

"Mion?" Keiichi glanced around, looking desperately for her. "Where are you?"

Yuuki rose up, glancing down at Mion's body. "You're here! Tell me how to get you back! Please!"

"Keiichi... I'm right here," the voice echoed in the woods "I want to talk to you... Kei-chan."

Mion sadly told Yuuki. "I can't... There's no way I could... No one's trying to bring me back... And it looks like it's too late anyway"

Keiichi jogged off a few paces, still glancing around. "Mion, where are you?"

"Here." She held out her arms, seeing if he could feel them, or if he would walk through them.

Keiichi paused looking around. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her! "Mion . . ." he held out his hands as bait, waiting to see if Mion would take them.

Mion extended her hands and placed them in his, seeing if he would feel them. "Kei-chan. I'm right here. I swear," she said in a calm voice.

Keiichi felt something cool touch his hands and the hair on his neck stood on end. "Mion . . .?"

Keiichi shivered again, his shoulders cold. "Mion. It's you." He grinned as tears of joy flowed down his cheeks.

Mion smiled at the boy. "Yeah... it's me, baka. Am I really that cold?"

Keiichi laughed softly. "You're cold. And I can't even see you."

"Do you NEED to see me?" Mion asked with a chuckle, as her other joined her, making a transparent outline of Mion, (just as Rika would see Hanyuu).

Keiichi nearly fell back. "MION!" He rushed forward, meaning to hug her, but his arms faded right through her body like she was just air. "Wha . . .?"

Mion looked away, running her hand up and down her arm... "I'm sorry... I'm dead... Seeing my body I thought you would have figured that out..." she approached him and made a fist with her hand. "Baka." She playfully hit him on the head the way she did when she was alive, only this time, she had to stop her hand from going into his skull.

Keiichi blushed. ". . . Mion . . ."

Mion blushed too and looked away, feeling silly. "I'm sorry."

He walked up to her and put his arms around her ghostly shoulders. "It's okay . . . I forgive you . . ."

She shivered at his touch and blushed deeply. "Kei-chan." her eyes watered. "Thank you."

He cleared his throat and said slowly, "Do you remember what Yuuki said? In the class when I was helping you?"

She gulped, "Not really... it was a lifetime ago..." she said with a chuckle... honestly not remembering.

"For the record . . . I would have asked you out . . ." he admitted.

Mion blushed scarlet and started to cry happy tears.. "Why did it have to end like this? For the record..." she straightened up "I would have said yes."

Keiichi grinned and held her tighter, cheeks red. "I'm glad . . ."

Mion closed her eyes and leaned into the nonexistent hug, wishing desperately that she had a body so that she could hold Keiichi, so that she could wrap her arms around him and comfort him in some way.

Satoshi swerved around to see the boy looking around him, as if trying to find Mion in the air. "Keiichi... calm down... There's no way she could-"

"Satoshi . . ." Shion's calm voice whispered in his ear. The sensation of arms around his torso came to him and goose bumps prickled his skin. "I'm sorry . . . for how I acted. Please . . ." Shion buried her face in his back. "Can you forgive me?"