The little girl cried when she lost her marbles in the desert.

She searched the desert for one hundred years.

The little girl cried when she thought she might have lost them in the sea rather than the desert.

She searched the depths of the sea for one hundred years.

The little girl cried when she thought she might have lost them in the mountains rather than the sea.

How long will it take until she begins to doubt whether or not she actually lost them to begin with?

"What?! Rena's gone missing?!" Mion exclaimed. Keiichi shushed her. "Don't say it out loud like that!" The two oldest, the only oldest, members of the club were walking home. Club that day had been cancelled due to Rena's sudden absence. Poor Satoko and Rika. They were so clueless as to why she was gone. Then someone in their group, Keiichi forgot who exactly, spoke out loud that maybe, just maybe......Rena was struck by Oyashiro-sama's curse and was Onikakushi'd?

"Anyway, do you think that's what really happened?" Mion asked, genuine concern in her tone of voice. Keiichi glanced away, as if in thought. "I don't know....I mean, I just saw her a few days ago....Wherever she is, I hope she's alright....I really do...." He stopped walking, not knowing what else to say. He turned his attention back to Mion, who had placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"Rena's a strong person. I'm sure that she's fine. If it really was Oyashiro-sama's curse.....maybe he'll take it easy on her. She didn't do anything wrong....right?" He looked away again. That....wasn't completely true.

Yesterday, Keiichi got a phone call from Mr. Ryugu, Rena's father. He told him that he had to come to their house right away. Thinking it was important, Keiichi immediately left his house and hurried to Rena's. Once there, he discovered the reason why he was called so suddenly. Rena had left her father a note and a notebook, and on the note, it said, "Papa. Don't open this notebook or read its contents until Keiichi-kun arrives." With Keiichi now at the house, the notebook, and whatever was written in it, would finally be read. The following is what was written.

Papa. Keiichi-kun.

I'm sorry to say that I'm not going to be around anymore. By the time you've begun to read this notebook, I'll already be long gone. Don't bother looking for me. It's hopeless. "Rena Ryugu" no longer lives in Hinamizawa. "Rena Ryugu" no longer exists. You must be wondering why I've left and where I've run off to, and why I left you this notebook. I'll tell you why. I'm going to confess something. I hope you can manage to contain yourself and keep composure. What I'm about to tell you, you may not like.

I found something out about Rina-san a few days ago. She was working with another man, whose name I currently do not know, and together they played a badger game on poor, pathetic men looking for money. Her real name is Ritsuko. Not your precious "Rina". She chose you, Papa, as her next target in their scam. When I went into town to pick up the jackets the other day, the clerk said that their shipment truck was delayed, and so I stayed in a cafe until it arrived. By chance, Ritsuko and that man she was with were in the same cafe, just a few tables away in a booth that was away from sight. I witnessed their abuse on two men, pressuring them for money they've apparently loaned them. The man seemed violent and tough. At first, I didn't know it was "Rina-san". I couldn't see her that clearly. The man talked to her about her "Hinamizawa hubby", which confused me a bit at first. She said that "he was loaded", and that "when his wife divorced him, she felt guilty for leaving him and their kid, so she left him a bunch of compensation money." I found that part interesting. As you well know, Hinamizawa is a small town. We know everything about everybody. And when I heard that, the only person that could come to mind that fit their description was me and my family. I didn't want to believe it, so I denied it. But then I saw her when she and the man left, and I knew. I knew for sure. It was Rina-san.

I started to check up on our savings. At first, it didn't seem like anything big was taken out of the bank, so I wasn't too worried. But then, one day, I found that a huge sum had been taken out. I knew it was her. She was stealing money from us. I've always known there was something wrong with her. I didn't like her style of clothes. I didn't like her make-up. At times, I even think she smelled a little strange. But I didn't tell you. Because you were happy, Papa. You were so happy, and I didn't want to be the one to ruin your happiness. I didn't want to do what Mama did to us. But then I told myself that Papa wasn't really happy if he was being tricked by a witch like her.

She heard me.

We talked, and she told me things. Like, how you were planning on getting married and having some children to give me siblings. I objected to it, knowing what was really going on with that woman. I told her that I didn't like her, and what I thought was wrong with her. And then she began to show her true colors. She said that she hated me too. I told her to get out of our house. I wanted her out and away from you. From us.

And then she began to beat me.

First she slapped me. It hurt. It really hurt. Like a stinging sort of pain. I fell to the ground, forced down by the impact. Then she grabbed my hair and slapped me again, before dropping me. Then she grabbed my shirt's collar and dragged me down the hall. I tried to stand up in hopes of breaking away, but I failed. Then she threw me down the stairs. It hurt. It really hurt. I got bruises all over my body. I hit my head a few times. But luckily, when I finally made it to the first floor, I didn't seem to be fatally injured. It was almost a miracle that I made it with only some bruises. But then she came down. I knew she wanted to beat me some more. I ran into the kitchen, in hopes of getting a weapon to defend myself. I had forgotten that I had to take in our kitchen knives to the pawn shop. I was powerless, or so I thought. I had to think of something. There was a frying pan left on the stove. I hid beside the doorway. When she walked in, I hit her head with the frying pan and ran outside while she was down. I needed something. Anything. I had to protect myself.

I remembered that I had my beloved cleaver, from when I went treasure hunting to get Kenta-kun. I left it with all of my treasures. So the first place I looked was in the pile of "junk" that you were going to throw out. To my dismay, I couldn't find it. I started to panic. I couldn't find it, no matter where I looked! It was gone! And then Ritsuko-san came out, bearing my own weapon. I was cornered. The storm began. I tripped over myself while backing away. She was about to kill me. She was going to kill me, then dispose of my body, then tell you, Papa, that I ran away and never wanted to be found again. She swung my cleaver up above her head. I panicked. Without thinking, I pushed her back. The weight of my cleaver made her unbalanced, and she fell back. Onto the pile of junk. And her body was impaled by a leg of that broken chair we were going to throw out. It took me a moment to snap out of it. I lied to myself. I kept telling myself that I was outside in the pouring rain because I was "sleep walking" or "spacing out". But then I couldn't hide it anymore.

I had killed Rina-san.

"Rina-san". "Ritsuko-san". It doesn't matter who she is anymore. She's gone. She's gone and never going to come back. You're free, Papa. You're finally free from that witch. I, however, am not. After I realized that I killed her, by accident mind you, I began to freak. I ran in and almost called the police. But something inside me told me not to. It told me to take care of my mistake on my own. Being the naive person I was, I believed them. I took Rina-san's body upstairs to the bathroom. It took a while, but I managed to do it. I then got the idea to cut up her body into pieces, to make it easier for me to hide her. So I took the wood-saw from our tool shed and brought it upstairs. It was raining hard. Nobody saw me. I was safe. I forced her body into the bathtub and cut it up. I started with her right arm. It wasn't that thick, so I was able to cut through it easily. I was in the middle of getting rid of her left leg, but somebody came to the door. In a hurry, I grabbed your bathrobe without thinking and put it on as I went to answer the door. It was our neighbor, Kushimaku-san. She was worried, since she and her husband heard me screaming earlier after I found Rina-san's body. I explained to them that I was just scared by a mouse. And she left. I went back upstairs and continued to chop up her body. I finally got rid of her left leg. In my state of mind, I even talked to her dead body. I asked her, "Now that your left leg is gone, what part shall I get rid of next? What part?" Obviously, she didn't answer. I grew frusterated, not getting that answer. So I mutilated her body in anger, hacking away at the flesh while cursing and swearing. I hated that woman. I hated what she did. I hated how she was able to die with no pain.

I calmed down, though. And resumed chopping up the body. I rinsed the blood down the drain with the showerhead, and put the body parts into garbage bags. I then spent the rest of the day cleaning up the bathroom, downstairs, everywhere I had been. Keiichi-kun stopped by to see if I was alright. I told him I was, and sent him home. He doesn't know about the body until now. Don't question him. He doesn't know anything. I was the only one who did this. Who took any part in this. Do you hear me? I did it! I did it! It was me alone! I'm the only person you're allowed to love or hate, Papa! Love and hate only me! Only me! Ever since Mama broke up our family, I was given all of your attention. I loved that attention. But then Rina-san came into the picture and started to take all of that away. That was when I started to hate her. But then I hated her even more, after I found out what she was really planning on doing to you. Unintentionally, I saved you. You should love me more than ever now! But then again, by saving you, I took away the woman that you loved. So, should you also hate me more than ever now as well?

This is getting confusing.

At any rate, don't bother looking for me. As I said at the beginning of this, "Rena Ryugu" no longer exists. She is no longer a part of this world. By the time you read this, "Rena Ryugu"......is dead. She's dead. She's gone forever now. "Rena Ryugu" no longer exists. In this world, or any world. Some people might think that "Rena Ryugu" was hit by Oyashiro-sama's curse. Or that she was Onikakushi'd. Let them believe what they want to believe. Suppose "Rena Ryugu" had fallen victim to the curse of Oyashiro-sama. Suppose "Rena Ryugu" had been Onikakushi'd. What would anybody be able to do? Nothing. So it wouldn't matter. Would it?

Don't bother looking for Rina-san's body, either. It was cut into pieces and those pieces are hidden in places that only I know. In places that only "Rena Ryugu" knows. But since she is gone, it's as if they never existed, isn't it? So forget about Rina-san. Forget about "Rena Ryugu". It'll just make things easier on you. And Keiichi-kun. Forget about "Rena Ryugu" as well. Just writing her name is painful enough as it is. I can only imagine how painful it would be for you to think about her. So don't. I don't want to cause you that kind of pain.

So.....this is my last farewell.

I hope that, in time, you can learn to forget "Rena Ryugu" entirely. As if she was never a part of your life. It would make things so much easier. Without "Rena Ryugu" in the picture, Mion Sonozaki can finally get what she's been wanting for so damn long. She can finally have Keiichi Maebara, since she's wanted him so badly. She can even forget her best friend that she hurt in the process of getting him. She can, and will, forget everything, so long as that 'everything' is a nuisance. She's head of the Sonozaki family. She should get what she wants, shouldn't she? Shouldn't she? It makes me sick how she can do this just because she has the power to do so. But, it doesn't matter now. Her final obstacle is gone. "Rena Ryugu" is gone. You'll never, ever, see her again. Not in this world. Not in the next world. Never.

So, I leave to you this note and this confession. Do not think badly of me. I did it because I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you so much.

But apparently, you don't love me.

~ Reina Ryugu

"W....what the hell is this....?!" Mr. Ryugu exclaimed. Keiichi was shocked, and thinking the same thing. Rena....was gone?! fell to his knees and broke down crying. From what Rena had told him before, Keiichi knew that already had his wife leave him. His daughter was all that he had left. But now she, too, was gone. He could only imagine how hard it would be on the poor man. Keiichi knelt down and tried to comfort him, though he soon found that he had no words he could use to cheer him up.

"No....my beloved Reina-chan....she's gone....! She's gone...!!!" he sobbed. His hands clenched into fists, crumpling up the paper Rena left them. Tears streamed down his face in a burning, pathetic manner. "Wh...why does she think I don't love her? I'm her Papa! I love her no matter what! So, why would she say that?!" he asked nobody in particular. Keiichi glanced away, knowing what the real message she was sending was.

No....it's not you who she thinks doesn't love her....It's me.

Keiichi arrived at his house, him and Mion parting a long time ago. His parents returned from Tokyo a couple of days ago, and life had seemed to be going back to normal. Rena was smiling brightly, the person who threatened her happiness and her life now gone forever. Everything in the world seemed right again, until yesterday. When Keiichi read that note Rena-- no, Reina, left for him and her father. Did she really get hit by Oyashiro-sama's curse? That couldn't be; Rika said that Oyashiro-sama woud forgive her. Wouldn't he? That still didn't explain her sudden disappearance. For as long as he lived, he refused to believe that she was the victim of something as ridiculous as Oyashiro-sama's curse. Then where in the Hell was she?

"Oh, Keiichi! Welcome home!" His mother greeted him as he walked through the door. "Hey," was all he said, kicking off his shoes and setting his bag down against the shoeshelf. "You have some mail. Do you want to read it no--" "No, not now. I'm going upstairs. I have to think." He cut her off as he climbed upstairs to go to his room. The second he reached his room, he fell onto his futon, sighing in frusteration. He grabbed his futon's pillow and held it close against him.

"Damn it, Rena....where are you?!" he held back tears, swearing under his breath. He glanced outside his window. It was still that depressing gray, just as it had been these past few days. Was God crying, along with Rena? Is that why there was so much rain now? Rena had been in so much grief recently. It would only make sense for someone like God to sympathize with her.

At the same time, Mion also arrived home. She felt sticky from the humid air, and decided that she would take a shower to feel clean again. She removed her shoes and left them by the door, and carried her bag to her room. As one of the Sonozaki family, who were one of three great families that ruled Hinamizawa, their house was rather large and exquisite. Her room was no exception. It was in old-style Japanese, with a sliding door and old-fashioned furniture. Her door to the yard was left open from that morning. It was so much nicer then. But now that it looked like it would rain, she had to close it. After doing so, she left the room and went into the bathroom with a change of clothes. She left them on the sink counter and undressed, dropping the discarded clothing onto the floor. The shower was turned on, and she stepped in. She let the warm water run over her body. It felt really nice. About ten minutes later, she turned the nozzle and the water shut off. Her hand reached out from beyond the curtain and grabbed a towel that was always hung by the shower, and wrapped it around her body to dry off. When her body was dry enough, she removed the towel and began to dress. From the heat of the warm water, steam had gathered in the room, making it even hotter. So she opened the door to let it out.

She turned back to the mirror over the counter and grabbed a brush that laid in a drawer. Mion ran the brush through her damp hair, getting out all of the tangles. Thunder rolled, muffled by the walls of the Sonozaki house. It had started to rain again. When the thunder died, she froze. What was that sound? Was that footsteps? They sounded faint, and delicate. They certainly weren't in any hurry. Who was it? Was it her Onibaba, the current head of the Sonozaki family? No....they sounded too light. Lost in her thoughts on who it could be, she didn't realize the mirror fogging up from the steam remaining in the room.

"Ah!" she noticed the mirror's condition, and raised a hand to wipe away some of the steam. When it was clear enough to see, something caught her eye. Something.....just walked past....the door. It had already left, but she could definitely see that something was there. She just barely missed it before it vanished beyond the wall. She didn't see enough to tell what it was, so she walked to the doorway to investigate. Her head turned and she looked down both directions of the hall. Nobody. Nobody was there. Was...she just imagining things? Maybe she was a bit loofy from all of the heat in the shower. No, that couldn't be it. If it was, then why could she hear the rain even clearer? She glanced in the direction of her room, and could see light from a flash of lightning, followed by a low rumble of thunder.

"...the hell?" she thought outloud, and walked to her room. Nothing seemed out of place. It looked the same as she left it. Except, for one thing.

The door was open.

"That's weird. I could've sworn I shut that door." she spoke, and walked into the room to shut it. About half-way into the room, she stopped. There it was again. That footstep. She could tell it wasn't her own. It was much lighter, as if they didn't want to be heard. The wood creaked under the pressure of whoever was making those footsteps. Mion turned around, and almost fell backwards in shock. A figure stood in front of her, hiding in the shadows.

"R-Rena!!" Mion exclaimed. She was surprised to see her friend, who she thought went missing. She seemed to be drenched, as if she was out in the rain for a long, long time. Her hair was matted down against her face and neck, her white dress clung to her skin, and her white baret sagged atop her head. The life was gone from her eyes. "You seem surprised, Mii-chan. I wonder why, I wonder why?" Rena responded in a monotonous voice, taking another step towards her.

"W....W-What are you doing here?! We thought you were Onikakushi'd!" Mion gasped. Mixed emotions were inside of her. Of course she was happy to see that her friend was alright. She wasn't hit by Oyashiro-sama's curse afterall! But...uneasiness grew inside of her. A flash of lightning revealed the cause of that feeling. In Rena's right hand, she held....

.....a cleaver.

"Oh? And what would make you think that? I wonder, I wonder?" Rena took another step closer, coming into the dim light from outside. Mion backed away. "...what the hell are you doing with that?" She asked, referring to the cleaver. She had known Rena liked to carry it around with her. But that was only when she went "treasure hunting" at the abandoned construction site. What was it doing here?

"Hmm? Oh, this?" she asked, holding it up a little. "Well you see.....the other day, I found something really, really cute. I call him 'Kenta-kun'. He's really, really cute. So I dug him up and took him home with me." As she spoke, she took another, agonizingly slow step towards the other girl. A twisted, eerie smile crept onto her lips.

"But, one day a little rat came into my house. And she tried to take away Kenta-kun. I couldn't let that happen. So I....." the smile grew a little wider. "....disposed of her." Mion's body shook in fear. She watched in horror as Rena tilted her head in an almost-perfect 90-degree angle. Her face seemed perplexed. "Hmm? You don't seem to get it, Mii-chan. I wonder why, I wonder why?" Chills crept down her spine, hearing something as....haunting as that tone leave Rena's mouth.

"And then....another rat came in, and tried taking something else away from me." Another step closer. "I need to dispose of that one as well."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mion asked, her voice almost cracking from the pressure. In an instant, Rena's head snapped back up to normal.

"I'm talking about....you, my dear Mii-chan~" she cooed. She froze. And Rena's mood suddenly grew dark. The smile vanished within a second, and she looked at Mion coldly. "You came along and tried to separate me and Keiichi-kun. Since when do you have the authority to pry into my business and tell me what and what not to do?" Her tone of voice was serious. How could she possibly respond to that?!

"I....I told you...! I didn't think it would've been appropriate for you and Kei-chan to be involved with eachother because--"

"Because Tomitake-san and Takano-san are now dead? I know. They've been hit by Oyashiro-sama's curse. There isn't a damn thing we can do about it, is there?" She seemed to be almost mocking her. Mion was shocked that Rena would use such language like that. But that was the least of her worries. "Didn't it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, Keiichi-kun and Rena were happy? Didn't you want your friends to be happy? Being with Keiichi-kun made me the happiest I've ever been in a long..." Another step. "long...." Another step. "...time."

"Rena....I-I didn't know what you were going through...." Mion tried to assure her. Rena's cold mood suddenly turned hot. "LIAR!!" She swung the cleaver across Mion's head, sending her to the ground. Rena had used the blunt side, so Mion wasn't dead....yet.

"Augh!" Mion grunted as her body hit the floor. A throbbing pain was left on her left temple. But she didn't seem to be bleed. She saw Rena's legs now in front of her, and she looked up. For the first time, she saw hatred in Rena's eyes. It was frightening. Truly frightening. Her teeth were clenched, and her eyes had the look of a mad-man. Her right hand gripped the cleaver's handle tighter, as if she was preparing for another swing.

"Like Hell you didn't know what I was going through! Didn't you think I was panicking because of the cotton-drifting?! You know I've met with Oyashiro-sama before, and you know what I've done because of him!" Her anger only seemed to increase.

"I didn't want to go through that again! I've managed to keep myself calm so far because of what Rika-chan told me. But then....But then you come along and send me into hysterics again!!" she kicked Mion's stomach. With her shoes still on, it hurt a lot worse. Mion got the wind knocked out of her, and was gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Rena watched as Mion squirmed in attempts to breathe. It reminded her of that vision she saw when Mion told her about Tomitake-san and Takano-san. How Tomitake-san was writhing on the ground, squirming frantically. Just like a fish.

"I thought you were my friend!!" She hit her with the blunt end of the cleaver. Mion cried out in pain.

"I thought you cared for me!!" Another hit. Mion cried out in pain.

"I thought that you wanted me to be happy!!' Another hit. Mion covered her head with her hands, cowering in fear. Her entire body was shaking. Rena turned the cleaver by the handle, switching to the hooked end. And she lifted it above her head. She was going to end it. Right here. Right now.

"I thought I could trust you!!!!!!!" She yelled, and was about to swing it down, when something stopped her. Mion flinched, thinking she was going to be struck. The girl with the cleaver stared down at Mion, her eyes wide. She was frozen. What....what was it that was stopping her? A memory? Something like this happened before....maybe not "here"...but somewhere like "here". It was "here", but it wasn't. Another Hinamizawa?

"I thought I could trust you!!!!" She yelled, and swung down the cleaver upon Mion's head. Mion, who was bound and tied to the school's windowsill by a bikelock, couldn't do anything. "I thought I could trust you!!" She yelled again, and swung it down once more. Blood was drawn from the wound on her head. Keiichi pleaded with her to stop, and she threatened to burn the place down.

She.....had hurt her friend. Worse. She made her bleed. And she didn't care....! She didn't care one bit! She might have killed her if Keiichi hadn't stepped in!

Rena lowered the cleaver quickly and backed away. Mion, hearing her footsteps, opened her eyes and looked at Rena. The mad look on her face was gone. In it's stead, the look of sheer terror grew apparent.

"....my God.....what have I....what have I done....?" she asked in a shakey, meek voice. Life returned to her eyes. The contorted smile and clenched teeth were gone. Her breathing grew hard, and it showed that she was close to breaking down. Mion moved a little in attempts to stand up, but by the time she did so, Rena had already fled out the door and outside. She stared at her open door, and watched as the rain poured down.

"....I'm sorry....." she murmured in an honest, apologetic tone. She now understood Rena's feelings. And she was truly, truly sorry, for whatever it is she had done.

Rena ran out into the pouring rain. Her clothes were getting even more soaked, if that was possible. Her flesh was almost as cold as ice. Her chest was on fire, and her legs were growing sore. But she still ran. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She just knew that she had to get away from Mion, so she could never hurt her. Not like she did in that other "here". Her breath was heavy, and she gasped for air. Her legs gave out as she tripped over a root of a tree that was sticking out along the side of the road she was running on. She yelped as she fell, and she wept. She couldn't believe that she just did that...Mion was her friend. Her best friend. Even if she did something horrible, she had to forgive her! She had to! She was her friend!

She used her arms to support herself up onto her hands and knees. Her hand brushed against something hard. She looked down, and saw that it was her cleaver. She must have dropped it when she fell. More memories of that "Other Hinamizawa" rushed back in a blurry flash. In that "Other Hinamizawa", she had used this cleaver to kill that man that was working with Ritsuko. That meant that she probably killed that woman in that other "here" as well. And then....she used it as means to threaten Keiichi into agreeing with her. What was it she wanted him so badly to agree with? It was probably something stupid, knowing her. And then....that memory came back. Where she hit Mion, again and again, until she bled. Until Keiichi stopped her from killing her.

Rena quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbing the cleaver. She stared down at it intently. And then her mind was made up. This thing....This weapon, made her violent. In another "here", she used it to kill, to threaten, and to harm. In this "here", she used it to hurt her best friend, and was going to use it as a threat to get rid of that "rat" she mentioned earlier. Her fists tightened, and without a second thought, she turned on her heel and thrust it into the forest beside the road. No more would she have that....that thing. It only made people, even her, suffer. It was a curse. And she had been carrying it around so carelessly. Once she was sure she threw it a safe distance, she continued to run down to the road.

And she vanished into the misty rain.

Author's Note

Lololololololol. Okay, be honest. How many of you wanted Rena to kill Mion? XD;

The fight between the two girls wasn't as epic as I had thought. But my original plan was to have Mion fight back with a sword. They are a mafia family, afterall. But then I thought..... "Why the hell would Mion have a sword in her ROOM?"

XDDDDDD

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Shouraisei-hen is starting to come to a close. :O *gasp*

5 chapters left..... ; ~ ;

*mourns*

P.S. RENA WITHOUT HER CLEAVER?!?!?!?! :O