Chapter 9: The cursed past. Revelations of Sotoba. Part 1
I do not own anything from both series.
(Play Shiki OST- Momento Mori)
Jin was shaking like a leaf on the school bus. The very town that hold such dark memories to him was at his sight. Everyone saw him shaking, as though he was cold.
'He's shaking so much... He must have something of a bad history of this place.' Ruby thought.
"Why are we...at such a place…?" Jin questioned, trying to suppress his shaking.
Mizore could see Jin's fearful tone. She now realized why.
"Calm down, Jin-kun. We'll find out why we are here." Mizore said with a calm tone.
The reassurance didn't help Jin at all. Sudden flashbacks came to him rapidly as the bus went to a familiar but old inn.
"Excuse me, I would like to rest at a room for tonight, along with some friends." Shizuka said.
"Coming." A male voice sounded.
Jin recognized the voice. It felt too familiar to him.
"Honey, we have guests at the lobby." The male voice said.
"I'm coming, Dear. Please wait a minute." A female voice said.
The voices of the couple were eerily familiar for Jin. Everyone noticed Jin having a horrified expression.
"What's wrong, Jin-kun? Are you ok?" Mizore asked.
Jin didn't answer as he felt his body become heavy. Before she knew it, Jin fainted in the lobby.
"Jin-kun! Get a grip of yourself! Jin-kun!"
Mizore's shouting and Jin's fainting alerted everyone. The Newspaper club was surprised of seeing him faint so suddenly. Before they had a chance to assess, the owners of the inn appeared.
"What happened here?" The woman asked.
"Our friend fainted for reasons we don't know of... We couldn't find any answers as to why he did." Tsukune said.
"Take him to a spare room so he can relax. He'll snap back when-"
The woman stopped as she looked at the face of Jin. She was completely shocked to see him.
"ANATA! COME QUICK! IT'S SOMEONE FROM SOTOBA!" The wife said.
The husband ran to meet with his wife. When he rushed to see what the occurrence was, he was greeted with a familiar figure.
'It can't be...! I thought he was dead during that time! How did he survive?' The man questioned.
Before the Newspaper club realized it, the couple brought Jin to a spare room. Mizore followed along, feeling concerned for the jinrou.
(Momento Mori OST ends here)
######
The newspaper club members were shocked of the actions. They took notice of what the couple said.
"Those people were survivors of Sotoba... This town is the neighboring area of the village." Moka said.
"That's right... I almost forgotten that. There are only several hundred people that survived the incident. I don't think it's wise to question them." Yukari said.
"Who would've though we ended up encountering more survivors?" Gin said in amazement.
"That said, we may want to be sure the people we met aren't...questionable for their mentality. They must've been through something serious so we should keep it down." Tsukune said.
"Well said, Aono-san. For the moment, let's make sure Jin-kun recovers." Mizore said.
Ruby watched the interaction in surprise. She was baffled of what was happening.
'That married couple looked as though they know Jin... I might find something out about him from them'. Ruby thought.
######
Jin was having multiple flashbacks appearing. The sudden memories of Sotoba came flooding into him. He tossed and turned himself as he tried to fight off the horror. However, he was unable to fight the nightmares. His body was sweating heavily.
'Why... After all I've been through, why do I have to revisit that place...? Hasn't this world caused enough problems for me?' Jin thought in question.
The flashbacks caused Jin to see them in his mindscape. It felt unnerving and cold. The only form of protection was shown in the form of a beacon of light. Jin cowered into the beacon, trying to fight off his visions.
'This is my curse... All of the pain, sadness... Everything I lost is replaced with a void…' Jin thought.
######
The Newspaper club went to check with Jin. Everyone felt concerned, but no more than Mizore, who sat down near him.
"Jin, please come back to us... Come back for all of us." She said.
Mizore kneeled in front of Jin. She took notice of him sweating profusely. It made her feel terrible to see him in such a state while unconscious.
'He's been trying to avoid this place for reasons found in his past. I have to talk to him so he can explain everything to everyone.' Mizore said in concern.
By then, the inn keepers came up to Mizore and Jin. They looked concerned mainly on the unconscious jinrou.
"I'll gather everyone here so we can explain why we suddenly shout like that." The wife said.
Mizore nodded and waited for a few minutes. The Newspaper club gathered to where Jin was unconscious. They were all perplexed on why they were in one room for discussion.
"Listen to us carefully everyone. Since you have met with one of the people we knew, we'll explain everything. My name is Haru Hasegawa. This is my wife, Chiyomi Hasegawa." The man said in introduction.
The Newspaper club nodded in respect to the married couple. They didn't expect much from them, but wanted more of their questions answered.
"We are survivors of Sotoba village... The fire that destroyed our village forced us to move into Mizobe town. I may sound crazy or abstract, but I'll let you know of this... Everyone who survived what happened in Sotoba had experienced cases of depression, survival's guilt and nightmares." Haru explained.
The Newspaper club were surprised of what they heard. They all looked at Jin, whose unconscious form was breathing raggedly. The Hasegawas began to explain more.
"The fire didn't create these awful psychological conditions... It was what occurred before the fire that forever haunts us." Chiyomi explained.
"Does it relate to the mysterious cases of anemia that occurred months before the fire?" Moka questioned.
"So you read the news article of the village. That saves us some time in explanation... In any case, what happened out there was something unexplainable. I fear for the younger generation's minds after seeing such horrific sights." Chiyomi said.
By then, Jin started to regain consciousness. He looked around and noticed the Hasegawa couple.
"H-Hasegawa-san, Hasegawa-chan…" Jin stuttered.
"Jin... It really is you…" Haru said with melancholy and joy.
"You two managed to escape the fire. I'm glad you two are you doing ok." Jin said with concern, but sounded hollow.
The Hasegawa couple came and hugged Jin.
'Jin-kun sounded open just now... He must've felt like a lost child with no one to relate to. It's a depressing sight for him to see the people he knows.' Mizore thought.
Gin looked at Jin as he felt sympathetic for him.
'Poor guy... He held his emotions away, not wanting to associate anyone near him... I wonder if the answers of his past are in Sotoba, or what's left of it…' Gin thought.
Kurumu made a sad smile, seeing Jin reunite with lost friends.
'He's been having his own vendetta with himself of his kind's nature. I wish he would try to live his life and cherish what he has... It's pitiful to see him suffer after all that happened in his past.' Kurumu thought.
Tsukune and Moka looked at the couple embracing Jin. It was a bittersweet sight for old friends to reunite.
"I thought you died in the village... How did you survive?" Chiyomi asked.
Jin remained quiet for a few seconds. He took a deep breath, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
'I don't like this feeling... Sora-kun might reveal his nature to them.' Shizuka said.
"I was dead... I died before the fire started…" Jin said.
"But how? Your body has a pulse and you feel warm." Haru said.
"You don't understand... I'm no longer human now…" Jin said somberly.
The Hasegawa couple gasped after hearing the reply. They didn't expect such an answer from him.
"What do you mean, Jin...? Are you saying that...?"
Haru and Chiyomi looked at Jin was quietly shedding tears with his eyes closed. When he opened them, his eyes became dark with red irises. The Newspaper club all felt the atmosphere changed from bittersweet to sorrowful.
"I'm a shiki... To be precise, a subspecies called jinrou…" Jin answered in a hollow tone.
The couple embraced the boy tightly. It was an unexpected answer to hear from the fourteen year old boy. The Newspaper club all felt sorry for him. None was more sorrowful than Mizore, who was shedding tears.
"How were you able to live with your current lifestyle...? It must've been a struggle for you to handle your nature…" Chiyomi questioned.
"Believe me when I say this... I struggled with this monstrous nature of mine... I had to leave to the mountains on certain times to feed on wild animals. I mainly feed on carnivores to keep my blood driven trance at bay for better control. The feeding crushed my hopes of ever becoming human." Jin explained.
The Hasegawa couple could do nothing but shed tears. A fellow survivor they managed to encounter has become so broken, it was a miracle he didn't commit suicide.
"That's how you were able to blend into human society... Is there anything else that makes you...you know, less human?" Haru asked.
Jin slowly raised his hand. From it, an ice crystal formed. It started to grow in a snowflake shape.
"When I was turned into a jinrou, I suddenly have the ability to manipulate ice. I don't know why, but I had an intense liking to ice during my days as a human. It's tailored to my emotional strength. Whenever I experience a flashback or so, my ability goes out of control, creating blizzards." Jin explained.
The explanation was enough for the Hasegawas. They quickly hugged Jin to help alleviate his psychological torment.
"We're so sorry to hear this from you. Whether you're a shiki or a human, you are who you are, Jin. You have friends whom you can talk with. You don't need to run from your past anymore." Chiyomi said.
Jin still had an emotionless face. Chiyomi's opinion didn't help alleviate the damage.
"I fear that attempts to alleviate my psychology will be all for naught. I'll forever remain like this till the end of time, Hasegawa-chan. Did you not realized that kids around my age would end up becoming victims from the shiki?" Jin said in question.
Mizore went to Jin and hugged him closely. The Hasegawa couple looked at Mizore's interaction with him.
"Oh... Forgive us for not speaking to you all. It's been a while since we encountered a fellow citizen from Sotoba." Haru said.
"There's no harm done to us. We were glad there was a familiar face for him, nyaa." Shizuka said.
"Mind if we introduce each other?" Haru asked.
"Sure. My name is Nekonome Shizuka. The rest of the people that are with me, Jin included, are Yokai Academy's Newspaper club." Shizuka said.
'She only introduced what club we're from.' The members thought comically.
"Everyone, please introduce yourselves to the inn keepers." Shizuka said.
"My name is Aono Tsukune. I'm a next door neighbor of Jin-san." Tsukune said.
Moka came next after him. "My name is Akashiya Moka. I'm a friend of Mizore and Tsukune." Moka said meekly.
Kurumu came up after. She was more open, but felt nervous.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Kurono Kurumu. I'm friends with Tsukune." She said.
Mizore came up next. She had an impassive face.
"My name is Shirayuki Mizore. I'm the girlfriend of Sora Jin." She said boldly.
The Hasegawas couldn't help but smile, hearing that Jin was able to have a relationship. Yukari then walked up.
"My name is Sendo Yukari. I'm friends with everyone in the Newspaper club." She said.
Gin was the next person to show up.
"My name is Morioka Ginei, but everyone calls me Gin." He said.
Ruby was the last person to introduce. She reluctantly walked up to the couple.
"My name is Toujou Ruby. I'll be working as a staff assistant with the Yokai Academy Headmaster." She said.
Haru and Chiyomi were happy that Jin was able to meet new people.
"Everyone, thank you for providing Jin with good times. I'm glad that he has supportive friends." Haru said.
######
Everyone talked with each other for some time. During the early evening, the rooms were given individually. It was currently dark and the moon was shining in a crescent shape. Jin was sitting on his room, looking out at the window. He still felt uncomfortable being in Mizobe town.
'I can't believe the Headmaster would choose this place, out of everything I've been to... Whatever his plan is, I don't like it. Damn it…' He thought.
He heard his room door open. From the dark hallway, Mizore walked in. She was wearing a white-blue yukata with snow themed patterns. The yukata's hem reached down to her lower shin, making her appear graceful.
"Mizore-chan, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in your room?" Jin asked on surprise.
"I want to come over and talk with you. Am I not allowed to see you?" she said in a cute tone.
Mizore was giving her allure to Jin. He sighed with a blush.
"Alright, alright. You can talk with me. But please note that I'm somewhat touchy after coming back here." Jin answered.
Mizore went close to him and laid down near him.
"Tell me, Jin-kun... Is your past horrific enough to rid you of your emotions?" Mizore asked.
Jin was reluctant to answer, concerned she may become morbidly curious of his past. Unable to think of anything, he answered.
"It's something that'll look as though it was written from a horror novel." Jin said.
"I see. From what I heard, Nekonome-sensei is planning to head out to the mountains tomorrow. If my hunch is right, Sotoba or what's left of it, is in the same direction." Mizore said.
"You're right. It's over there, beyond that forest of trees... That barren section is where the village used to thrive, till that cursed day." Jin said with his hands shaking.
Mizore took notice of his hands shaking. She was concerned for his psyche whether he'll be prepared to handle explaining his past. She heard him sigh in exhaustion.
"I suppose Toujou-san will help in explaining the violent events of the village. If you recall back at the beach, she created a screen with her magic. It was probably using her memories, judging by how it was in her perspective... Be warned though, for I fear the sanity of the others once they see what I have experienced. Plus I may react violently upon reaching the outskirts or in the village. You may have to slap me to let me regain my sanity, for I do not know how long I'll remain sane…" Jin said cryptically.
Mizore knew the explanation would be a haunting experience. She was dreadfully nervous, not knowing what to expect. Much to the jinrou's surprise, she ended up staying with him in his room. She fell asleep before Jin did. The couple were interlocking their hands as they slept.
######
The next morning was a cloudy day. Shizuka woke everyone up for the trip to the mountains. She noticed Mizore sleeping with Jin but she left it alone. She did plan to berate him on sleeping with a girl however. Jin had a hollow expression marred on his face.
'The tragic village... I never thought I would go there to see such a hollow landscape.' Jin thought.
The Hasegawa couple provided a meal for the Newspaper club. Jin wasn't eating his breakfast as leisurely as the others around him. Tsukune took notice of the silence from Jin, who didn't utter a word.
"Sora-san... Is everything ok?" He asked.
Jin didn't say anything. He remained quiet, not wanting to answer to anyone. Mizore took notice of his silence. She took his right hand and gave a gentle squeeze. He looked at Mizore, who had a concerned expression.
'She knows what I may have to deal with... I don't like what I may have to face upon reaching the mountain range.' Jin thought.
Shizuka decided to speak out.
"Everyone, we'll be heading to a nearby mountain range. The reason we're heading there is to find something to write for the Yokai Academy News." She said jovially.
"Why are we all heading there?" Jin questioned.
Shizuka heard Jin's voice laced with a hint of venom. It sounded hateful from him to speak about it.
"Going to a village that disappeared from a forest fire... I'll let you know of this... I'm not going near that abandoned village! If you're planning to go there, I'm heading back to my home, away from this place!" Jin said with anger.
Haru and Chiyomi were surprised from the angry outburst. They didn't expect to hear that from him.
"Don't take it too hard on him... We all had our issues when we were forced to move away from the village." Haru said.
"I fear that what happened in Sotoba made it worse for him... He despises the place that was once his home... It's not our right for us to explain what happened. Jin witnessed almost everything that happened prior to the fire." Chiyomi said.
The Newspaper club now felt terrible. Shizuka felt guilty but hardened her will. She was taking Jin with him, whether he liked it or not. She grabbed his left arm.
"Let go of me... Nekonome-sensei!" Jin said, flashing his shiki eyes.
Shizuka was startled by the appearance of the eyes. This made her lose her grip on him as Jin left the inn.
######
Outside, Jin was planning to leave Sotoba till a hand mysteriously karate chops his neck, knocking him unconscious.
"Sheesh... This guy has been reluctant to go near the place we're heading." Gin said.
Before Gin had a chance to grab him, a cocoon of ice formed around Jin's body.
"So he's using his cryokinesis to block off any attempts... Might as well carry his body…" Gin said.
Everyone ran outside to catch up, only to find Gin holding a cocoon of ice.
"Is Jin in there?" Mizore asked.
"Yeah... He created this so no one will attempt to reach him. He's unconscious, but he'll snap back when he comes to." Gin said.
Ruby remained silent as she noticed Jin's fear of the place they're heading.
######
The drive to the mountain range took about 2 hours. Upon reaching Sotoba, the forest and grasslands were barren.
"What a creepy place... This village did had something terrible, judging by those ash markings." Tsukune pointed out.
By then, Jin regained consciousness and broke out of his ice cocoon. He was beyond angry, his shiki eyes now with glowing blue irises.
"Who was the one that knocked me out…?" He asked with rage.
Everyone pointed to Gin, who looked at the scenery. He then noticed Jin, who looked at him with murderous intent.
"Uh... Forgive me…" He said in a fake tone, laughing nervously.
Jin charged at Gin in great speed. He brutally slammed him on the ground. He then threw him up on the sky, making him jump up and unleash a flurry of punches.
"YOU HAD TO BEING ME INTO THIS PLACE OUT OF ALL THE AREAS AROUND JAPAN! WHY!? WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME REMEMBER THE HORRIFIC NIGHTMARES OF THIS HELLISH SIGHT!? YOU WANT ME TO EMBRACE THIS NATURE OF MINE!?" Jin asked with anger.
Everyone noticed the brutal beating on Gin as he was kicked back down to the ground. His body was completely injured.
"I think we should leave him unless we want him to direct his anger to us…." Shizuka suggested.
Everyone agreed to leave the jinrou alone as he continued pummeling Gin to near death.
"LET THAT BE A LESSON TO DO SOMETHING RECKLESS AND BRINGING ME-"
Jin looked around and noticed the sight around him. He stopped as flashbacks began to appear in a more rapid pace. This time, he can see them vividly. He can see the shiki attacks occurring, along with the massacre. He was so shocked that he screamed loudly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone heard the scream and came up to Jin. He created a dome of ice and hid inside.
"Jin-kun" Mizore said with pained sadness.
She then slowly walked up to the dome and manipulated the ice to disappear. Mizore saw Jin cowering on the ground with a horrified expression. She then slapped Jin's face to snap him back.
"M-Mizore-chan... Why did we come here...? We shouldn't be here…" Jin said.
Mizore hugged him as the shock of seeing glimpses from the past nearly broke Jin's psyche. Everyone gathered to where Jin and Mizore were.
"What happened to him?" Moka questioned.
"He must've had a revisit of his past. It was so shocking that it left him like this." Mizore answered.
Three hours have passed since they arrived. Jin was now same enough to talk.
"What do you want me to tell you all about this place...? There's nothing but dead memories of this village." Jin said with an emotionless face.
"We're here to find out what happened here." Shizuka said.
"I know you're curious about it, but I'll let you know that the history is violent. Toujou-san, do you know a spell to display a person's memories or the memories of the region…?" Jin asked.
"Yes, I know of a spell to help make the memories of a person or area to be viewed." Ruby said.
"Alright. I want you to conjure a magic screen to show the memories. Can it play like a movie theatre from a third person perspective, like say omnipresence." Jin asked.
"Yes. It can also bring out a person's thoughts like you were watching an anime show. Just pinpoint at which day and time you want to start and which to end." Ruby said.
"The date the incident starts at will begin on August 2 during the morning and it'll end in November 8 midnight, one year ago." Jin said.
Ruby nodded and conjured a large screen for everyone to see.
"Please bear in mind that although it'll play the memories like a movie, I can't keep the spell running for a while. A single month of memories will last about two days, depending how long they are." Ruby reprimanded.
"That'll do. It'll help provide a break to explain everything in one night." Jin said.
He then turned to the Newspaper club, who were anxious to know about the village's past and Jin's past.
"The time when everything started occurred during August 2. It was then that everything went downhill…" Jin said.
That's all from here. The arc will mainly focus in a series of flashbacks shown in a theatric way. Please note that Hasegawa didn't officially state his name so I made a first name in conjunction of his surname.