Sorry for the cliffhangers, you guys! I'm a jerk, I know. But it makes things so much more interesting and exciting when you are left with more questions than answers.
Also I have to give a quick shout-out to Cathari Sarad, who's been very helpful and supportive as I've been writing this.
So without further ado, here's the last Part of the Book of Sorrow.
BTW, It won't seem like a 'Book of Sorrow' until the very end. There will be some long awaited fluff. And then there will be pain. And somebody will get seriously pissed.
Also, the characters might act OOC for the rest of the story. just a secondary warning, in case it does happen.
Enjoy...
Chapter 9: Book of Sorrow, Part Three
Mion sat in Keiichi's hospital room, absolutely seething. The last two days had been so demanding. She was currently staring at the source of all her anguish and frustration, who had woken up a few hours ago.
When they'd brought him to the hospital, Keiichi had asked for Mion. He had wanted to see her so bad, and wouldn't stop asking for her, so Akasaka stepped out to call her. Then, just as he left the room, Keiichi's heart stopped for two full minutes.
Thankfully, they'd restarted his heart and were able to bring him back. By the time Mion arrived, they'd started a blood transfusion and stabilized him.
When she'd seen him, Mion's heart had broken for him. His clothes were ruined, his hair was matted with gore and dirt, and his body had been burned and cut and stabbed in numerous places. She could only stand to look at him for a few seconds before she broke into tears and cried against her father's chest. She had requested that he be there personally, in case anything happened.
She was thankful for the support.
And two days later, Keiichi had made a surprisingly fast recovery. But he hadn't come out unscathed.
Keiichi looked terrible. Takano had tortured him to such terrible extents that his body was scarred in multiple places. A macabre trail of stars had been cut into his left forearm, and Keiichi had quickly taken to rubbing the injuries as a nervous tic. He also now had a long white scar over his right eye, giving him somewhat of an intimidating appearance. The doctor had also examined his leg and determined that he would never be able to walk the right way again.
Keiichi had seemed to take the news well, but at the same time Mion could tell he was dying inside. The past several days had clearly taken its toll on him, both mentally and physically.
"Alright, Keiichi." Dr. Irei said, stepping back from the bed. "Try and stand up."
Keiichi swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed and set his feet on the floor. As he did so, his face twisted in sudden discomfort.
Mion shot to her feet. "Take it easy, Keii-chan! You're going too fast." she said angrily.
He looked at her, agitated. "Sorry, Mion. Calm down. I think I've been screamed at enough for the last couple days."
His words cut at Mion, and she sat down hard.
Keiichi realized he'd hurt Mion, and he felt really bad. He hadn't meant to lash out at her. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."
"It's okay, Keii-chan." She said softly. "I wasn't thinking."
"Well, can you help me stand up? I'm feeling a little shaky in this leg." He held his hand out to her.
She smiled. "Sure." She walked over and held his hand, bracing herself so she could help him as he stood shakily to his feet.
"Ouch, ow..." He kept muttering. Mion kept uttering words of encouragement to him as he struggled to stay upright.
Finally, he said, "I think I got it, Mion. Thank you." He smiled at her, but for some reason, he wasn't letting go of her hand.
"You're welcome, Keii-chan." She smiled, blushing cutely. His hand felt so warm...
"Try taking a few steps, Keiichi." The doctor suggested.
Keiichi did as he was instructed, and Mion could see him limping slightly. His right leg was supporting his weight, but was having trouble due to the punishment it had taken. But he was managing, and that made Mion beam with pride. Keiichi really was a strong person.
"How is it?" Irei asked Keiichi when he stopped walking.
"It's not as bad as I was thinking it was gonna be." Keiichi said honestly. "I think I can handle it."
But as he let go of Mion's hand to stand on his own, his face distorted in pain, and Mion immediately grabbed his hand again.
"I don't think so, Keii-chan." She said sternly. "You need some more rest."
"Mion, I-"
She shut him up with a look. "No talking back. You're laying back down in that bed and that's it." She guided him back to the hospital bed, ordering him to lay down. He began to argue, but finally acquiesced and got back in the bed.
"Alright then." Dr. Irei said. "I can give you some medicine for the pain, and I can get you some crutches, but the crutches will take time. Is that okay?"
Keiichi opened his mouth, but Mion spoke for him. "Yes, that'll be good, Coach."
Dr. Irei got the message. "Alright then. Sounds like a plan. Keiichi, you can check out today if you feel like it. I'll speak to the nurses up front and let them know the situation. If you need anything, you know where to find me at the clinic." He quickly left the room.
Mion stared at Keiichi for the longest time. She seemed really, really mad. Her gaze drilled holes in his skull until he couldn't take it anymore.
"What's your deal?" Keiichi said. "You think looking at me like that is gonna get anywhere?"
She simply shook her head. "You just can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you? Do you even know how much you worried everyone?"
Keiichi looked at her. "Yeah, I can kind of guess at how bad it was."
"No you can't, Keii-chan." She snapped. "Satoko was crying. She couldn't sleep for two days without having nightmares. I cried my eyes out every day, worried where you were and if you were doing okay. And don't get me started on Rika. She became depressed. She didn't show it, but I could see it. Your disappearance affected everyone."
Keiichi listened to her words,the realization sinking in that perhaps she was right. Maybe him being taken away had more of an impact on his friends than he'd thought. He had always felt like an outsider with them, no matter how close he got to them. It just felt like he'd never really fit in with the village, and he'd resigned himself to that opinion.
He felt terrible. He'd been more concerned about being sorry for himself instead of thinking about the others. He could tell himself all day long that he'd constantly thought about the others, but honestly he'd been selfish and thought mostly about his own pain.
He chuckled softly. "Some kind of friend I am, huh?" He said to Mion, who looked at Keiichi in surprise.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I thought about you guys whenever I was with Takano, but I never really thought about how bad you guys were suffering. I figured you'd just be worried about me, and get pissed at me for disappearing like that. And that would be it."
He looked at her evenly, trying to convey the guilt he felt with his eyes. "You guys are very important to me. Especially you, Mion. I just want you all to be happy." He looked down at his hands. "You guys would be better off with someone else as a friend."
It was quiet for a moment, then suddenly a loud crack filled the air, and Keiichi's cheek stung. His eyes widened.
"Idiot." Mion said softly.
He looked at Mion in surprise. She'd slapped him.
She dropped her hand and looked at him. He could tell she was trying to look angry, but was failing. "Who are you to say that we'd be better off without you?" She said, her voice slightly choked. "After all we've been through, do you think I'd want anyone else by my side?"
She slipped her hand in his as she continued talking. She couldn't stop herself now. All the emotions that had built up over the past year had finally peaked and began flooding out. "You're important to me too, Keii-chan. You're one of the most important people in my life, and you've been that way for a very long time. Nobody could replace you, Keiichi. Nobody..."
She then looks off to the side, as if debating something. Finally, she looks resolved to say something.
"Keii-chan... I really, really like you. And I don't care if you don't like me back. I just want you to know that you have people that truly care about you! You're not an outsider here, and I don't want you to feel that way!"
Keiichi stared. Mion Sonozaki had just confessed that she was in love with him. The situation seemed so unreal. Emotions flooded through him. Surprise, happiness, strong affection, and finally confusion...
He spoke up. "I like you too, Mion." He tightened his grip on her hand in affirmation.
Mion's face brightened. "You mean... you like me as in 'you want me as a girlfriend?'"
He nodded. Tears of pure joy began streaming down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest.
"I don't think I've ever been so happy before." Mion thought. "It's unreal."
He smiled, and ran his hand through her hair. "Mion, I'm sorry for worrying you all... But, I gotta ask something."
She looked up from his chest. "What, Keii-chan?"
He looked at her beautiful, green eyes for a moment before finally asking, "Why me? What makes me so special to you?"
Mion just looked at him, then smiled her usual sly smile. "You really are an idiot sometimes, Keii-chan. What doesn't make you special to me, is what you should be asking."
She sat up on the bed next to him. "You're a strong person. You genuinely care for others, and place other's happiness before your own. You're brilliant, and you have a way with words that I've never seen before. You have a way about you that makes people want to follow you. And..." She stopped, and began blushing.
He poked at her. "Hey, don't stop now, Mion! What were you going to say right there?"
She blushed harder, and began playing with her hair. "Well... you... also... look very... handsome... I guess..." She turned her head away from him, thoroughly embarrassed at what she'd just said.
Keiichi smiled. "Mion, look at me." As she turned to look at him, he said. "To be completely honest, I've always felt you to be a bit out of my league. You're very beautiful. You have a way about you that naturally cheers people up, and your smile could light up an entire room. I can't think of anything that I don't like about you. In fact, I love everything about you."
Mion looked at him with teary eyes. "Keiichi..." She then laid herself against Keiichi's chest, and allowed herself to be held by him. She looked at him, and they gazed at each other's eyes for the longest time.
Finally, Keiichi leaned in and touched his lips to Mion's.
Mion's mind short circuited when Keiichi kissed her. She'd dreamed about this moment for so long, and now that it was finally happening, she had no idea what to do. It all seemed like an impossible dream, but it was coming true before her very eyes.
Keiichi pulled away, looking at her funny. "Too soon?" he said, unsure of himself.
She stared at him for a while, then shook her head. She grinned slyly at him. "Actually, I wasn't paying attention. So you might need to do it again. Unless you're too chicken..." She teased him.
"Oh, bite me." But he grinned and leaned in to kiss her again. And this time, Mion kissed him back.
Fireworks went off in her head and her heart raced. But all in all, Mion couldn't have been happier.
The kiss seemed to last forever. As they broke apart for air, Mion sighed and rested her head on Keiichi's shoulder. "So, I guess this means we're a thing now, huh?"
"Yep." Keiichi grinned. "We're definitely a thing."
Mion giggled happily. Keiichi pulled his head back in surprise. "Did I just hear Mion Sonozaki giggle like a girl?"
She glared at him. "Yeah, I did, Keiichi. Do you have a problem with that?"
He chuckled. "Nope, in fact it's adorable." He held her tighter as he noticed that she was now using his full name.
Mion smiled. "Good. I was gonna say you'd have to deal with it, but whatever."
They laid there in silence, enjoying each other's company.
"So..." Keiichi said, breaking the silence. "You don't mind that I look like... this now?"
She looked at him like he'd just said he was an alien. "Look like what?"
"Well, I got all these scars now... and they're not the most attractive things ever."
She adjusted herself slightly, and ran a finger along the scar over his eye. "I kinda like the new look. Makes you look tougher."
"What, I wasn't tough looking before?" He asked indignantly.
"Nope." She said innocently. "Not really. You looked pretty scrawny."
"Okay, you little troll." Keiichi said, poking her in the side.
She laughed. "Don't do that, it tickles!"
"Oh?" He poked her again, repeatedly. She laughed harder and harder, begging him to stop.
"Keii-chan, I swear I'm going to hit you if you don't stop!" She managed to say between breaths.
"You can't do that to me, I'm still technically in the hospital." But he stopped per her request.
Mion looked at him and saw that he was grinning crazily. "What's with you?" She said.
"I love your laugh." he said. "I really do."
She smiled, and laid her head against his chest. "I swear, you're too smooth sometimes. How did I get so lucky to end up with you?"
"How in the world are you lucky? You're stuck with a loser like me."
"Well, I always felt I was too tomboyish, and that you wouldn't ever see me as a girl. So, I was always afraid I'd lose you to Rena or one of the other girls. They always seemed to be cuter than me."
"Well," he replied honestly. "You're cute enough just the way you are."
The new couple held each other for the longest time, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Shion and Satoshi walked down the hallway leading to Keiichi's room, idly chatting.
"I mean," She told her boyfriend. "Mion shouldn't be the only one to visit Keiichi. We're his friends too, right? We should be there for him, just as much as Onee is."
"I've never met the guy, though." Satoshi pointed out. "Wouldn't I technically not be his friend?"
She waved her hand dismissively. "If I leave you two boys alone, you will become best friends in five minutes, flat. I guarantee it."
They approached Keiichi's room. "In fact, now's the perfect time for you guys to get to know each other!"
She opened the door quietly, in case Keiichi was sleeping. But as she looked inside, a look of absolute disbelief came over her face, followed by a wide grin.
Her sister and her crush were laying next to each other, deep in a kiss. Keiichi's arms were wrapped around her tightly, and she was snuggled up rather close to him.
"Well, well, well." Shion thought to herself. "Onee finally did it. Way to go, sis."
Shion closed the door as quietly as she could, trying not to disturb them. She turned to Satoshi and smiled as she dragged him away. "Actually, maybe we can wait for a bit. They're having a bit of a moment."
After a while, Mion was woken up by a loud rumbling sound. She opened her eyes and snickered. It was her new boyfriend's stomach, yelling for food.
"Hey, wake up." She said, poking Keiichi.
Keiichi grumbled in his sleep, and rolled over, pulling Mion closer to him. Mion laughed, and kissed him on the forehead. "Come on, sleepyhead. It's time to get up."
Keiichi's eyes fluttered. "Mion? What... what are you..." He seemed to realize, with a shock, that he was holding her. Then, he softly beamed. "So, it wasn't a dream. That's good."
"Oh, that's cute." Mion said. "I'm so dreamy..."
"Well, if you want I could go farther and call it a nightmare..."
"Okay, now you're just being a smartass." She sat up. "Come on, you need to eat something." She got up from the bed and straightened out her clothes.
Keiichi watched his girlfriend in awe. She really was all his now.
She noticed him staring, and smiled. "Geez, keep staring and you'll get a nosebleed." She spun around, making sure her breasts bounced around to mess with him.
Keiichi's nose began leaking like she'd hoped, and she bent over laughing.
"Okay, that's not fair!" Keiichi said, holding his nose.
"Sorry, Keiichi." She said, straightening. "I couldn't help myself. I'll be right back, I'm gonna grab us something from the cafeteria."
"Don't take too long now." He said, pointedly.
She winked at him, then turned around and left the room.
On her way to the cafeteria, she passed by the waiting area. Shion and Satoshi were sitting there, apparently waiting for her.
"Ah, Onee!" Shion said, smiling. "Glad to see you finally untangled yourself from Keiichi..."
Mion turned fifteen shades of red. "Wh-wh-what are you talking about, sis?" She stammered, feigning innocence.
"Oh, don't play dumb." Shion said, standing up and walking over to her older sister. "I saw you and Keiichi all lovey dovey."
Mion blushed harder, and tried to speak, but she was flustered.
Shion felt like she went too far in her teasing, and hugged her sister. "Sis, I'm happy for you. I really am. You guys were practically meant for each other. Just don't make me an aunt yet, alright?"
She winked at her sister.
"Same goes for you, Shion." Mion threw back at her, smiling.
Satoshi stiffened, blushing hard as he heard what Mion said. But Shion simply laughed.
"Well played, Mion." She said. "Well played."
Mion ended up walking with the two teenagers to the cafeteria and grabbed lunch for all four of them. When they made it back to the hospital room, Keiichi beamed at Mion, who blushed as she served him his dinner. Satoshi and Shion sat in the chairs while Mion sat next to Keiichi on the bed.
They chatted happily together, and the sisters ended up pushing their boyfriends to do most of the talking. As predicted, they quickly became good friends, laughing hard at shared experiences.
"And, isn't it annoying," Satoshi said, giving a side look at Shion. "How certain green-haired women seem to know exactly how to mess with your head?"
"Oh, you too?" Keiichi groaned. "Did they put you in the swan outfit, too?"
Satoshi winced. "Dude, I was there when they first got it. I hated that thing."
"They still have it, man." Keiichi told him morbidly. "And it's their favorite punishment outfit, too."
Mion and Shion chuckled, and gave each other thumbs up as Satoshi shivered.
"And that's not all." Keiichi said. "When I first moved here, they had an absolute blast messing with me. They would switch identities all the time, and I always got so pissed when they told me who they really were." He glared at Shion. "That one over there made me feel like a dumbass on several occasions."
Shion laughed. "Well, it's so easy to fool you, Keii-chan."
"But don't worry." Keiichi added. "I know which one is which now. You guys can't fool me anymore."
"How, Keiichi?" Mion asked, looking skeptical.
"Simple. Your eyes shine when you look at me, Mion. And they're a lot prettier than hers."
"Shut up." She punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"Wow," Shion said. "You two are such lovebirds."
Mion wrapped her arms around Keiichi's arm and pulled him close. "Well, just remember, sis. Keiichi's mine now, and you need to be careful with how you tease him." She said, winking at Shion. "Who knows what I'll do."
"God help any girl that messes with Keiichi..." Satoshi said bluntly. "Mion'll kill any girl that even thinks about flirting with him."
"Hey, you act like they'll be the only ones getting in trouble!" Keiichi interjected. "I'll be getting chewed out as well!"
"And don't you forget it." Mion said, poking him hard in the ribs.
They all laughed as Keiichi blanched.
Eventually Rena, Satoko, Rika and Hanyuu came to visit. Satoko was very happy to see Keiichi again, throwing herself at him and hugging him hard. Keiichi half expected her to snap her fingers and drop a wash basin on him again. But he hugged her back, feeling affection towards the young girl.
Hanyuu heard about Keiichi's leg, and asked to look at it. Keiichi nodded, and pointed out where he'd been stabbed and where he'd been shot. She tentatively reached a hand out to touch it, and Keiichi yelped after she did. It felt like he'd been shocked.
"Sorry," Hanyuu had said, but she smiled softly as she turned away.
They visited a while before it occurred to Satoshi that he should thank Keiichi. After all, Keiichi was practically Satoko's adopted big brother.
Satoshi looked at him. "Thanks for taking care of her while I was gone, by the way." He said, bowing slightly. "It means a lot to me."
"It was no trouble at all." Keiichi replied. Then he corrected himself. "Well, no trouble except for all the times she kept springing traps on me. She was relentless!" He shook his head.
"Ohohohohoho~ Why are you talking like I'm going to quit, Keiichi-san?" Satoko chuckled evilly. "I've only just started..."
"Oh, come on, Satoko!" Keiichi cried out, and everyone started laughing again.
After a while, Rika mentioned to the others that it was starting to get late. She, Hanyuu and Satoko left to go home. Satoko decided that she was gonna keep living with Rika and Hanyuu after all. She had become rather independent since her nii-nii's disappearance, and she'd grown fond of living with her two friends.
Satoshi mentioned he was gonna walk the three girls home, gave his girlfriend a kiss, and left as well. Rena followed him out the door, waving bye to Mion.
Mion looked at Keiichi. "They said you could leave today, right?"
Keiichi thought about it for a second, then nodded. "I think so, yeah."
"Alright then!" Mion stood up. "Let's get you out of here."
She held her hand out to him, which he happily took and he struggled to his feet. As he stood, he frowned.
"That's weird." He said, puzzled. "Pain's gone." He shook his leg, but sure enough the pain was gone.
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Mion said.
"Maybe the power of love cured him." Shion teased.
Mion blushed hard. But Keiichi just grinned and pulled Mion close. "Maybe." He said, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Love conquers all, isn't that how the saying goes?"
Mion closed her eyes. Oh, Keiichi... you're good.
"Okay, lovebirds." Shion said, rolling her eyes. "I think it's time to leave now."
They walked from the hospital back to the village, chatting with each other. Shion noticed how her sister was slowly getting used to the fact that she and Keiichi were now dating, and how she was not getting as embarrassed as she was before.
Right now they walked next to her, talking as they always did: poking fun at each other and talking excitedly. The only difference is that they now walked arm in arm, oblivious to everything else in the world.
Once they reached the cross in the road leading to each other's homes, Keiichi had pulled Mion close and gave her a kiss goodbye. Shion, naturally, voiced her approval with a loud "Awwwww...!" Mion merely looked over at her sister in annoyance and pulled Keiichi closer. Finally, they broke the kiss and bid each other goodnight.
As they walked away, Mion felt a tug in her heart. She wanted to be with him longer...
Shion noticed her sister's mood. "You miss him already, don't you?"
Mion laughed and scratched her neck nervously. "Yeah, it's weird. Is that bad?"
Shion shook her head. "I think it's something all new couples do. I mean, its the same with me and Satoshi-kun. Now that we're together, I want to be with him all the time and it feels like I'm missing part of me when I'm not with him. Is that what you feel?"
"Yeah, sorta." Mion nodded.
"Well, hey, look at it this way!" Shion said, nudging her sister. "We both landed the guys of our dreams, and we pulled you out of your shell at last!"
The two sisters laughed and continued walking, unaware of the van swiftly approaching from behind them.
They wouldn't notice it until it was too late.
"Mom, Dad!" Keiichi hollered as he walked in the front door to his house. "I'm home!"
"Oh, you're out of the hospital already?" His mother cried as she down the stairs to meet him. She crushed him in a big hug. "Oh, that's great, sweetheart! I was so worried you'd be stuck in there for a while! They wouldn't tell us anything about when you'd be released, they said it was all up to you!"
"Mom... can't... breathe... need... AIR!" Keiichi managed to choke out.
His mother finally released him, and he was able to breathe again. His father came out from behind his mother and grinned. "Good to see you, son. I came to see you earlier today, but apparently your girlfriend beat me to you." He gave Keiichi a big thumbs up. "Way to score, son!"
Keiichi blushed as his mother gaped at him. His dad's big mouth was going to land him in trouble. "It.. it's not like that, Mom! Yeah, Mion and I are dating, but we're not going that far! I swear!"
His mother smiled. "Oh, is Mion the nice girl that calls all the time? I like her. She's a sweetheart."
"Oh, then you wouldn't believe me when I say she has an evil streak a mile wide." he said flatly.
"Oh, I'd believe that." Keiichi's father said. "That's your mother right there."
His mother hit him.
"Well, come on." his dad said, chuckling. "We've got dinner all ready."
"Thanks, but I already ate." Keiichi said.
"Oh come on, don't be a stranger." His mother said, pulling him by the arm to the kitchen. "At least sit with us and tell us all about her."
Keiichi relented, and started to follow his parents into the kitchen. But just then, the phone rang in the hall.
"Let me get it." Keiichi said, and ran to answer the phone. He was hoping it was Mion.
"Hello, Maebara residence." He answered.
"Maebara-kun?" A female voice that was NOT Mion's purred in his ear. It sent chills down his spine. "Oh, it's a surprise to hear your voice again! How long has it been, two days?"
"Takano..." He growled. "How about you cut the shit and tell me what the hell you want."
"Oh my... you certainly have a bad mood. Well, then. I'll be short. I didn't get what I want, so now I have several things that might be important to you. And if you don't come see me before midnight, they'll end up dead. You know where to find me." The line clicked shut.
But not before he heard a familiar voice cry his name.
Mion's voice.
Keiichi slammed the phone down, but it rang again. Keiichi answered. "What?!" He said angrily.
"Oh, sorry, is this Keiichi?" Satoshi's voice came over the line panicked.
"Satoshi! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"No, not really. I got a lump on the back of my head the size of a baseball. But worse than that, the girls are gone."
"What?" Keiichi's fingers gripped the phone tighter.
"Yeah. Rika, Hanyuu, Satoko, they're gone. Somebody knocked me out and took them!"
"They have Mion and probably Shion too." Keiichi said.
Keiichi was silent for a moment. His mind raced, and pieces quickly began to fall in place.
"What are we going to do? They have my little sister, man! They have our girlfriends! We can't just sit here! And my head hurts so bad I can hardly even think!"
"Yeah, I know." He responded. "Listen, I know where to find them. Meet me in front of the school in ten minutes."
"Got it." The line clicked.
He slammed the phone on the receiver. He turned to walk up the stairs, but his father stopped him.
"What's going on, son?" His father said, concerned. "Is everything alright?"
Keiichi whirled around, and his father noted that, with the addition of the scar over his eye, his son looked very frightening. He'd seen his son angry before, but now he looked downright murderous.
"The people that took me? They took my friends." He said shortly. "They took Mion."
His dad looked at him, then nodded. He understood his son was thinking. He would've done the same thing. "I'll keep your mom busy for as long as I can. You need any help getting ready to go?"
Keiichi began walking upstairs. "Don't worry." He said. "I know where the guns are."
Man, I've been wanting to write that last bit of fluff for the longest time. I ship Mion and Keiichi so fricking hard. I just wish they had gotten together in the actual show.
But the story is now reaching its peak. Are you guys ready for the end? I am.
Thanks for all the support, you guys. We're reaching half a thousand views pretty quickly as I write this (12/8/15) and its been a little over two weeks since I started. You guys are amazing.
As before, I ask that you guys, if you leave a review, please do not leave chapter spoilers in the review area. There are people starting the story all the time and I want them to be able to enjoy the story if they can. If you have any concerns about the story line, please PM me.
Also, I'm working on the general idea for my next story. It won't be Higurashi, but I'll write another one after I finish this next one.
As always, thank you, you wonderful people for all the support! If you haven't already, favorite or follow this story so you can get notified when the next chapter is posted. And I will see you guys in the next chapter, Chapter 10: Book of Fear, Part One...
Until next time.