Hinamizawa Hell
"The Truth of Fate" Arc: 3
Ch. 15: Running Scared
/
It sat there in the middle of the truck bed, shifting to and fro with the sudden vibrations of the vehicle's journey over dirt and gravel on the road. The crimson light of the night clashed with its blue aura, almost as if depicting a struggle long fought between two opposing forces. As it idly remained in the middle of their surroundings, the game club members, mainly Rika and Satoko, were hesitant to touch it. They had allowed Keiichi to strip the leather bound journal with a combat knife in order to extract the shard, but otherwise after its recovery Satoko and Rika did not want to touch it. Fearing for an experience filled with memories of pain and suffering, by touching the shard would they relive it all. All in all, though, Rika knew what had to be done.
"Satoko-chan….we have to…it's the only way…" Rika put a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to encourage her to aid their quest in finding the answers they sought. Her friend shivered at the mere thought of having to relive her past. More so, though, was eager to know what kinds of futures she had.
"I know Rika-chan…it's just…I don't want to…see that man again…"
Her friends couldn't blame Satoko for her thoughts. The man known as Teppei Houjo had instilled fear, pain and suffering in Satoko's existence ever since she lost her parents. Not only that, but that man had broken her in many ways; ways which she had long since mended with the help of her friends and loved ones. Though that man was well away from them, having to relive the memory again of her sufferings would've drove her into despair.
"Satoko-chan…I'm sorry…I wasn't there…for you…" gritted Satoshi between his pains.
Shion looked on with wide eyes at him and looked as if she were about to cry. Satoshi had been out for quite some time, but between going to Rika and Satoko's home and now on their way to Keiichi and Mion's estate, Satoshi had been in and out of consciousness. Now over the worst of his initial injury, he was able to at least stay awake and listen to what the others were discussing. As Shion brushed his hair in comfort, Satoshi kept his eyes focused on Satoko in hopes of strengthening her resolve.
"Nii-nii…"
"Satoko-chan…I wish you didn't have to…relive any of those memories…but…we need you to. It's our only chance…please…" Satoshi heaved between heavy breathes and grunts of pain. His shoulder where the arrow had hit became a very large swollen bulge throbbing with pain.
Looking at her brother for a moment longer, Satoko grinned and nodded in response, knowing what she had to do. Deciding it was their only choice, both Rika and Satoko grabbed the shard at the same time, and in the next moment their eyes dilated and they became lost in their pasts.
After some time had passed and the group was almost two miles away from Keiichi and Mion's home, both Satoko and Rika came out of their dazes and seemed to have aged many years on the inside. Much like the others, a maturity was found to have come forth after the experience and with that some new clues.
"Well? What did you guys remember?" asked Keiichi. He and Mion were the only ones left who did not relive their past.
At first, Satoko and Rika didn't talk, but sat there with disbelief. However, in the next few moments when their eyes had met, both of them had blushed profusely and began stammering like never before. The others looked on with confusion as to why they were acting so embarrassed yet giddy.
"S…S…Satoko-chan, umm…I…"
"R…Rika-chan, please…it was um…"
The two girls continued to blush like crazy whenever they looked into one another's eyes. They seemed like they had learned of a new fact which bent the very fabric of their understanding of one another, yet at the same time knew it to be true. Wanting an answer, Ryuu pursued the matter.
"Girls…what happened? Spill it…" he asked, sighing. He already had an inkling as to what it was, but he didn't want to suggest such a thing until they confirmed it for them. Swallowing their pride, both Rika and Satoko looked on at everyone else and tried to make sense of it.
"Umm…well…you see…Rika-chan and I…we…" started Satoko.
"Guys…um…she and I…we were…seeing each other…and…um…" went on Rika.
"Seeing each other? You don't mean…." Rena spoke, covering her mouth with her hand in shear surprise. The others looked from Satoko back to Rika and then connected the pieces of the puzzle together.
For Rika and Satoko, their pasts and even the futures they had seen displayed them as a lesbian couple complete with a home together much later in life. They were so fond of one another when they were younger that on a fateful night Rika had been making dinner for Satoko when they came onto the discussion of their love lives. As surprising as it was, they both confessed to one another that they weren't attracted in any way, shape or form to men; a fact that Rika boldly pursued by confessing her love to Satoko and making their feelings known for one another. After that night and many more like it, eventually Satoko and Rika announced to their friends of their relationship and decided to keep it a secret in the village in fear of being ostracized by the other villagers.
"Yes…we were a couple…" Rika breathed out, looking for reactions from her friends. The others stammered at this idea and blushed; Keiichi and Ryuu coughing awkwardly at the thought of their two friends being lovers like that.
"Satoko-chan…I can't believe you…" Shion covered her mouth, blushing and grinning at the same time. Satoko shut her eyes tight and yelled at her friend. It seemed that all this embarrassment was put on Satoko more so than Rika.
"Argh! So what if I love Rika-chan! You got a problem with it? ANY OF YOU?" By the time Satoko had let her anger out on the others, she panted and blushed again at confessing for Rika, who sat blind sighted by the mentioning of love. When Satoko realized what she had done, she fell back onto the truck's bed and sat blankly at what she just realized had occurred. She covered her mouth with the color of red creeping up her cheeks. At this moment, Satoko couldn't even dare to look at Rika in the eyes.
All Rika did was solemnly smile at her friend and move closer to her, hugging her tightly unexpectedly. The others remained quiet whilst Rika moved her lips to Satoko's ear and spoke to her, not only as just a friend but also as someone who cared much more deeply than anyone else ever could.
"Satoko…don't be ashamed. I have always felt this way for you. Don't be embarrassed about how our hearts feel for one another. I love you too, and that should never be doubted. So please, make me a promise, that when this is all over, that you and I will always be by each other's side, ok?"
The others blushed at Rika's confession, but for Satoko she could only let a few tears fall from her eyes and smile at her beloved friend. Satoko nodded in response and returned the hug Rika had held her in. When all was said and done, Satoko promised Rika in return to keep her wish; that is, if they ever made it out of this night alive.
Reminiscing on these memories, Rika sat in silence for a few moments before looking at her friends once more. She contemplated how to react to her new memories, but felt it best to work it out with her friends' opinions on the matter.
"You guys, from what I could gather in those memories, Hanyuu had in fact told us about her dilemma. She had to keep reminding us throughout all of our lifetimes, even after the countless times we defeated Takano-san and the "Tokyo" organization. For a long time, in each world thereafter, Hanyuu had tried her best to direct our efforts to helping her. She was so lost at times, and despite having each other support her and cheer her on, Hanyuu always came to a mentally and physically impossible roadblock to overcome. There was no answer to her plight, and no cause or reason as to why she had to endure the worst of the never ending cycle of Fate…"
"I mentioned someone named "Ouka" before, Rika-chan. Everything right now seems like a big puzzle with pieces that don't fit together. I know you have some sense of this, so could you begin from the beginning and just help us figure out what we need to fill in?" asked Ryuu sincerely. The others seemed to be in agreement, finding the whole situation to be complex at its deepest level. Sighing and trying to reconfigure her theories, Rika began to tell what she thought was going on.
"As I recall, early on in the lifetimes we had, even after defeating Takano for the first time, Hanyuu first came to us with her problem after we finished living out what could have been called a "normal death". She told me that after I had first died in old age that those in the village with the dormant strain of Hinamizawa Syndrome coursing through their bodies suddenly went through the effects of paranoia, madness, and death; killing off those and themselves after the three days were up. If you guys were alive after me, then you would have met the same fate no matter what. The answer to this was simple…given my relationship with Satoko-chan…" Rika looked away off into the distance of the crimson night, trying to imagine the entire village roaring in fire and drenched in blood and madness years later when she had finally died off in old age. The mere thought sickened Rika to her stomach.
"…You never had an heir…" Mion mentioned. After all that Rika had told them about her family's history with maintaining the syndrome through heirs, it wasn't a surprise that with Rika's death would also come to an end to her family's line. The Furude family wouldn't extend beyond Rika's generation.
"That is right. Though there were methods for me having a child, Satoko-chan and I never felt it would have been right. In some instances, I always believed that with the myth of Oyashiro-sama's curse dissuaded that there wasn't a need for the queen carrier anymore. In my lifetime Hinamizawa Syndrome would never rise to cause anyone else any more pain…that is…until I died or…well…other worlds provided circumstances for us or other villagers to go mad with paranoia even in peaceful times…" Taking a moment to think again, Rika restarted her theory's machinations. "…Anyway, Hanyuu-chan told us these facts and also of her family's history. She was supposedly cursed for losing some orb…something her village had held close to God. When she failed in her holy duty of protecting the orb and lost it, she was marked by God with the appearance of horns on her head and ostracized by some factions in her village as a demon. On a fateful night, Hanyuu's village went into madness and she ran away on her mother's dying wish to a keep not far from here in the mountainous regions. She lived up there for several hundred years and kept her curse at bay, which I must assume was the Hinamizawa Syndrome in its earliest form. However, when she met a man she fell in love with and bore him a daughter, the one referred to as Ouka, out of wedlock, Hanyuu left the keep to return to mankind as a village leader. Unfortunately, being near people again caused the curse to resurface, and with that caused the village to be brought to madness again. Losing her loved one and pressured to keep Ouka's safety intact, Hanyuu ordered her daughter to kill her and make the village believe that she had slain a demon, thus ending the paranoia of the villagers in Onigafuchi for some time. Ouka was revered as a higher being in some sense, and so came about the imagery through the years of history of the one we regard as Oyashiro-sama…"
"Ouka was Hanyuu-chan's daughter?" Rena was surprised at this revelation, and couldn't imagine Hanyuu, as innocent as she once was, to have been an adult; more so, a mother at one time.
"This is where everything ties in I think. Throughout all of our lifetimes, Hanyuu was searching for a way to solve our never ending cycle of death and sorrow while at the same time reversing her mistake and thus undoing all the wrong in our lives. She had mentioned to me of a ritual at one point; a ritual where one could be granted with a power equivalent to God in the form of one wish. This ritual I have to assume is the Crimson Lotus Ritual. In order to attain the wish, one must unselfishly kill a family member on the night that the Crimson Lotus blooms, or so Hanyuu had told me once. But…she promised me, that no matter what, she would never do such a thing. That's why I can't believe Hanyuu is doing this on her own accord! Someone…something…has driven her to this point of no return and caused her to try to kill me tonight!"
"Yes, I'm doing this on my own. Actually, no, if you want the truth, I've found a better ally than you, Rika-chan. To think a mere crimson flower could provide me with the necessary opportunity to achieve my one and truest desire…" The memory of Hanyuu speaking of such a possibility.
This statement marked a disbelief that, in some way, Hanyuu was not acting on her own accord. Hanyuu could never do this sort of thing in a right mind, but to them Hanyuu seemed like she was driven to complete the ritual and kill Rika on her own accord.
"Didn't Hanyuu mention that this is considered the last world; that there will be no more redo's after this?" asked Keiichi, drawing from a recollection on their first encounter with a maddened Hanyuu during the festival.
"That is so, but how would she know that? I never knew there to be a set number on the worlds we would go through, but now that you mention it that could be a giant factor among many as to cause Hanyuu-chan to act this way. The last time we died altogether was at the first Crimson Lotus Festival. After that, we must have been put through the cycle again and succeeded up till this point. It's the only explanation as to why we are reborn closer and closer to this date. Not only that, but I know for a fact that Hanyuu-chan is driven by the thought of returning to her daughter Ouka, so that should be considered too. Hmm…now that I think about it, something else plays into here. Hanyuu-chan said that she tested the ritual first on me when I had accidently died in one lifetime when a truck had collided with me. As gruesome as my death was, when I went to that perfect world and killed my own mother, committing an unspeakable act like that, I thereafter awoke in my own hospital bed as if I had sustained minor injuries after being struck with the truck. Hanyuu passed it off as a dream to me, but deep down I knew that the perfect world was real. After that, I definitely noted something different in Hanyuu's demeanor, like a person eagerly counting down to some event. She found her one chance at redeeming herself, and took a leap of faith by making a pact with Evil. I wanted to return to my rightful place in this world, and when I killed my mother on the night of the Crimson Lotus' blooming, I got my wish. Seeing that was proof enough for Hanyuu. She decided that if she would start the ritual through killing her own family member…killing me… and make her wish come true…to return to the past and undo her mistake, that the ends would justify the means and a perfect world would be achieved. That is what is driving Hanyuu to betray us and attempt to kill me: she wants no more suffering for all of us. But…she's not being rational! I CAN'T BELIEVE HER AT ALL!"
Without warning, Rika smashed her fist into the truck's flatbed, causing a large amount of pain to quickly shoot into her reddened hand. She grit her teeth, adrenaline surging through her veins at the thought of Hanyuu's irrational motives. The others fell back with some fear, but it wasn't until someone else put a hand on Rika's shoulder that some sense would be made out of Hanyuu's actions.
"Rika-chan…I can't blame her…"
Rika, in her moment of rage, calmed down suddenly when Keiichi, the magician of words, eased her emotions. He solemnly looked at her, making sure that his next words were chosen carefully as well as was being listened intently upon by Rika.
"Keiichi…"
"You know what it feels like to be driven into a corner without any answers to escaping your plights. Hanyuu felt like there was no other option, you said it yourself! Don't blame her for that. What she is doing is wrong, we all know that, but as her friends we need to find an answer we failed at finding so many times before and come through for Hanyuu! If this is really the last world, and we have the knowledge now that was lost to us in the other worlds, then I am confident this time we will succeed. I don't know how or why these blue shards have importance, but they are part of the answer and with them we will come through this night alive. Have faith, and still understand that what Hanyuu is trying to do is for the right reasons but with her own wrong answer…"
Keiichi smiled at Rika, disbelieving her once again with his surefire confidence and logical words. Keiichi's true strength, like so many times before, was through his play on words and making the craziest of situations seem sane. With that in mind, Rika took a moment to recollect herself and nodded in defeat.
"I guess…you're right then…" she murmured at last. "However, that still doesn't solve why Hanyuu is acting the way she is. Maybe…the Crimson Lotus is having an effect on her…"
"It's not called the "Flower from Hell" for no reason, Rika-chan. Onibaba always said that the flower had an Evil history, but we never knew about it to this extent. The flower is able to control others through the syndrome, so I have to assume that it also has an effect on Hanyuu to some degree. Maybe it also falls in line with her curse too. I'm not too sure though…why aren't we being controlled too?" asked Mion with deep insight. She tried her best to remember everything her grandmother had told her of the flower's history, but try as she might she couldn't find much.
"The same reason we are reacting to the shards probably. We are being protected right now, most likely because of the shard's power. It's the only answer I can find…"
Suddenly, the truck stopped moving as the sound of gravel under tires could be heard. Komoto got out of the truck instantly with his weapon drawn, scanning the area again for any signs of threats. Once the coast was clear, he went back to the others and helped them off the truck.
"Looks like we're safe here for now…" murmured Komoto. Out of the corner of Rika's eye, she noticed his hands shaking and his forehead beading sweat more so than he should have. Was it that Komoto was truly scared of dying at Hanyuu's hands tonight? Or was something else amiss here.
"Komoto-senpai…are you…"
"Rika-chan, I want you to stay behind with Satoko-chan and watch Satoshi-kun. If something happens, Ryuu and Rena-chan will be with you guys to take the car out of here. I'm taking the twins, Keiichi, and Mizu-chan inside. We won't be long…" Komoto quickly went to the others already forming near Keiichi and Mion's estate at the main gate without so much as another word to Rika. She looked on oddly at him, but decided to not pursue the matter at this crucial time. What she needed to do now was focus on their mission and obtain the final shard. After that, though, she had no clue as to what would transpire….
/
"Where is your safe again, Mi-chan?" Mizuho went in first and stacked up onto a nearby door in the front of the home. Making sure they had their plan straight, the group went over again as to how they would extract the shard and then exit the area before Hanyuu had time to attack. Fortunately, the breathing time they had for the moment must have still been a gift after Satoko had blown the side of the cliff right into Hanyuu and the possessed villagers before. If Hanyuu was still alive, which they were quite sure of since the crimson night still loomed on, then she must have been temporarily knocked out cold. That or she was biding her time to strike at the most opportunistic moment.
"The family safe is in the far back of our home. We just need to go down the main hallway and reach the back. It shouldn't take long I imagine…" Mion took out her own pistol and joined Keiichi on the left side of the door. Shion stood with them as well carrying her shotgun, but still wasn't prepared for what may be in her home.
On a silent count of three, all 5 group members stormed the front door, quickly clearing the main lobby and finding not a soul amongst them. Whispering "clear" to one another, Komoto went in first down the hallway searching every side room as the others followed. The three younger adults followed through with Mizuho picking up the rear. If something came out from behind them, she would surely protect the others before her enemy knew what hit them.
"Guys…I don't like this. Wasn't there a bunch of your family members here before Mi-chan? I thought they were setting up for the festival after party…" asked Keiichi. The others stopped at realizing this information and listened again to whoever may be in the home. Not a single sound or indication of life was there, and for that matter the other's realized that in the dimmed lighting of the home that something went amiss.
"Kei-kun is right you guys. Something's wrong here…" stated Mion. Her defenses instantly rose, but soon became complacent when Shion looked on the ground of the main hallway floor.
"I think we're safe for now. Look…all the party banners and decorations are scattered on the floor. I think when the lotus ritual began that everyone here went to the festival grounds on Hanyuu's command…"
"That doesn't mean we let our guard down. Let's just get the shard and leave this place…" Komoto went ahead quickly and reached the two sliding doors to the main back room where the safe was. Sliding the door open quickly Komoto cleared the room with Mizuho and found no one in sight. Sighing in relief, he nodded to the others to come forward to open the safe. The quicker they got the shard, the better.
Mion moved forward and went up to the dial of the safe, turning it clockwise and counterclockwise to initiate the code. Though adrenaline was pumping through her veins, she managed to remain calm and open the safe on the first try. Quickly reaching into the safe, Mion froze up and forgot that by touching the shard she would daze out and relive her memories. In her haste, Mion fell to the shard's power and her eyes dilated.
"Sis!"
"Mi-chan!" Keiichi took her by the shoulders and found her gripping the shard, her face blank from its control on her. The others looked on in worry at what just happened.
"Damnit! We forgot to bring something to grab it with…" cursed Komoto under his breath. With Mion like she was now, they remained vulnerable for the moment. Fortunately, it would only last minutes, but those minutes could easily become the time it would take to fight for one's life.
"Guys…I'm going to grab it too!" suddenly Keiichi stated. Knowing that Mion was doing this alone now hurt him, but at the same time he was eager to get it done and over with. Komoto looked at him like he was a fool.
"There's no time for that! We have to leave…" he yelled.
"If I do it now, then it's done and over with. We have time. Hanyuu hasn't shown herself for awhile now. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back with her, ok?"
Komoto tried to reach out to Keiichi, but it was too late on his end. Keiichi grabbed Mion's hand and found his touch to the shard instantly. Like her, he dazed out of reality and appeared emotionless; his eyes showing no signs of consciousness. Shion grabbed both of them gently and sat them down into the nearby wall. Sighing, she looked over at Komoto and smiled weakly.
"There's no helping those two. Sis is clumsy at times, and Keiichi rushes in were angel's dare tread. They truly are perfect for one another…" she smiled again.
"Guess there's no helping it for now Komoto-kun. We just need to wait…and…"
Just before Mizuho finished her thoughts, a large amount of movement was heard in the home. Sending chills down their spines, Komoto, Mizuho and Shion raised their guns at the entry way; though soon enough they turned off the room's lights and made sure the doors were closed. Watching the shadows of the outside hallway lights illuminate their foes, the group viewed many possessed individuals walk by and act as if they were searching for someone. Though none of them spoke, it was clear that they were Hanyuu's possessed villagers trying to find them. Luckily, the group's quick thinking hid them for now.
"Guys…stay still and don't move…" whispered Mizuho ever so silently. They all had their guns raised at this point, waiting with each passing minute for their foes to suddenly blindside them. Oddly enough, though, the attack never came. Their enemy moved like sentinels in the home and guarded any possible escape route. If they wanted to attack, they could have surely struck the group and even overcome them if their numbers were large enough.
"What are they waiting for?" asked Shion silently.
"They probably don't see us. As long as we don't bring attention to…"
"Argh…shit! I didn't mean to grab it…" yelled Mion unexpectedly. The others turned quickly to her direction and realized what Mion had just unintentionally done.
When Mion came out of her daze, she had yelled and just given away their position to the possessed villagers now turning their attention to the room.
"Oh hell…" Shion could only muster in her fear.
As the group moved back to a safe distance, the front entrance doors suddenly burst open to reveal several Yakuza looking members stand outside; their eyes crimson red and their minds wholeheartedly possessed. As the others thought that they were goners, both Komoto and Mizuho reacted quickly on the spur of the moment. Cocking their fists and legs back, they delivered several quick blows to debilitate their enemies and floor them to the ground for the moment.
"NOW YOU GUYS! RUN!" screamed Mizuho. Komoto led the others who now went into full survival mode and guided them to a possible safety point, just as many possessed villagers barged into the safe room's paper thin walls. Clearly outnumbered and overrun, the group struggled to find a room with much more solid doors to defend them.
Mizuho, finding no other option, let go of another smoke grenade and managed to hide them once more in a haze of grey. Coughing at the dry smoke filling their airways, the group members dodged their enemies and regrouped on a nearby wall. The possessed villagers behind them bumped into one another and became unable to find their prey. Thanks to Mion's quick thinking, she guided the others into a nearby ceremony room with heavier doors for them to hide behind. This room also held an exit that could take them outside towards the backyard if need be.
As Mion and Keiichi quickly barred the door with a beam of solid wood over iron clasps, they sighed in relief at their current situation.
"That should hold them for now…" sighed Keiichi.
"I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to…" panicked Mion.
"Um…Sis…Kei-chan…*gulp*…"
Just when they thought they were safe, their fears were suddenly realized again, but much worse this time. The two green haired twins cowered in fear, looking on at their unexpected guests in the room. Turning around to find Komoto, Keiichi and Mizuho backing close towards them, the two lovers, finding no moment's peace, discovered that they had just entered a room filled with Mion and Shion's immediate family members sitting on pillowed cushions idly by. At the forefront sat the twin's mother, whereas at her side was Kasai with his hands on his lap. When the group entered the room, so was attention brought to their enemy.
"M…Mother…" Mion whimpered.
"K…K…Kasai?" stuttered Shion in fear.
Their opponents rose from their cushions and looked on emotionlessly at the group, not even acting as if they were surprised. All in all, for the twin's family members to be waiting in the room like this seemed too good to be true. If anything, entering the silent home and not noticing all the Sonozaki members in the household was next to impossible.
"This was a set up! How did Hanyuu know we were coming here?" asked Komoto, raising his pistol suddenly into the air at Kasai. As tough of an opponent as Kasai would be without his mind under possession, Komoto pitied him and found that killing him would be somewhat merciful.
Out of the corner of the room, Shion shot up at Komoto and pulled his arm down, preventing him from taking a shot at Kasai. Shion looked on at him pleadingly.
"DON'T DO IT! Don't hurt him, please…" Shion cried. Komoto struggled with her, trying to put some sense into the situation at hand.
"They're possessed Shi-chan! They are blocking the only escape out of here!" he yelled at her.
Suddenly, without warning the barred wooden door began to hammer with motion, probably because of the large number of possessed villagers on the other side of the door trying to break it down. Feeling cornered and outnumbered, the group was left with few options for escape.
Then, suddenly, Mion and Shion's mother rose from her seat and looked on at her daughters. In a twisted smile, Akane Sonozaki suddenly conversed with them, though acting much like someone else that moment.
"Surprised? The villagers along your trail showed me that you were coming back to this place, so luckily I had set up your family members here just in case you were trying to escape me again. It paid off it seems…" Akane's smile faltered and then smirked again at her victory over the others, but all in all it was not Akane who spoke to them now. Being used as a host, Akane was merely a medium for Hanyuu; the puppeteer of these villagers now.
"Hanyuu-chan?" questioned Keiichi. His fears were realized that very moment when Akane's head nodded.
"I can see through the eyes of anyone I control. That is just another extent of the Crimson Lotus' power. That bomb Satoko-chan forced me into may have knocked me out for a time, but none the less I will always be watching you where ever you flee. There's no helping it, but I grow tired of this game. I'll offer this deal to you once and only once: give me Rika-chan and I will spare your lives…"
"Like hell! We will not betray her and hand her over to you. We won't let you kill Rika-chan!" yelled Shion. She aimed her shotgun at her mother's legs, seeing it fit to wound her rather than kill her.
"Fine. So be it. Kill…"
"WAIT!"
Before Hanyuu finished her words, Mion stepped forward and yelled at her possessed mother, trying to turn the tide of this battle. The others watched on as Hanyuu stopped her possessed villagers from charging at them. Hanyuu became interested in that maybe Mion would actually deliver what she had asked.
"Will you comply with me, Mi-chan?" asked Hanyuu through Akane's body.
"No. But I will say this Hanyuu-chan! It's not your fault…"
Upon witnessing Akane's sudden stunned look, on Hanyuu's end she expressed the same emotion. Curious as to what Mion was going on about, she listened on to what she had to say.
"What are you…"
"Hanyuu-chan, I'm sorry! I'm sorry we failed you so many times. We never wanted any of this; we just wanted our happiness like you did. We had no answers before, no way of helping you! Please, just let us help you this time and…"
"You fool! If you didn't help me then, how could you help me now? And how do you even know what I went through before? Is it your memories or did you suddenly…" Hanyuu spat at Mion's attempts, but became silent at her former friend's next words.
"We can help you this time! We have the shards…THESE SHARDS…bringing our memories back! There is an answer here, Hanyuu-chan, and you've become too blind to see it!" Mion held up her necklace and showed Hanyuu the shard. Hanyuu, through Akane's body, gave off an intrigue as to the blue crystal in the necklace, but more so its power. If Mion was telling the truth, then there was something that Hanyuu overlooked greatly in her quest to attain her wish.
"Shards? Those are…those are…are…"
Suddenly, Akane grabbed her head and screamed in pain. As the sounds of the banging door grew louder, so did Hanyuu's pains. She gritted her teeth on her end, sweating in pain and confusion. She knew what the shards were, but at the same time couldn't begin to wonder how they found them.
"Wait, you know what they are?" asked Keiichi incredulously. He looked on for a moment, hoping for an answer, but only received murmurs from Hanyuu through Akane.
"No…NO NO NO NO! You couldn't have found it…it's not possible…IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! It was lost…lost long ago…but maybe…it has power, I see it…its blue, just like it…no…there would be too many of them….smaller ones…larger ones….scattered to the wind…to the dirt…the earth….no…it's not an answer….not a solution…I failed…I lost it…so long ago…IT WON'T BE MY ANSWER!" screamed Hanyuu again. She looked up at the others with ferocious crimson eyes through Akane's body, her fangs bearing again. It was as if they were not seeing Akane, but Hanyuu herself in that room.
"HANYUU! WAKE UP! We all want the same thing but have different means to do so! You want to go back to Ouka, right? RIGHT?" screamed Mion. This time, her words took a different effect to Hanyuu, one that brought out her true nature again.
"Ouka-chan…my…Ouka-chan…" Hanyuu stopped screaming and became silent again, her eyes wide with disbelief. She loved her daughter, and love was what seemingly pulled her from the grasp of Evil for a moment. Hanyuu thought back on her daughter and the happiness she truly had once. But then memories of that fateful night and her own death came forth, and sadness and dismay took a hold of her once more. Evil's grasp on Hanyuu was too strong. As if on impulse, Hanyuu, as seen through Akane, reached to her forehead to lightly touch something. Mizuho, being the only one to see this action, realized Hanyuu was touching the Crimson Lotus flower on her own head that moment for some odd reason.
"Can you stop this madness Hanyuu-chan and just work with us here? I promise, we'll figure out a way and…." Mion tried again to reason with Hanyuu, but suddenly choked on the words the moment Akane laughed.
"AHAHAHAH! PROMISE? NO MORE PROMISES! You can't help me…ONLY THE CRIMSON LOTUS' WILL SAVE US! NOW DIE! KILL THEM ALL!" screamed Hanyuu through Akane. With no warning and on command, the villagers rushed into the group and attempted to carry out their task: kill them all and leave no survivors.
Prepared to fight, Komoto and Keiichi took out the first three villagers to come at them. Using all that they had known and learned about fighting, Keiichi and Komoto superbly counter-assaulted and disarmed their opponents; sending bodies flying into walls and landing onto different areas of the floor. Feeling like they had the upper hand, they were taken off guard by Kasai entering the melee and throwing both Keiichi and Komoto into the opposite wall. By this point in time he was on the two of them with Akane coming to Kasai's aid; taking on Keiichi. Shion, Mion and Mizuho struggled to get to them, having a cohort of possessed villagers assail them from both sides and create a wall separating them from the men.
"KEI-KUN!" screamed Mion. Keiichi was finding it hard dodging Akane's now unsheathed sword, rolling from side to side on the ground as she swung down hard and cut up the tatami mats below; narrowly missing him by inches.
Before the situation turned for the worse, Shion reacted first and took a more dire approach; shooting anyone in her path. If she was going to make it back alive to Satoko and Satoshi, then Shion had to make good on her prior standing:
If she had to kill, she would…
*Crack Crack Crack*
In the instant before three villagers managed to befall Mizuho and Mion, Shion had pumped round after round into the possessed villagers' lower exteriors and sent them to the ground with missing legs or large gaping holes; a pool of blood moving across the floor.
"Get out of my way!" angrily screamed Shion. She pumped the shotgun once more and loaded another round into the chamber, aiming at her next opponents. Taking down a few more enemies as her sister and Mizuho were preoccupied, Shion managed to level the odds and only wound her enemies. Her moment of victory didn't last long, as she herself was slammed hard into the wall by another possessed villager.
"UGH!" she grunted in pain. The villager was too close for her to raise the shotgun at, and instantly Shion was vulnerable. Punch and kicking at her enemy, Shion felt two hands clasp hard around her throat as she struggled to shoot her opponent. Feeling the air unable to escape from her lungs, Shion twitched and felt as if she would die from suffocation.
"Let…me…go…Sis…help!" Shion screamed as best as she could. No help came, as she found her sister unable to aid her. Mion was being grabbed and thrashed upon by two villagers, her face bruised slightly from some prior punches as well as parts of her shirt being torn. Mizuho on the other hand was cornered by two enemies and thus was unable to get to Shion, leaving her helpless.
Grappling with Kasai and trying his best to fend off the unusually strong Yakuza member, Komoto was finding it harder and harder to go on; his body giving out far earlier than what it should have been. Heaving for air and unable to concentrate, he dodged Kasai's punches and ultimately attempted to incapacitate his opponent so as to aid the others. Taking his pistol out, Komoto sent two quick but sloppy shots into Kasai's legs. Kasai fell back for a moment, but gritted his teeth and got up again; this time, with much more force than before as he slammed Komoto hard into the ground and punched him in the chest several times. It felt like the air had left Komoto's body this time; the wind literally being knocked out of him. Curling on the ground and struggling to get up again, Kasai took no effect to Komoto's shots and kept going on like a killer in his madness.
For Keiichi, Akane had proven too strong for him. Her swordsmanship skills along with her being Mion and Shion's mother prevented him from killing her, but not only that he was powerless to keep up. Akane's sword was too long to dodge and in her hands too quick to avoid. Keiichi was cut several times on his shoulders and arms, bleeding through his clothes but still safe for the time being. Doing his best to try to get to Mion and help her, Keiichi was taken off guard and impaled in his leg by a cold, sharp blade.
"ARGH!" Keiichi looked down to see the blade dive into his leg, sending pain unlike any he ever felt physically throughout his body. Akane pulled the sword out quickly and kicked him into a wall, taking Keiichi out quickly. With her free hand and with unholy strength, Akane raised Keiichi into the air with one hand and pinned him to the wall; like Shion, choking the life from him. Smiling twistedly at Keiichi, Akane spoke once again with Hanyuu as her controller.
"What's wrong, Kei-chan? I wanted to play some more with you…" she spoke with evil machinations.
Finding the world becoming darker, Keiichi couldn't manage to break free from Akane's death hold. His legs kicked against the wall with no support to attain fresh air. With moments to go before she would successfully kill him, Keiichi's wavering glance went across the room, hoping for help. What he found, though, was his beloved doing the unthinkable.
At the mere sight of Akane on the verge of killing her beloved Keiichi, Mion's mind snapped and something took hold of her. Her face became darker, and her eyes narrowed in anger. Looking from Keiichi to her two opponents, Mion did the unthinkable and broke her word on killing others.
In two successful shots, Mion aimed at her opponents heads and fired. The bullets penetrated their skulls; flesh, blood, tissue and brain fragments painting the floor and walls around. Her opponents died before they hit the ground, and with them out of the way all Mion could do in quick reaction was save Keiichi. Saving him, though, came at a price…
*CRACK*
The sound was deafening, and all Keiichi saw was red liquid splatter across his face. Looking on at Akane, her eyes went blank and her grip loosened instantly; her body falling to the floor as if the strings of a puppet were cut. Keiichi found an ability to breathe once more and quickly grabbed his neck, rubbing the area that became so bruised through Akane's grip. However, he suddenly flinched in fear at hearing three more gun shots ring out.
*CRACK CRACK CRACK*
Looking on, Keiichi found Komoto pushing off a dead Kasai from his body and Shion pushing off a dead villager; she herself choking for air when she was able to breathe again. Meanwhile, Mizuho had incapacitated her opponents and kicked them in the heads with her foot, taking them out for good. Everyone panted from their ordeal, but Keiichi was unable to understand why or what had happened. Lying next to the twins dead mother, Keiichi couldn't fathom the will or the courage it took for Mion to kill her.
Looking on in disbelief at Mion, Keiichi's eyes met her now cold ones. Rubbing his neck and getting up, Keiichi moved over to her and continued to stare at her; Mion still shakily holding the pistol in the air at her mother. Looking at Keiichi now, Mion lowered and then dropped her weapon; anger being replaced by tears flowing from her eyes. She burst into despair and cried in his shoulder at what she had just done.
"MOTHER! I'M SO…OH GOD…FORGIVE ME!" she screamed into his shoulder. Shion rushed to her sister's side and held her closely. Everyone in the room knew she had done the right thing, but still, the amount of pain and suffering was taking its toll on the group. Mion had just killed her own mother; Shion had most certainly managed to kill her opponent and Kasai through chance with her shotgun, and between all of that both Komoto and Mizuho ended up killing several villagers surely through mere blood loss right then and there. They had killed to survive, and for that they felt like they deserved to be in this hell.
"Mi-chan…you saved my life, but at that cost. Your mother would have been proud of you…to do something so hard…so wrong…but yet, for the right reason. Please…don't cry anymore…it's over…" Keiichi held both of the twins in his arms, Shion crying silently herself at having killed someone who was her best friend for many years. She murmured his name over and over again, unable to deal with the pain of having killed again. She thought it would be easy, but that was a naïve notion once she had actually pulled the trigger on her shotgun.
Komoto and Mizuho moved to where the others were and put a hand on their shoulders, drowning out the banging on the barred door for the moment. Mizuho, acting on instinct, put a hand on the twins' backsides and squeezed hard in support.
"Girls…nothing can bring them back now. They would never blame you for this, trust me. You may have killed someone, and I know you are feeling like shit right now because of it, but please, don't harbor the guilt. You did what had to be done, and because of that Komoto-kun and Keiichi are alive. Don't regret that, ever!"
Mizuho smiled at the girls and miraculously managed to ease their woes for the moment. There would be time later for grief if they made it out of this night alive, but for now they would have to fight until their enemy was defeated. Right now, they had to focus on one thing, and that was escape.
"Come on, we'll leave through the exit….let's go…" Komoto motioned for the others to follow, and soon enough they all left through a floor entrance into a tunnel leading outside.
Rushing like their lives depended on it, Komoto slammed the door shut just as the other villagers managed to break down the barred door at last. With no trace of them to be found, the villagers rushed into the room and bumped into one another looking for their already long gone prey.
/
"Hurry up! We need to get back to the others!" Keiichi emerged from a brush covered manhole and rose up from the underground tunnel into the backyard of the home. Traversing through the woods now, the group members ran into the dense and dark forest back to the front of the home. When they arrived there, there was no sight of Rika and the others, much less the truck.
"Oh no! Where did they go?" yelled Shion. She locked tight the main doorway to make sure none of the possessed villagers appeared before them. Looking at the ground thereafter, the group could find tire tracks looking like they hastily sped away down the gravel road. Whatever happened, Ryuu and Rena must have thought it best to leave.
"They couldn't have gone far, not with Ryuu's driving ability." Keiichi sighed. Though he was joking, it was the most logical conclusion he could reach. Staggering as he walked, Mion came to his side and helped support him down the road with the others. She managed to tie up his leg wound, but without stitches the wound would bleed and eventually fester with bacteria if not treated soon.
The group followed the tracks down the road as fast as they could, but stopped once they found the truck backing up towards them. Hearing gunshots in the distance, Komoto witnessed Ryuu firing round after round into an unseen enemy, whereas Rena drove the truck in reverse awkwardly and Rika, Satoko and Satoshi holding on for dear life in the truck bed. Coming to a halt quickly, the group was far enough to gain respite in a moment's rest.
"They're blocking the road! There's got to be at least three hundred of them down there!" panted Ryuu, reloading another clip into his pistol. Komoto went to the front side and made Rena get in the back of the car; helping Keiichi into the truck bed.
"Did you guys get the shard?" asked Rika with eager eyes. They nodded in response, but Rika instantly recognized that something horrifying had transpired in the home upon seeing their expressions, the twin's red eyes, and torn clothing and bruised necks. Whatever it was, parts of her friends' souls were left inside the dark estate; for better or for worse. With no time to question, the group got ready for their enemy ahead. Mizuho stood on the top of the truck bed and took out her rifle, using the scope to peer down the road.
"Komoto-kun…it's…not good…" she stammered, her rifle shaking somewhat at seeing impossible odds before her. If Mizuho had enough ammunition, she could possibly take them out; that is, if she was in a tower with no way of being overrun. This situation, though, provided her only with a small amount of rifle ammunition and no defenses to hide behind.
From what she could make out, a mob of villagers were walking up the road armed to the teeth with various tools and blades. Not only that, but many carried torches in hand to use as weapons as well. They formed a human shield at the end of the road, leaving no other route for the group to escape by.
"…Guys, brace yourselves and hold on tight! We're going through them…" Komoto tightened his seat belt and made sure the others did as he said. Ryuu looked on impossibly at such an idea.
"Running them over? There's too many of them to do that! You'll crash us before we even get through!" yelled Ryuu. He looked from the truck to the end of the road and found the mob too thick to get through. He didn't have time to react, as Komoto started revving the truck's engine.
"No choice, now hold on damnit!" Komoto yelled back. Everyone grabbed onto the truck bed, walls and seat belts, even Shion covering Satoshi and Satoko's forms with death grips to anything she could hold onto.
"3…2…1…NOW!" yelled Mizuho.
As the tires screeched into the gravel and the truck slipped slightly sideways, Komoto drove the vehicle as fast as he could into the mob of possessed villagers that waited at the end of the road. Watching the speedometer rise quickly from 10 to 30 to eventually 80 mph, the truck was well over ¾ of the way down the road. Praying that it picked up to 100 mph, Komoto kept his foot on the gas pedal and kept it floored. Just as they were about to reach 100 mph, the front of the truck collided into the first layers of possessed villagers and sent them flying sideways or under the truck. Too many villagers fell to the deadly path of the truck and too many were left to count in its wake as bodies flew into the windshield or over the truck into the air only to land into the earth with a sickening sound. The truck rumbled with every passing body falling under the tires and the group members inside were jostled around like clothes going through a laundry cycle. After a few moments had passed, the rumbling had ceased and all that was left was blood all over the truck, a completely broken windshield, and nothing but a straight line of open space in what was once a solid wall of possessed villagers before. The group had miraculously made it out alive and intact for the time being…
Down the road a few miles, the truck eased up on the gas and went to a much more normal speed this time, letting the group members recover from that terrifying driving experience. However, the truck suddenly began making odd sounds and soon after ceased any signs of power. The vehicle slowed to a halt and died in the last few moments of its life. Watching steam and smoke rise from the hood of the vehicle, Komoto got out of the truck quickly whilst cursing to himself.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Not now, please!"
Komoto lifted the truck's hood and felt a wave of steam and smoke hit his face. Coughing, he fell back and knew well enough that there was no use in trying to fix the car. Crashing through the wall of possessed villagers must have done a number on the engine and various other parts of the truck. Not only that, but the bodies falling underneath the car must have cracked the oil tank as evidenced by the leaking black fluid on the dirt. The truck was useless now and unable to go any further for the group.
Hopping out of the truck, Mizuho looked around the area as the others joined them. No one was in their view, but with the mob just several miles down the road it wouldn't be long before Hanyuu and her army of possessed villagers would fall upon them.
"Guess we're hoofing it…" sighed Ryuu. He reloaded Shion's shotgun and handed it to her, and next picked up one of the black bags in the back of the car.
"Where to though?" asked Satoshi, managing to stay alert despite his wounds.
"We need to rethink our strategy now that we have the 4th shard. Until then, we're going to need a good place to hide." Rika took the shard from Mion and placed it in her pocket with the others. The shards reacted strongly to one another, but oddly enough no magical phenomena occurred that would grant them the power to end this nightmare. Sighing again, she helped Keiichi to the front of the group and went with the others down the road.
"We can head to our home for the meantime. Our doors are western style, so you need a key to get in. Not only that, but there are no windows low enough for someone to jump into. We'd be safe there, and we can also restock on ammo and other things…" Komoto coughed somewhat, possibly from inhaling the smoke from the truck before, and struggled ahead of the others. They all moved as a unit in that direction, having no other options left.
As minutes passed by, Rika realized that she had forgotten something important to ask. Looking to Keiichi and Mion, she needed to know if they had learned anything new from touching the shards.
"Mi…Keiichi…Mi-chan…what happened when you touched the shard?" Rika looked pleadingly at her friends. It was Keiichi who revealed first of what he had seen.
"When I touched the shard, I remembered all of my past lives just like you guys did, but more so other ones too. I remember things like when I first met everyone and came to Hinamizawa, and I even remember the times where I fell to Hinamizawa Syndrome, or when you guys fell to it. I even remember facing off against Mi-chan's demon too! But…" Keiichi looked at Mion, noticing that she was still somewhat ashamed of that whole incident with her Inner Oni. However, she brushed it off and spoke her mind too.
"I remember Kei-kun and I getting married, having children of our own, and growing old together. I'm happy I at least never got my Onibaba's looks at that age, heheheh…." Mion weakly smiled, but continued on with her story. "…But Rika, I did remember something. In one lifetime, Hanyuu-chan had mentioned to us as to how the incidents with the Dark Spector and my Inner Oni related to this whole event…"
"The Dark Spector? But wasn't she just consumed by the syndrome? And how does your demon play into here?" asked Rika, her eyes wide with curiosity. This was possibly the one thing she had overlooked in all of the events leading up to now.
"She said the Dark Spector wasn't a bad person, but Evil somehow controlled her. Not only that, but Hanyuu-chan said that my Inner Oni was the same, but corrupted somehow. In that world, I was consumed by my demon and I…I tried to kill all of you so as to gain Kei-kun's full attention. She tried to reason with me before I killed her off…something about trying to achieve a ritual…"
"Mi-chan! Are you saying that your Inner Oni tried to commit the same ritual? But how?"
"Hanyuu-chan said that I couldn't do it, that killing everyone wouldn't be the answer. My Inner Oni thought that I had to kill those who were closest to me and somehow that would initiate the ritual. But…when my Inner Oni tried to do it on the night of the Crimson Lotus' blooming…and not the Hinamizawa Festival…killing everyone did not start the ritual. My Inner Oni did it wrong, and when I had killed everyone, somehow I died in that world with Kei-kun along with me…I can't remember anything after that…" Mion held her head in pain, causing the group to falter for a minute so that she could recover.
"I see. Because you did not kill a family member, or maybe even Keiichi for that matter, the ritual didn't complete itself. That, or the only logical explanation I could find was that the Crimson Lotus population never bloomed that night. And if the Dark Spector was trying to do the same thing…then…was she also trying to initiate the same ritual but under different pretenses?" Rika stopped to think again, trying to reformulate the complexity of the situation. Somehow, someway, Rika devised a theory that may have in fact answered one of her questions.
"…They were not trying to grant a wish…"
Everyone looked up to Komoto for a second, thinking on the truth of that statement. Rika agreed whole heartedly, remembering what both the Dark Spector and Mion's Inner Oni once said.
"…It's not a wish that they were trying to make…it was to open the Gates of Hell onto Earth and send mankind into total oblivion under a crimson sky for all eternity. The Dark Spector needed to kill 666 people…Mion's Inner Oni had to make sacrifices out of all her friends using the ritual tools…and Hanyuu…Hanyuu-chan is under the impression that by killing me she will get a wish. No…if the other two parts of the ritual weren't there…then…maybe she could have…like I once did…but no…it's a lie…we've been played!"
Rika fell to the ground in pain; her head feeling like it would explode that very second. Memories rushed forth into her mind, new memories of a time too long ago to remember. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and her mouth gaped open without so much as a breath. The shards in her pocket glowed with such strong blue auras that for a moment the group members rushing to Rika's aid were not shrouded in crimson light. Rika groaned in pain, feeling every memory rush into her mind like a raging river. Pulling at her hair, Satoko and Rena tried to restrain their friend in her moment of turmoil.
"Rika-chan! What's wrong, what's happening to you?" yelled Keiichi, fearing for his friend's life. Seeing the white of her eyes made the others sick to their stomach.
In Rika's mind, she saw images of a people long forgotten in this world; people who were closest to God in all respects on Earth. The first memory revealed to her was of someone from her family's line in that time period standing before everyone in the crowd, dancing in angelic light as she held up a strange yet bluish looking orb in front of the others. Though no words could be heard as that person, bearing many characteristics similar to Rika's appearance, spoke to the crowd, more memories came forward of another Furude, this time, through the eyes of Ouka as she stabbed her mother and thought long and hard about her greatest and most unselfish wish.
*God…please…let there be a way to fix all of this. Let there be a way to destroy Evil and bring my mother back to me…to Father and I…please…*
The next memory was of Ouka taking a blue shard and putting it into a leather bound diary, sealing it away under the statue of Oyashiro-sama later on in her life along with the Onigari no Ryou; the sacred blade that was in Hanyuu's possession now. After that was done, the next memory Rika received was of Ouka as an older woman in a library, looking over some ancient scrolls of the first Furude family. From what the scriptures told of, Ouka found a ritual where one could open the gates of Hell on Earth and unleash a new time of demons to reign. Holding the scroll over an open flame, Ouka burned the document and let it remain forgotten to all those who would live on in this world.
As confusing as this was, these puzzle pieces were fitting together now. A voice in her mind was speaking to her, telling her that Rika had solved something big in her quest to find answers.
"It was the first family member of Hanyuu's line that guarded the Orb of Fate for God. Once the Orb was lost, so was there a place for Evil to come into existence. The Orb was meant to prevent Evil from coming into this dimension, but my mother failed to protect it. Evil is whispering in their ears…the Dark Spector…Mion's Inner Oni…and now my mother. Killing will beget killing, but sacrifice out of Love will undo the curse of my mother and free all of mankind. To open the Gates of Hell, one must mark the world with the sign of Evil, one must kill those loved in all that Evil aspires to be, and one must kill their own flesh and blood; their own loved one. Doing so on the night that the Flower from Hell blooms, the gates will open, and all shall despair. Hurry Rika-chan, and stop Evil from accomplishing this goal…"
Snapping out of her trance, Rika coughed for air and looked around, searching for Ouka after hearing her speak to her, but only finding her friends present. They looked on in wonder at what just occurred, but didn't understand any of it.
"Rika-chan, are you ok?" asked Satoko, looking like she had just witnessed the most horrifying thing in her life. Rika touched her own face and then looked at everyone else.
"It's Evil! It's in our village; it's in the Crimson Lotuses! It's controlling Hanyuu-chan even now! She's attempting to commit the ritual under false pretenses! It's all lies!" screamed Rika, trying to grasp on to her sanity. Everything she had learned up until now resided in her mind; her thoughts deteriorating into unclear theories and thoughts. Did Rika really have all the answers or was this shear amount of information too much for her to discern?
"Rika-chan, calm down, you're not making any sense…"
"The Dark Spector…in one world, she had killed 666 people…the mark of Evil on this Earth! In another world, Mion's Inner Oni killed us all; killing in a way Evil aspires to be! And in this world…in this world…this last world, Hanyuu will attempt to kill her own flesh and blood…try to kill me, her descendant. She won't get a wish…she'll open the gates of Hell and destroy this world! She's being played for false without even knowing it!" Rika panicked, sending terror into the minds of everyone around. Her words shattered everything they knew, and if truth was held it in, the moment Hanyuu could manage to kill Rika everything they ever knew would be destroyed and in despair.
"Is that true, Rika-chan?" asked Rena, looking on with fearful eyes.
"Yes…the shards revealed that to me. Ouka wished for a way to destroy Evil, and I wished for a return back to my home world if possible, with intentions of never taking life for granted ever again. Wishes are only possible through sacrifice out of love, and we made unselfish wishes the nights we killed our parents. Hanyuu-chan…has fallen to Evil's whispers and is being controlled by the Flower from Hell. She's…"
"She's coming this way!"
Everyone looked behind them, and saw what resided some ways away. In the distance, Hanyuu stood before her army of several hundred possessed villagers and was marching up the road in their direction. Smirking at finding her prey, Hanyuu ordered the villagers to charge faster in that direction; all hope on obtaining Rika and fulfilling a vain attempt at fixing this world.
And so, they faltered back in retreat and ran. Ran for what seemed years, ran for the sake of survival, and ran to escape the threat before them. Mion, Keiichi, Shion, Satoshi, Satoko, Rika, Ryuu, Rena, Mizuho, Komoto…all of them ran…ran back to a home for what may be their last stand against Evil….
They were running scared….
/
You face an obstacle, and you falter in despair.
The path in life is never fair.
A rock here, another road there,
Too many choices; no one to care.
Listen to me, and I'll give you a path,
One filled with blood, another filled with wrath.
You will see a door, and you find a key,
But what waits on the other side, only I shall see.
Will you take a chance, and play my game?
I assure you the path isn't the same.
You will turn the key, and open the door,
Open the Gates of Hell, and nevermore
Will you be alone in sorrow, in suffering and pain
For everyone will know when blood shall rain.
They were just whispers in your ear, just a lie,
But you listened and listened well, now all shall die.
I am Evil, I am your snake,
Twilight no more, wroth in my wake.
Now open your eyes, and see your life,
For it is now filled with chaos, sadness and strife.
You took of the apple, and you took of my lies,
Now live under Evil's shroud, it becomes your skies.
Until it comes about; the reckoning of Twilight,
And I am thrown away from Dark and Light,
I will be the Third Wheel, a never ending Six,
And so shall I play this game, this never ending mix,
Of life and death, a Cycle of Fate.
Make your choice now, before it's too late.
Next time on Hinamizawa Hell, "The Truth of Fate" Arc 3, Chapter 16: Sacrifice
Was giving up your life worth it?
