"Miss...? Hello, miss?"
Natsuki was yanked hard out of her thoughts by the police officer's voice. She raised her head from its resting place on her knees and looked up at the woman holding a notebook. They were just outside the front of the house.
"Miss, is there anything you can tell me about your friend? Anything that might help us understand what happened?"
Her voice was soothing, and the woman stayed a comfortable distance away. Natsuki turned to her a little and stood up shakily for the first time in an hour. The police had arrived not long after Natsuki had called them, but she had been so scared that the phone call itself had taken a while.
Now she racked her brain for anything that could've explained Sayori's sudden... she didn't even want to think about it.
"I... I don't know... she was always so happy about everything, I couldn't even imagine her frowning..."
The officer nodded slowly, writing in the notebook. Right, as if persistent happiness could be a possible motive for suicide.
"There was one thing, actually..." Natsuki continued, remembering the events from earlier in the day. "She asked a guy out at school... umm... her neighbour over there..."
Pointing at the house next-door, Natsuki wondered if maybe she should be a little more discreet... she didn't want to get anyone else into trouble, after all.
"She was rejected... he was already together with someone, I don't remember who..."
"Thank you miss. Do you know the boy's name?"
Natsuki just shook her head. She didn't know his name.
The officer nodded again and then reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Will you be okay? I can get one of my colleagues to stay with you if you need it."
"I'll be fine." Natsuki brushed the hand away and looked up at the officer. "Thanks..."

The 'investigation' proved relatively fruitless. A girl had hanged herself in her bedroom. There was no evidence of a murder, of course, and no evidence of Sayori's condition prior to the... incident. Natsuki's tears had long-since dried up, and she didn't step back inside the house. Eventually, she just left.
She had already walked down a few streets before she realised she had nowhere to go. The sky was beginning to dim so the school would be closed. She checked her phone. No new messages or calls. Still, she was certain heading home would be a mistake.
Where else could she go?
Natsuki just kept on walking. He feet led her on autopilot through the town. The streets gradually got darker. The street lamps came on. White houses were lined up on either side of her and everything looked dull and colourless in the night.
Natsuki stopped and realised that she had walked all the way to Monika's home. The front lawn had been tidied and the house now looked just as bland as all the others, but somehow she knew it was Monika's.
She rang the bell.
"Coming!"
A cheerful voice came from behind the door, and it was soon swung open. Monika was standing in front of Natsuki, wearing her school uniform still, and a cheery smile on her face. Her brown hair was tied into its usual long ponytail with a white bow in it.
"Natsuki! Fancy seeing you here!"
Monika seemed completely oblivious to what had happened at Sayori's house but, to be fair, it had only been a couple hours ago... there was no way she could have heard about it yet anyway.
"Hey..."
"... Are you okay?"
"Well..." Natsuki wasn't exactly sure what to say. She wasn't sure why she rang the bell, yet alone walked here in the first place.
"Well, I just... something happened..."
Monika gave her a concerned but caring look. "Something at home...?"
"About Sayori, actually..."
Something about Monika's expression changed in that instant. Natsuki couldn't tell what it was, but the moment it came, it was gone again, and Monika was just as concerned as before.
"What happened?"
"It's complicated... I... I think she's a little upset about something..." Natsuki was sure she'd feel guilty lying about something like this, but it would probably be better not to load it all onto Monika in one go.
"Well, I'm sure she'll get over it... are you okay though?"
Natsuki almost flinched, but Monika didn't know, so...
"Natsuki?"
"Yeah, sorry... I just... I feel like I might be partially responsible, I guess..."
"How so?"
"Well... it's a long story..."
"I have time."
Shifting around uneasily, Natsuki rubbed her arms a bit.
"She wanted to ask a guy out... I just... I gave her advice on it, but it turns out the guy was taken and I guess she... she didn't take it too well..."
"So you suggested she ask the guy out?"
Monika was playing with her hair thoughtfully.
Natsuki nodded. "I had no idea he was taken already, I wish I had known..."
"Mhm..." Monika twitched slightly.
"Uhh... can I come in? If it's not too much trouble?"
It was getting cold, and Natsuki was starting to shiver.
"Why don't you go home, Natsuki?"
"Well it's kind of compli-"
"Go home, Natsuki." Monika was staring her dead in the eyes. "Your dad will want to see you. You've been gone for a long time, haven't you?"

That seemed reasonable.

She had been gone for a while.

Her dad would want to see her.

She should
just
go
home.

Natsuki nodded slowly.
"I guess..."
"I'm sure everything will be alright soon." Monika rubbed her arm encouragingly.
It felt comforting to have someone who cared for her after all this, but it was time for Natsuki to return home.
She waved goodbye to Monika, who was smiling after her and waving back.

Natsuki walked home slowly in the night. It was dark and all she had to show her the way was the cold white glow of the street lamps, but she'd walked home from Monika's house before.
Rounding the last corner, she saw that the lights in her house were on. She approached carefully. Hopefully her dad would be understanding...
Probably not, but Natsuki was willing to give it a try. She really hoped Monika was right.

She turned her key in the lock. The door opened with a creak that sounded deafening in the silence of night. She stepped inside, and walked to the lounge, where her dad was waiting for her.
He was laying across the couch. Empty beer cans all around him and a smashed glass on the floor. His shirt was riding up his beer belly and his hair was messy and all over the place, but he was awake.
He was very awake, staring at her, and clearly not very happy.
He was, in fact, very unhappy.
Natsuki stuttered a little. "H-Hi, Papa..."
"Nat. You little fucking bitch."
He was up in an instant.
Natsuki held her arms out in front of her as he lunged. His pupils were diluted, it looked almost as though he were high on something. Something horrible.
He grabbed her arm and dragged her across the lounge, kicking and screaming.
Why had she come back?
Why did Natsuki come back?
In her fear and panic, she couldn't remember. Her dad shoved her onto the floor, and punched her right in the gut. Natsuki didn't even know what to do anymore. He had never been this brutal in the past. Never had she seen this kind of pure rage. Was it really because she was just gone for a few days?
She just... she just let him beat her. Fighting back was pointless.
But she wasn't prepared for what he had in store.
Her dad grabbed her hair and pulled at it, then ground her face into the floor. Natsuki screamed as sharp pain tore across her cheeks, and she realised that she was right on top of the smashed glass. A pool of blood was already forming as the shards cut into her flesh, digging into her cheek and forehead, filling her mouth...
Natsuki screamed and screamed, until even that became too painful.
But he still wasn't done. He pulled her up and screamed himself as he slammed her head into the floor, glass cutting into her skull. She couldn't hear his words, but his mouth was wide open, spit raining down on her.
Her head hit the floor again.
And again.

And again.

And again.

Blood was all Natsuki could see.
Blood was all Natsuki could smell.
Blood was all Natsuki could taste.

She wanted to scream, but the glass in her throat tore at her insides, trying to push its way out of her neck again.

And then her head was swung sideways against the corner of the coffee table.

The pain was unimaginable but somehow Natsuki returned from the black that had encased her world, and her head was slammed against the table leg again.
She couldn't see or hear anything, but she could feel her soft flesh torn away from the side of her head.
Her skull was hitting the table leg, cracking. Her dad was so strong all of a sudden... he was mutilating her!
But she wasn't dead.
Or was she?

She could feel every tip of broken bone in her skull as it shattered and plunged into her brain and surrounding skin.
She could feel every cut in her body as the glass dug deeper, nestling against her bones as they broke and shattered.
Suddenly, her jaw was smashed up into her head and she realised in horror that her teeth were jammed in the roof of her mouth.
Or she would have realised it, if she still had the capacity to.
But all she knew now was the pain.
It was like an eternal punishment. She could feel everything that was happening to her body, but it wouldn't end.
It. Would. Not. End.

Was this what it was like to die?
Or was this a special punishment for her alone?

Why had she come home?

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