Boundless Kakera

by Finley the Penguin

An anthology of stories. In the Sea of Kakera, there exists countless fragments that tell various anecdotes of the Higurashi cast. Revolving around romance, tragedy, slice-of-life and more, these stories all have a purpose: to captivate its audience. Occasional KeiRika though pairings vary greatly.

8. Song and Dance: Part II

Boundless Kakera

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Synopsis: While Keiichi and Satoko may have reunited, their trials and tribulations are far from concluded. From old enemies to former allies taking the stage they'll have to dance with the demons to attain their coveted happiness. As the old adage goes, it takes two to tango.

/Second and final half of the Song and Dance two-shot/

Pairing: KeiToko—Keiichi/Satoko (M/F)

Parts: 2/2

Posted on: April 3, 2021

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8. Song and Dance: Part II

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True to the high spirits of Houjou Satoko, today is a joyous day.

For this fateful day marks the return of her Nii-Nii.

She can hardly believe it. Like a guardian angel he swooped in to save her from Uncle upon hearing her calls for help at their house. When he cradled her tiny form back there, she felt tenderness behind his arms, as if she were being cocooned by pure, white feathers of wings putting her at ease. Fitting, for his role as her guardian angel.

Satoko listened to his heartbeats. They gave off these slow but steady thumps, told her the guarded but strong compassion he harbors for her, which did not dwindle in the least. She went far to cup his cheek. His skin was unusually calloused opposed to the softness it used to have.

Nii-Nii is different from how she remembers him. His voice has become rougher and far more assertive. His stern charge replaces the meek passivity he no longer embodies; he has ceased his "Muu~" catchphrase altogether because of this. Even his head pats can be rough and headache-inducing sometimes.

But she chooses not to doubt Nii-Nii. Despite these changes, she knows surely this is the same person who she adores. Even if his demeanor is twisted out of recognition somewhat, he still loves her. That much, she can tell from his heart and his gestures.

Besides, her Nii-Nii has always been taciturn, tending to let his mind wander, not completely aware of his actions. He simply has a hard time opening up. And she isn't bothered by this. No, Nii-Nii is Nii-Nii, and he'll never stop loving her, just as she herself won't stop loving him. These facts are not ever going to change, even if his personality does.

This is one of those nights where she and Nii-Nii are strolling around the rural areas of Hinamizawa.

They tour their home with the masses asleep. No apprehension over the ostracizing of the villagers, no pummeling from her uncle; just them marveling the beauties of the countryside in peace.

Satoko finds this nostalgic. She fondly remembers how they used to do this. Nii-Nii doesn't take her out at night often, though. He frets about her getting her needed rest for the next day.

But on rare occasions like this where they want a change of atmosphere from their grueling lifestyles, the time that they spend is precious.

Precious, even now, because this night is exceptionally beautiful. The moon glows and tears open a gaping hole of pastel yellow in a chunk of the skies. From it drizzles luminescence which ripples the terra firma and rice fields of the vastness encompassing them as it makes contact.

The pitter patters of her feet scrunch the dirt path they traipse on.

Satoko swings her head to and fro, playing to the brisk and repetitive beats her footfalls make.

"What a prepossessing night this is!" she carols, "Wouldn't you agree, Nii-Nii?"

Nii-Nii zeroes in on her from his high stature. His eyes are sharp soft is but the gleam in them, showing her that guarded fondness he bears for her. Shy to express himself as always, she surmises.

"Yes. It is rather beautiful," he answers tersely.

"That is so! We never do this sort of thing anymore!"

"I know, I missed our time together as much as you did."

She frowns. His words trigger the festering question that's nagged her since his disappearance. Endlessly speculating his whereabouts have led up to this. She puts the inquiry in verbal form.

"So where were you all this time? You hadn't shown up sooner than what I would've liked. I missed you..."

His face tightens. "I'm sorry. I was placed in a complicated position. I had been... confused. These past days, I wracked my head about how I should approach you. I didn't mean to take so long."

The answer is vague and cryptic. Satoko wants to know more, though she sees Nii-Nii looking uncomfortable about the topic, so she doesn't pry further.

She presses his hand instead, succumbing to rapture once more. "Better late than never. You always did have the best intentions at heart so I will not hold it against you, Nii-Nii."

He perks up as he returns the squeeze. "I appreciate your forgiveness, Satoko. Thank you."

Nii-Nii starts when she promptly jerks her hand away.

Orbiting around him, Satoko stations herself at the north of the ninety degree angle. She eyeballs him critically. Thrice her forefinger jabs his chest.

"This doesn't change the fact that we've got much to catch up on," she lectures like a stern parent, "and you got another thing coming if you think I'm letting you outta my sights again, mister!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Nii-Nii barks with laughter.

Satoko eases up. She places a hand on her hip and smiles faintly.

"As you promised earlier, we will pay Rena-san a visit at her place of residence. Hopefully we can invite the club over. Everyone is gonna be pleased to see us again. Rena-san, Mion-san, Rika—Oh! We shan't forget Shion-san, too! She would especially be excited by your advent!"

He mirrors the smile, except his head is tilting crabwise. "Shion, eh? I remember having a few conversations with her, here and there. Enough to know how caring she can be."

She says "yes" twice, her head bobbing with each chant she speaks. Her back turns on him, her free hand resting on her chest. Satoko can feel her heart throbbing with excitement over her next words.

"But really I look forward to introducing you to Keiichi-san."

"...Huh?"

The heartbeats accelerate the longer she thinks about Keiichi. "He's a goofball, but he captivates me so! Keiichi-san is an inspiring person. I never met anyone lionhearted and fierce as him, who is so devoted to me. Not that I would ever avow this to him but it is the truth."

"...Satoko..."

"I admire him, Nii-Nii. I always feel moved and at ease when I'm under his presence, even when I am sad. I can't stop thinking about him, nor can I bring myself to separate from him," her cheeks heat up. "Ironic, really. On a daily basis, Keiichi-san gets caught in my traps, which I greatly improved by the way. But, at the end of the day, every time... he's the one who ensnares me..."

There is a pregnant pause.

Nii-Nii is speechless, but Satoko gleefully waits for a funny reaction from him with bated breath. She bets he didn't expect a sentiment like that out of his little sister. She's bolder and holds less reservation than how he remembers her, even if secretly she's somewhat embarrassed about revealing these hidden feelings of Keiichi.

Satoko wonders what his face looks like now. Maybe his jaw has dropped to the ground, or maybe he's blushing profusely asking himself how she could grow up so fast and be so brazen during his year of absence.

"Satoko," he intones, "Who am I?"

She wheels around to see Nii-Nii visibly grave. How unexpected... and concerning.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking you who I am. Take a good, long look," he gestures down to himself. "Tell me what you see."

This draws a blank stare from her. "I see my Nii-Nii," she immediately replies like it should be obvious.

He smacks a hand over his forehead, sighing.

"I should remind myself to speak clearer around you next time. Satoko, what is my name?"

Satoko purses her lips making a noise of annoyance. "Nii-Nii wants all the details today. Might as well ask me whether the egg or the chicken came first."

"Answer the question," he grunts.

"Why... Why interrogate me?! You ask me things that you should already know!" she doesn't mean to get this upset, but her Nii-Nii is behaving unlike himself, and now he's gotten worse with these inquiries. Satoko can't help the backtalk. She has put up with his bizarre attitude long enough.

But Nii-Nii doesn't flinch. Acting as if she never has her outburst, he crouches to her level. His unblinking glare bores through her own. The intensity in his gaze rivals hers.

"I don't like repeating myself, Satoko. Please, tell me my name," she hears him speak to her coolly... and pleadingly?

Her face softens at this. Nii-Nii puts on a stern front, though deep down he's desperate. She sees this—she knows this, she has known Nii-Nii her whole life to pick up his habits. This is his coping mechanism: he confronts his problems and/or hers but keeps his unease under wraps so as not to agitate her. He's always been considerate like that.

She still doesn't understand why he wants her input on this, it's very strange that he would ask her for his own name. But...this is an issue to him... Maybe giving him what he wants will abate his troubles, then they'll go back to being close, affectionate siblings again.

Satoko smiles at Nii-Nii sincerely. "I'll always see you as my Nii-Nii. But truly, you are Satoshi."

She glows, hoping her answer satiates him.

Contrary to her bright expression, Nii-Nii's face darkens.

"No," he violently rises to his feet. Dread creeps on his face as he balks, "Dammit, no!"

"Nii-Nii? What is bothering you?"

Her voice is quiet and gentle when she speaks. She tries thinking back to a time where her Nii-Nii had ever been this terrifying. She draws a blank.

Panicking, he paces left to right rubbing his temples. He stares down, his pair of feet shuffle as they splash the puddles of shadow beneath.

"That name. She called me that name again... I thought the first time, it had been a slip of the tongue. I laughed it off 'cause she seemed so much at bliss—"

"Nii-Nii," she cuts in, fear palpable in her tone, "You're speaking in riddles. Tell me what's wrong..."

His head whips in her direction, and she recoils. There's such a thing as reading people's faces, like a book, except the 'pages' on his face are smeared with dismay and splashed in bitterness, as if someone has dumped a burger then dropped a cup of soda over it.

He scrutinizes her, distressed and stern in his following comment.

"Satoko, I am K—"

Whatever he had been about to say, she won't know. Nii-Nii lapses into a cold stillness, eyes darting around so suddenly as he tenses.

Satoko is on edge, too, with this unexpected development.

"What are you doing?"

"Quiet," he raises a couple fingers slightly to shush her. "The smell, it's been getting stronger, more so even now..."

He swings his head left, right, then behind.

Nii-Nii gasps, "No. Can't be."

"Yes. That smell would belong to me."

Before Satoko can trace his line of vision, she feels Nii-Nii pull her away promptly, tucking her behind his back. What's going on? What does Nii-Nii see? What's he on about with whatever smell he's picking up?

Then it hits her. This air that makes her lungs tingle... it's pungent like a spice turned into invisible gas. This must be the smell Nii-Nii has been mumbling about.

The smell wafting openly at this very moment is awfully unnatural. She hasn't noticed until now, though she wishes she didn't. How can anyone live breathing this kind of stuff? Cigarettes, Satoko believes they're called. Such a repulsive thing. The natural air Hinamizawa has is much better.

"You! Fat Pig!" she hears Nii-Nii accost.

"How rude. No manners at all."

The new voice is familiar. She should know this, but from where?

"Don't give me that. You've been following us this whole time, haven't you?!"

"Slow on the uptake, aren't you, boy. Yes, I'm stalking you. You have something I want."

From Nii-Nii's back, Satoko leans off to the side, wanting to view the man with that familiar voice.

Now she understands why Nii-Nii had called him Fat Pig. He's got quite the portly figure to him. She surveys him toe to head. White shoes and beige pants, the suspenders bloodied a cherry color, charcoal collared shirt and tie of similar color as the suspenders. The cigarette bud is slotted in his mouth spitting out wispy smoke. And that face—

In a toothy grin, Ooishi reveals his sharp pearly whites. He scratches his neck.

"Hello, Houjou-san."

"What do you want, Ooishi-san? I am not committing truancy, I'm just late. Uncle wanted me to run some errands for him..."

"Relax. I know you aren't the type to be avoiding school. But that is not why I wish to talk to you."

"Hm?"

"I want to ask you about Shōwa 55, the year your parents fell off the high cliff at Shirakawa Park; the stepfather's body was found, but your mother's was not. See, I'm looking into a conspiracy about the deaths and disappearances of Watanagashi."

"...Wha...What about that...? And what do you even need me for...?"

"I recently reviewed the reports pertaining to that incident, and I stumbled into an interesting contradiction. In it, you admitted that you stayed in your parents' car, feeling sleepy at the time of their deaths. But there was another testimony from a worker of the park. He said he saw you crying all alone inside the car and went to check up on you. When he asked you what was wrong, you told him your parents fell off the cliff."

"..."

"According to you, you weren't around to witness their deaths yet somehow you knew how they died. The car you were in was also parked pretty far from where your parents were, and there was no one keeping you company, so you couldn't have been informed of their deaths prior to being approached by that worker... Care to explain?"

No-No-No-No-No-No-No...!

Satoko screams. Her legs buckle, and she ends up on her knees, hugging herself.

Keeping the baseball bat that Nii-Nii gave her close in her chest, she bawls, "Bad Man! Bad Man!"

The sight of her spiraling in the depths of anguish incenses Nii-Nii, not from her crying but from why she is crying.

"You bastard, what do you want with her?!" he snarls at the detective.

Ooishi cackles. His fingers gash the side of his neck, sketching out a pair of red marks that squirts blood. He keeps on scratching again and again.

"I'm closer to the truth behind Oyashiro-sama's curse now! Furude Rika is involved, I know it, but I can't get answers outta her! That is why I need Houjou-san, she's the closest to Furude-san, the final piece of the puzzle! She can help me!" scratch, scratch, scratchscratchscratch, "Itchy, itchy, itchy!"

Satoko wails, "Keep the Bad Man away! Don't let him take me!"

She regresses to incoherent screeching.

Nii-Nii takes a daring step forward, teeth gnashing and body trembling in rage.

"You ain't getting your hands on her, so quit harassing us!"

"Come now, I am a very reasonable man! Houjou-san should understand my intentions. I merely do what's best for Hinamizawa," Ooishi beckons to them, bloodshot eyes widening. "For that I'll disregard your impudence and repeat my request for Houjou-san to come with me. You can even tag along if you wish—a one time offer. The choice is yours."

"Over my dead body!" Nii-Nii retorts without skipping a beat.

Ooishi tsk-tsks. He's shaking his head as a token of disapproval.

"Too bad. I thought you had a good head on your shoulders. Well, if it has to be dead," the detective marches up to Nii-Nii, leering, "then I would be glad to arrange your funeral."

Nii-Nii lets out a low, guttural growl, fists balling up as he follows suit.

Closing in on each other the two clash.

Eventually Satoko stops screaming her head off, her voice becoming dry and hoarse to where she can't prolong her mental breakdown. She mutely absorbs her surroundings.

Ooishi and Nii-Nii are trading blows. Mostly punches, but also the few occasional knees that ram together. Sometimes one of them gets a lucky hit on the other's face or abdomen or shoulders.

Nii-Nii is not faring well. Between the two the unhinged detective has the upper hand in fighting. While Nii-Nii is athletic enough, he can't compete with the strength of an adult. It's only been his resilience that lets Nii-Nii persist this long.

But even that is not much of an advantage. Satoko notices the strained look forming on Nii-Nii's face. He's not gonna endure the attacks much longer, unlike the cool and collected Ooishi.

True to her fears, Ooishi turns the tables. He thrusts a fist into his foe's stomach. Nii-Nii reels back, his hands reflexively nurse his gut as he retches. Though the assault is far from concluded. Ooishi rushes Nii-Nii and by delivering an uppercut to the jaw sends him flying.

She gasps watching her guardian angel plummet down on the trail before her. Coughing up from where he is dropped, clouds of powdery dirt halo beneath him upon landfall.

Nii-Nii groans, nursing his jaw as he writhes about, disoriented.

Ooishi tosses Satoko a glance.

Her face loses its color.

She can't describe the horror. This man looks like Ooishi, but that's impossible. Ooishi never has that sharp, luminous blue glint streaking across his greyish eyes. Or the malicious grin stretching so far apart it gouges slits on his cheeks. His teeth don't even spread out, so the slits come out as bottomless, narrow voids of darkness. His appearance may leave much to be desired—and personally she thinks Ooishi is quite ugly, but he was never this demonic-looking.

"Observe, Houjou-san. I'll teach this boy a thing or two about respect before delivering him over to the next world. I suggest you take notes as I do," Ooishi howls in maniacal laughter, and he keeps laughing and laughing.

He leaves her alone to whimper and quake. His laughter doesn't stop.

Ooishi approaches Nii-Nii when he's recuperating. When Nii-Nii gets on his feet, having regained his senses, Ooishi shoves him down again. He just won't stop laughing. He climbs over Nii-Nii, his weight fastening him to the earth. Hands lunge for the neck, clutching it tightly.

Nii-Nii flails and gags, cut off from his intake of air.

Ooishi says something to him, but Satoko cannot hear anything, because the laughing never stops!

"Nyah-ha-ha-ha! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

The demon locks Nii-Nii in its vice grip, its thick, shaking tentacles wreathing his jugular. It growls and gurgles in the blood frothing out its neck. That blood dribbles, its shadowy form, as well as Nii-Nii's, gets splotched with it.

The howls get louder and louder, and Satoko can't stand it. She feels like her head's about to pop!

Satoko brings her hands to her ears.

Clatter.

Suddenly she hears this weird grating noise in the pandemonium, somehow louder than the booming laughter.

When she discovers the baseball bat rolling towards her knees, she picks it up. To the touch Nii-Nii's weapon is smooth and cold.

Her gaze alternates between the bat and the demon.

Satoko squeezes the bat. She can't hear Ooishi howling in laughter anymore. All she can listen to is this voice in her head telling her...

She rises to her feet.

Twitching, Ooishi screams in Nii-Nii's face, strangling him still.

"You understand now, boy, why I am known as Oyashiro-sama's familiar?! Even if I do not have all the answers just yet, I know Oyashiro-sama's curse better than anyone! I know you are cursed, doomed by Furude Rika to a lifetime of misery alongside the Houjou brat! I'm gonna kill you, then I shall do away with Houjou-san the same once I don't require her help anymore, then—"

Then Satoko swings.

Ooishi yelps when the bat crashes into the side of his skull. He falls off Nii-Nii, rolling aside before resting on his back not too far away from them.

While Nii-Nii gasps for breath, she stomps up to Ooishi who is cussing up a storm. That swing hurt him pretty bad. He is clutching onto where she hit him, moaning over the pain.

The detective cracks an eye open.

In time to get an upside-down view of her contemptuous look.

"You don't belong in my world, demon!"

Satoko uplifts the bat over her head.

"Die!"

The weapon falls then rises then falls then rises. She hears the demon making noises again—not out of sadistic glee but in torment, the thing that all demons ever so crave; the irony certainly hasn't been lost on her in that regard.

It feels like she's hitting a watermelon, the red juices peppering her face and garments as she hears its head squash. Contrast to the simile the skull crunches. That is the bones being pounded into flesh. Satoko merely keeps smashing, mercilessly mashing together the ingredients to Ooishi-san's cranium.

She has no intention in letting up. Not now. Not until this demon has been silenced for good.

Die! Die-Die-Die-Die-Die-Die-Diiie...!

Her arms are stripped of energy, the baseball bat slips from her hands and drops to the ground with an audible clatter. Satoko cannot prolong her onslaught further, but that's no problem.

The deed has already been met.

Ooishi is a demon of the past, wiped out from existence in the future. Little that remains of him are his mangled head and lifeless body it's attached to. She smiles at this. The present moves on without him. Her world ages accordingly now.

Satoko doubles over and collapses to her knees. Everything is swirling around her.

She shakes this lurching, spiraling sensation, to no avail. This must be her world changing, she barely deduces in her groaning thoughts. It makes sense to her somewhat. Ooishi has polluted it with his delusions of curses and Oyashiro-sama for far too long. Her world is taking time to purify itself.

"Satoko! Satoko!"

Amid the raging tempest rocking her perception, Nii-Nii is calling out to her.

Something's off about his voice. It might just be this sensation she's going through, but hearing him talk his voice distorts in pitch. Those sweet, soft vocals that belong to an angel are garbled to sound like a strangled chicken bawking for mercy.

"Satoko, hold on," he cries out, "I'm right here for you!"

Nii-Nii envelops her in a tight embrace, reeling her in his chest. She clings to him without resistance like that'll help anchor her from the dizziness.

As her equilibrium returns, Satoko gently pulls herself away and scans Nii-Nii.

She's at a loss for words. This isn't Nii-Nii. His hair should be gold and kempt, like hers, not burnt sienna and not clumsily done by a bird building its nest. His eyes aren't soft, nor they shine ruby. Instead, they are sharp and burst out waters of ocean blue that flood the pools of his irises. He is supposed to have pasty skin, not a tan that looks like it was baked by an oven.

Satoko gawks. From the corrupted details of his outward form she knows who this is.

This is—

He heaves a gladdened sigh before grinning.

"You're okay! Thank Goodness. I know that you're confused, Satoko, but everything is gonna be okay now. It's me, K—"

"Keiichi-san...?!"

The wind whistles in the awkward silence.

---

Maebara Keiichi, leaning against the wall, cradles the skin blanketing his jawbone. None of his teeth are busted thankfully, but he can still feel the lingering ghost of the throbbing pain, caused by the uppercut that Ooishi had given him. While proving troublesome, the aftereffects aren't anything he can't simply recover from with time. There's a more pressing matter at hand, anyway.

He and Satoko finally made the journey to Rena's. As he expected, Rena ushered them inside her home without much question; in the living room since her dad is sleeping upstairs. The blood on them had unnerved her a little. Giving her a barebones summary of his skirmishes with Teppei and Ooishi, and how he and Satoko came out triumphant helped abate her concerns.

The same cannot be said of him in his concern for Satoko, who has been grimly silent throughout the trek. After that Ooishi fiasco he coddled her. Held her hand protectively, kept her close, not letting her leave his peripheral vision in case another nutbar showed to harass them. He basically owns the symptoms of a mother hen.

Despite this his company does nothing in drawing her attention. Satoko seems evasive, the lack of eye contact being a point. Worst is that he can hazard a guess why.

She avoids him not because of who he is, but of who he isn't.

There, he gets to the problem: Satoshi.

That name she calls him by, belonging to the boy that she mistakes him for. Keiichi doesn't overlook the two instances that she did this. How can he? Satoshi is a sore topic for him.

He's aware of the comparisons between him and Satoshi. Even if it does not seem true to the skeptical observers, he really doesn't mind being compared to the guy that much. They may indeed share similarities, for all he knows. Rika did point out that he's a dead ringer for him.

Keiichi, however, refuses to be Satoshi. He can't forget the fact that Satoshi abandoned the little sister, to start. For him to be addressed as a deserter is plain impertinent. That's not who he is. He's Maebara Keiichi, a passionate individual with steadfast loyalty for those whom he loves, Satoko especially; a foil to the absconder and nothing else.

Satoshi did leave him the duty to always look after Satoko; that, he's infinitely grateful for. But, really, Keiichi doesn't owe him anything otherwise, and he certainly doesn't feel obligated to respect the guy. Every decision that he's made recently has been at his behest. Satoshi can keep his damn name.

Back when Keiichi vowed to be the Nii-Nii of Satoko he had only signed up for the role, not the replacement.

Now that Satoko seems to be thinking differently, though, he considers changing tune.

Speak of the devil.

Sitting on her knees, Satoko fleetingly sneaks penitent glances in his direction. She looks away whenever he sees, thinking her actions could slip through the cracks.

He won't let her kid herself. "Satoko," he calls flatly.

She jolts and gives a half-hearted smile. "Keiichi-san, hey..."

"My actual name this time? Not Satoshi?"

Keiichi experiences a pang of guilt when the blonde recoils. He didn't mean to let his hostility show like that, the bitterness sorta slipped off his tongue. Watching Satoko get afflicted by his sharp tone causes him to become apologetic.

"Gomen," he says tenderly, "I wasn't trying to make cutting remarks."

"No, that's fine," Satoko hangs her head, gripping on her white blouse and green skirt by the waist parts.

Still he needs to know, "What made you mistake me for Satoshi?"

Satoko quivers. This makes him tense.

"I...I haven't the faintest clue. When you intervened to prevent Uncle from killing me, I just saw Satoshi. You had the blond hair, red eyes, even that soft voice of his! And you were treating me so kindly, I had been convinced you were him. Then when Ooishi-san died I suddenly felt woozy. Next minute I was seeing you...Keiichi-san...I don't understand it either! How can I?!"

He swiftly tends to Satoko's side when she nears the brink of breaking down. Sitting criss cross, he consolingly pats her back.

She pulls at her hair. Her voice, cracking, chokes out, "Like that, my world changed! Like it did before!"

"Before? What are you talking about?" Keiichi blinks.

His inquisitive stare meets with Satoko's poker face. There it is, the inexplicable depression highlighted by the gleam of her eyes. Her lips split open momentarily, Satoko looking like she wants to get something off her chest, only to glue themselves back together. Her hands return to her lap as she shields her gaze from him by turning the other way.

Stern, yet no less benign, he advises, "If there's something bothering you, Satoko, you should talk to me about it. I can help. I can be your confidante."

"..."

Her head leans on her shoulder. Magenta orbs gaze vacantly at the wall opposite from them.

Keiichi is stumped on what to do until he gets a sudden flashback of a previous conversation they had. Back at the Houjou household, where he told her...

"There's no shame accepting help from those who love you."

She freezes on the spot, obviously remembering that statement.

Tension suddenly permeates the room. He gulps. With her volatile state Keiichi can't predict how Satoko will respond.

Satoko turns to face him. He's taken aback.

Her animated eyes sparkle, a wistful smile surfaces from her face. The corners of her smile poke up her flushed, chubby cheeks as if they are jello. She isn't upset, not at all. To the contrary she's moved by his words.

But the display is short-lived, for she falls back into melancholy.

As her grimace returns, she observes him coolly. "Right..."

Satoko tells Keiichi what he needs to know—the story where once upon a time, a young and innocent girl committed a taboo act of sneaking into the Saiguden. She was only playing hide and seek with her friends. She figured that climbing the roof of the Saiguden would have provided her the best hiding spot.

In her ignorance, the child discovered the statue of the Shrine God at the heart of the interior; it towered over her, like a deity should to His children. Crowding around it were various torture tools rumored to assist the practice of evisceration, since the villagers of Hinamizawa were descent from man-eating demons.

Frightened, she tried climbing back up to the opening from whence she came but was too small to reach it. Yet she was precocious, the little girl, and with that premature spark of ingenuity came her plan to make use of the chains from the Saiguden, which had reeked of metal and old age, to escape.

Succeed the girl did. However, attached to the statue that she used to lever herself, the chains somehow broke which tore off the right limb of the stone body honoring the great deity. It was at that moment when the Saiguden roared in its bone-shaking tremor as the severed arm fell to the ground, rent apart into fragments.

That child, Houjou Satoko, never forgot the horror of her actions, for her world began changing soon after. Neither her or her world were the same again.

"I had been too afraid to fess up. Rika ended up taking blame. I won't forget how the priest punished her. His own daughter. Through it all I watched it happen as its spectator through the house window..." Satoko explains to him sorrowfully.

Keiichi gives her a sympathetic look. "You hadn't meant to destroy the statue. It wasn't your fault."

"But it was! I desecrated Oyashiro-sama's resting place. Look where it got me—both my parents are gone, I moved in with my spiteful uncle and aunt, the latter who was murdered!" she hics, "A-And Nii-Nii abandoned me by running away! This isn't mere happenstance; this is the curse of Oyashiro-sama. This is His punishment, for me to live in this world of solitude and constant misfortune!"

He can't stand bearing witness to her lament any longer. Satoko's been balancing on the tightrope walk, by which he means she's struggling to hold herself up in his presence. Except this time his heart sinks into the pit of his stomach when he sees her collapse.

Satoko wallows in despair, "If only Rika were here... If only it wasn't too late to apologize..."

Rika.

"You sorry excuse for a Keiichi! I ask that you trust your friends and you condemn Satoko to hell!"

He winces when he thinks back to the last he saw of her. They have not parted on good terms then. The tanuki holds him accountable for nearly dooming poor Satoko to death in his wake of hesitation. Despite how her accusations wound him he doesn't fault her for the way she behaved. They were put in a hopeless situation.

Even so, Rika has been unusual. How she speaks like a prophet, how she knows certain things which have yet to occur—or which occurred already but in different worlds parallel to this one. He thinks there may have been a few instances where she hinted at him recounting certain events of those worlds somehow. Could that explain the visions and nightmares he had of Satoko and Teppei?

Blasphemy! Those were just his fears of losing Satoko telling him that he has a duty to rescue and protect Satoko as he saw fit, while he had the chance!

...Right?

Hold on, Keiichi backtracks, a memory seeps in through his retinas.

Ooishi cackles. His fingers gash the side of his neck, sketching out a pair of red marks that squirts blood. He keeps on scratching again and again.

"I'm closer to the truth behind Oyashiro-sama's curse now! Furude Rika is involved, I know it, but I can't get answers outta her!"

It isn't just him who noticed. The deranged detective picked up on the signs, too. Ooishi mentioned the curse of Oyashiro just as Satoko did. Both their statements confirm Rika to be involved withal.

Satoko seems to think she's cursed. Ooishi might have been, and him...

Twitching, Ooishi screams in his face, strangling him still.

"You understand now, boy, why I am known as Oyashiro-sama's familiar?! Even if I do not have all the answers just yet, I know Oyashiro-sama's curse better than anyone! I know you are cursed, doomed by Furude Rika to a lifetime of misery alongside the Houjou brat!"

Inconceivable! He can't be cursed! Rika would never do such a thing to him or Satoko. They're all friends. Friends are kind and supportive to each other, they don't go about cursing one another.

But Rika has been acting strange as of late, plus the signs...

Keiichi submerges deeper into the flood of memories.

Her eyes are glowing, and they aren't amethyst.

They are blood red.

There's an itch irritating the side of his neck. His fingers reach for the spot and scratch. They don't stop.

"Predetermined destiny? Screw that, I only care for Satoko!" he points an accusatory finger at Rika. "You're the one who suggested I be there for her, but how can I do that if you, and Mion, and possibly everyone else keeps their damn mouth shut, refusing to do anything to help?! If there's information you have that can save Satoko, then talk."

Rika pinches the bridge of her nose. "You are heading down a slippery slope."

He can't scribble away the itching. It persists and grows stronger. Something's writhing and crawling inside ready to rip out of the skin and he wants them out.

Rika says nothing, not batting an eye. The others do not feel inclined to act, either. Losing must have placed a heavy toll to make them this despondent.

Keiichi spins around, heading off.

He paces sluggishly enough to catch Rika's last words: "Fine. Let this world's Hinamizawa and its denizens spiral in shambles for all I care. It's a doomed world."

Itchy! Itchy Itchy Itchy!

"Keiichi-san! Stop!"

Having been consumed in contemplation, Keiichi is easily startled when his hands are seized by another.

He faces a worried Satoko who apparently snapped out of her lament not long ago. Without his notice no less.

"What are you doing to yourself?!" she panics.

Keiichi examines his hands. All of his ten digits are caked in dry red liquid. Blood, he realizes. The metallic tang of it gives it away. His neck hurts, come to think of it, and it's still very itchy. The things remain inside his neck. Writhing. Based on its movements, he's certain that they're maggots.

His eyes tear away from the mild gore. He returns a serious expression to Satoko's apprehensive stare.

"Strange things are happening to me as well. Rika might have something to do with it."

"Really?" Satoko pipes up. From her tone Keiichi detects surprise.

As well as, for some reason, a hint of fear.

He nods stiffly. "I saw her eyes glowing once. At the time I passed it off as me just imagining things. Though Rika-chan didn't really change until your uncle picked you up and...I couldn't recognize her. She was suddenly acting like another person, blathering about different worlds that exist outside this one. Last I saw Rika, she..."

His body begins shaking. His fists ball up. A chant echoes in his mind and gradually becomes louder the longer it goes, "It's a doomed world, doomed world, doomed world," and that drives him up the wall.

Keiichi croaks, "She said this world was doomed, that Hinamizawa could spiral in shambles for all she cares," his composure nearly slips away in his following words, "Satoko, you aren't the only one cursed but me too! Rika did this to us! Ooishi may have also been a victim. And I am thinking it won't be long before we follow!"

He sucks his teeth while drawing in a sharp intake of oxygen using his nose. His stomach's in knots just thinking about the chilling prospect in store for them.

Satoko wears an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes, empty and spiritless, show off an unblinking interest. He can't really tell what is on her mind. He isn't even sure if she listened.

Finally she closes her eyes, sighs, and whispers, "I should've known."

"Eh?"

Her magenta orbs linger on him.

"One night I suffered a terribly, terribly long dream. Rika and I grew up together. Then came a point where Rika revealed her plan of leaving Hinamizawa. I tagged along because she promised she'd share that dream with me...but she lied!" her melancholic face grows into a mushrooming ire. "I fell to the wayside and Rika didn't bother to help! Rika moved on, abandoning me and Hinamizawa. I was alone and miserable."

A shiver runs up his spine. Satoko has her moments of exasperation but here she's displaying a smoldering grudge, the kind he expects to find more at home from Shion. Such Brobdingnagian resentment out of someone so little terrifies him, especially because it's coming directly from sweet, innocent Satoko.

"Satoko, why tell me this?" Keiichi asks as he puts up a brave face.

"The dream was a bad omen. We are to be cursed by Rika's hand."

"But what happens to you? What about me? Hinamizawa?!"

Satoko does not falter at his hysteria. Neither does her blunt, honest answer, "I know as much as you do."

He emits a choking sob that comes off as a jarring blend of misery and mirth. She knows as much as him but he doesn't know. That's no answer, that doesn't shed light on anything. For all he knows, they and all of Hinamizawa could...could...

This further raises the question: "What does this mean for us?"

"It means we have to stop Rika. She needs to die."

...Satoko...

He loses himself in the glassy eyes of the neck-scratching Satoko, who carries on, "We kill her, before she kills us. That is the only way we free ourselves of this curse."

The proposition makes his back arch and shoulders droop, as if several pairs of delicate hands coaxing him into following their owner's whims are massaging them. The back of his hand forms a plateau for his lower lip to rest on.

"Kill Rika," Keiichi parrots. The words roll off the tongue nicely. He dwells on them longer.

Every ounce of him finds the idea enticing. Kill Rika. It shouldn't be possible, but it is. Kill Rika. He's not wrapped up in welfare and its blankets to keep himself warm anymore. The luxury has been stolen from him the moment Furude Rika cursed him.

It is her fault he feels so cold under the frigid breeze of this world she banished him! Her fault that he's so scared and doesn't feel safe; her fault he's got maggots crawling under his itchy neck! Kill Rika!

He pauses when rationality clings to him. Kill. That is what he's been eschewing for Satoko's sake.

But Satoko wishes he do this. She wants this.

Will killing Rika make Satoko happy? If that's what she desires.

Is it though?

"Keiichi-san?" Satoko calls out to him during his mental tug-of-war.

He snaps out of his thoughts, passing her a look. Then he sees it: her magenta orbs that sparkle and overflow with happiness. She is radiant, the sun poking through the gloomy clouds. Even in his darkest hours he has the comfort of her reassuring presence. No matter what occurs here on out, Satoko will always be there with him, and him to her likewise.

The tug-of-war is over.

"You will have my help," he pats her head and smiles. She returns the warm countenance. Her hands lay atop his, accompanying one another in the rhythm.

Their hands are cold. Neither of them can stop twitching.

Keiichi makes sure to add, "Satoko, while I made a vow to stay by your side I merely do that as myself, not as Nii-Nii. I am not, nor shall I ever be, a replacement for Satoshi."

"No," Satoko shakes her head, beaming, "No you aren't. You are so much more. However reckless you may be, you always have the best intentions to heart...Kōkina Seishin."

"Noble Spirit?" he echoes. He likes the sound of that.

She bobs her head. "That's who you'll be to me now and forever, Kōkina Seishin," her hand rests on her heart as she glows, "he that inspires, my K-Seishin."

His hand tousles the aureate tufts of her crown some more.

Satoko hums, the sounds she makes come off as an order for him to keep pampering her. Keiichi laughs, complying.

He is at her beck and call.

"We kill Rika forthwith," the blonde affirms, "but to truly escape our curse we need to take a delicate approach..."

"What do you have in mind?"

She wordlessly ambles out through the open shoji nearby before peering up above her.

Following suit he traces her pensive regard. The bloody moon soaks the night sky in its luminous red glow. Clouds break and gyrate around it, the sight evokes semblance to a maelstrom. Mother Earth, having ceased giving birth to a new day, throbs with pain, bleeding out. Despite its gradual suffering everything's gone quiet. No screeching higurashi, no gust stirring; the cool air from before is absent to him entirely.

"Hinamizawa is dying. Meanwhile, Watanagashi approaches," Satoko says levelly.

He simply utters a hmm in agreement.

They bathe longer in the outdoors. Silent.

As is the pair of baby blues behind them.

---

"Keiichi-kun, Satoko-chan!"

Sneaking out of the Ryuuguu domicile is all for naught the moment Rena hollers their names.

The two wheel around and they see the auburnette standing ahead of the door. Above her, illumination from the outdoor house lighting patterns her spare form.

Rena clutches the nata in hand. They note her forbidding appearance.

Satoko wisely becomes still.

Keiichi decides to make small talk. "Ah, Rena! You're a night owl too, I see. Come to appreciate this beautiful hour?"

"No. Rena came to stop you," Rena answers bluntly.

"What are you talking about?"

He can practically hear her grip tighten. "Keiichi-kun and Satoko-chan have become dangerous. Malintent in their pursuit to harm Rika-chan."

They have an eavesdropper, it would seem.

Since the cat is out of the bag he flashes her the Cheshire Grin.

"When did you find out?"

"When Rena stopped by the living room, hoping to treat Keiichi-kun and Satoko-chan with a trayful of snacks that she prepared after the phone calls. She heard Satoko-chan say you'll kill Rika-chan forthwith."

"Never the type to mince words as I expect. What you say is inaccurate however. Rika is the dangerous one."

"Liar," she rejects in an instant, "Rika-chan wouldn't hurt a fly."

"We are not flies, Rena-san," Satoko chimes in acidly. He supports her retort by frowning hard.

Rena drops the surly demeanor, donning a sad look. "What has happened to the both of you? Why do you doubt Rika-chan? She is your friend..."

"Rika-chan is a monster!" Keiichi snarls. Unstable emotions govern his rising voice. "Curse, curse, curse! That is what she does! When things don't go her way, Rika discards us like unwanted toys before searching for other enjoyments on her own. We rot, we languish the repercussions of her sins!"

"But no more," Satoko chips in for him, "Rika has dropped the ball and we're gonna make her pick it up."

He joins, "Unlike Rika-chan, we are both responsible enough to rectify long-overdue mistakes."

"That is, our mistake letting Rika endanger us. We are hurting, and Hinamizawa has been thrusted in turmoil, due to her negligence. It pleads Rika be stopped. In order to prevent Hinamizawa and all our lives from concluding in tragedy, we shall commit to what is necessary. Killing Rika," Satoko finishes.

Their third companion bites her lip. Her eyes glisten. "You guys..."

Keiichi outstretches an open hand, fondly smiling.

"Rena. You are cursed by Rika-chan like we are. Join us. We, the trio, can be happy once our has-been miko dies."

But Rena refuses the proffering hand. Shaking her head vehemently, she presses her back against the door, shifting away from him like he is a plague. "This is not right, not right! Keiichi-kun should know better. He promised Shii-chan he would trust her and every one of his friends, including Rika-chan!"

"If Rika was truly a friend, then who would need enemies?" he quizzes.

She opens her mouth, though unable to say anything against his counter quickly snaps it shut. Not out of indecisive consideration. This is of her disbelief over a mean regard towards Rika, and coming from him, of all suspects.

Her shoulders slump slightly. "Keiichi-kun...Satoko-chan...you two are seriously dead set on this," Rena sounds decidedly broken-hearted when reiterating their resolve.

Like their resolve he does not feel deterred. "Of course."

"I see. So everything has led up to this moment."

She readies her nata. The glare of the illumination licks the blunt end, producing a twinkling, tiny star. "Rena will be the one who stops you."

The scowl on Satoko's face thickens.

His, too. "Do not be foolish, Rena."

"It is up to me now," she steps away from the entrance not heeding the warning. "Mii-chan didn't respond when I called. Kasai-san promised to drive Shii-chan over here once she gets her much needed rest for tonight. Her arrival won't be expected any time soon. And Rika-chan is well on her way over..."

That last bit from her cogitation intrigues Satoko. "Is Rika now?" she raises a hand to her mouth, cackling, "Ohohoho~! My, my, for someone who doesn't wanna aid us, you sure did plenty convincing the rat to scurry to us."

Keiichi suppresses a snort seeing Rena shift. He can tell she had been too pensive to prevent them from overhearing, too deep in her thoughts to realize her mistake sooner. Soliloquy doesn't solely target him, it would seem.

Rolling with it, Rena hisses, "Had I learned of your conspiring sooner, I would have done otherwise! I suppose it cannot be helped. That just means I'll need to subdue you before she turns up."

"You are welcome to try," Satoko beckons mockingly.

He's not as provocative. "Don't. We bear no ill will against you. Rika is who we want. Please, Rena, I wish that you not intervene," although minimal, desperation for the welfare of this kind soul manages to slip through his vocal cords. He doesn't consign the good times between him and Rena to oblivion; he'll always cherish those moments. Keiichi, for that sole reason, hopes for Rena not to endanger herself.

Sadly she doesn't see eye to eye. "That can't be done. Something isn't right with you or Satoko-chan. Whatever the case, you need help, and I will provide you that as your friend."

"Rena—!" he starts, only for her to cut him off.

"You can't wheedle your way out of this. I have made up my mind," Rena glares.

"Then you must die."

Two sets of wide eyes—a pair aghast, the other flabbergasted—are flung over to the third voice.

Satoko, as is her input, seems apathetic. Ignoring the terrified Rena, she focuses on him. "It has become apparent now. Rena-san's in cahoots with Rika. She wants to save her own skin by sacrificing us. Rika must have bribed her with mercy."

"That isn't so! You're lying!" Rena cries out defensively.

"Go on, Keiichi-san," Satoko urges, "Kill this selfish witch."

The nata wielder gawks at him, whimpering, "You wouldn't!"

His ears perk; the two voices of temptation, uncannily matching Rena's and Satoko's, whisper in each hole their desires. Dispatch Rena. Spare Rena. One angel, one devil, he knows they settle on his shoulders, but can't tell which is which. Keiichi never has and never will peg Satoko as the devil because she's anything but. Though Rena sticks out to him better with the impression of an angel. Even if she...betrayed them...

"K-Seishin."

Like a smack across the face, the endearment hits hard, slapping sense into him.

He directs his attention to Satoko. She is radiating: figuratively and literally. Emotions of delight and acceptance erupts from this epitome of innocence. Under the moon's effulgence she shines brighter than it, as though intentionally spotlighting her as its purest maiden.

"Please, darling K-Seishin. Kill Rena-san. For me," Satoko coos. Her command, although baleful, comes from a voice that says it sweetly so. Too sweet to carry an iota—let alone a myriad of malice, yet sweet enough to bear the greatest of intentions. The ends justify the means, they say. Now he understands. Satoko is the angel.

Gripping the baseball bat held in his two hands, Satoshi speaks to him once more, squeaking his opinion on the matter.

They reach a consensus.

"Let's dance! Cleaver Girl!"

He lunges towards his foe, raising the bat over his head.

Rena instinctively uses her nata to intercept the weapon hammering down upon her, blocking its course. Her skull is a hair's breadth away from being squashed.

The momentum buries the soles of her boots under twin, shallow craters of terra firma, but she plants her feet. She propels the nata forward, shoving back her foe and his weapon of choice to that effect.

Keiichi brings himself to a stop almost instantaneously. Rena goes on the offensive, bolting after him. Seeing this, he cocks his weapon to his side, as he would playing batter. She mirrors the action with her nata.

Boy and girl take their swings.

Aluminum and carbon steel clash. They wobble, they screech. They spew a spark of blue that's snuffed out as rapidly as it comes.

But then the sparks return, flaring and winking over and over the more bat and nata meet. Keiichi and Rena keep up their dance. Gusts of wind yank their hairs and their clothes as they move, parrying each other's attacks, time and time again, finding themselves the same result.

They sing different songs. One giggles joy, the other grunts out of frustration.

Keiichi roars at the tittering Rena, "What's so funny?!" Swish!

Clank! "We have not had a club activity such as this in so long," she chirps, "Despite the circumstances, Rena's getting excited!"

"Is this a game to you?!" he derides, playing high striker by throwing down his implement.

Rena dodges with ease. As if to mock him, she does this sort of curtsy after evading the blur of argent. Assuming that has been her intention the gesture is working. His blood's boiling.

"What is getting Keiichi-kun riled up, I wonder, I wonder. Moments ago you asked Rena for a dance."

"Grrr...You're pissing me off!"

She takes his threat in stride, fanning the flames of his frustration, and laughs heartily, "Keep trying, Keiichi-kun! Rule #1: Club members must strive for first place, and only first place!"

He draws the bat, raising it from low ground—tearing open an invisible gash in the cape of air blowing around his right. Keiichi swings, only for that accursed nata to halt the attack by walling off the left side of the ribs he targeted.

His opponent observes him with that taunting innocence. "Keiichi-kun's such a great dancer, but he is not trying hard enough. Should he lose, he will be subjected to a punishment game."

Taking exception to her patronizing, he shouts, "Shut up!"

"Careful! If Rena wins, she will take you and Satoko-chan hoooome~!"

One moment he sees her swooning over the fantasies of her victory, the next he is suddenly skating backwards through earth. His blue converse shoes scrape sand off the growling surface they drag through. Rails of dust come and go marking the small ditches his feet make.

Keiichi, making use of his reflexes, blocks the approaching assault of Rena.

Livid, he permits himself the hoot of an expletive.

Satoko witnesses the ensuing fight. Keiichi and Rena whoosh, and their feet grrrrind through sand, and they bash their weapons together to go clang! Using speed to enshroud themselves, they streak everywhere that her eyes can absorb. She can tell the air around them is tattered into shreds by this point on; the swings of bat and nata become violent and rapid.

Arms folding, two fingers from one of her hands drum the other lower shoulder. The more she watches, the bored she grows. To her, the fight progressively becomes so repetitive that soon she is merely picking up snippets of Keiichi and Rena frozen in time, the weapons clashing. She doesn't care enough to truly immerse in this trading of blows.

Worse, Satoko perceives a problem, one that, unfortunately, gives Rena an advantage. The Cleaver Girl is egging Keiichi on, ensuring that his emotions get the best of him right before she can pluck him off. Years of trap-making provides her enough insight to detect subterfuge in all its shapes and sizes.

If this goes on, her Keiichi will lose. That, and every second wasted is a breath Rika takes—an assault to her happiness.

This fight needs to end.

Rena smiles to herself as Keiichi unleashes an erratic storm of blows, each more devastating than the last, distorting what little remains of the current. But her nata is her armor. It shifts and it angles itself in maneuvers that cleanly intercept the attacks.

"Great job, Keiichi-kun!" she winks.

He scowls. His bat spits motes of electricity as it repeatedly strikes the nata, gobbling more and more dents. He feels the fire of his anger run out of steam to burn; his assault beginning to deplete. "Bite your tongue," he puffs.

Satoko looks askance, craning her head, then pipes in shock, "Rika!"

At this Rena tenses up. "Rika-chan?! No!" her baby blues tail Satoko's fuchsia variant, rushing past them before stopping at the destination.

Moonlight runs down the footpath shrinking into the distance.

She's been had! Her gaze swivels left to right to Keiichi.

Her right shoulder snaps under the levin of pain that strikes.

"Gah—!" Rena staggers, wobbly on the legs, as though the hit serves as a precursor to agony in other regions of her body. It may as well seem that way. From the brutal descent of Keiichi's aluminum bat splits the joint into fractures, sending shockwaves through everywhere else.

Rena is about ready to collapse. "Dirty Trap," she scathes.

Satoko shows her a cruel sneer, curtsying. "Delivered by this seasoned Trap Master. Though you are no different than I am, pulling that stunt on Keiichi-san. Sorry, but I require his strength. I can't let you sap it."

"So," Keiichi trains the cap end of the barrel at Rena, "all the sugar coated taunts you spat were perpetuating war of attrition."

Rena says nothing and that helps confirm his conjecture.

He guffaws, "Crafty! I concede, your plan had been working! I would be eating dirt now if not for Satoko."

His smirk, inverting, hardens into a stony-faced expression.

"That's what sets us apart. I have Satoko. Whereas you have no one, not even Rika-chan, who hasn't helped you thus far. It didn't have to come to this...yet...you stuck to your guns..."

"Rena has her reasons. She will do what is necessary for Keiichi-kun's sake," Rena brandishes her nata. She does this one-handed, avoiding to use the one belonging to the broken shoulder. Judging from her fumbling, he suspects that she isn't using her dominant hand.

Keiichi swipes the air in front with his bat. This is it—the climax of their duel. He is fatigued, whereas her dexterity has been impaired by the injury. They know only one will triumph. And he's confident on who it'll be.

They spring toward each other from opposing sides.

Blood from the moon reflects off boy and girl, bat and nata.

Both combatants melt into the glow, into the subsequent spark from the final clash which unlike the other times where the sparks flicker seem to explode!

A weapon pinwheels overhead, far from heaven's reach, before descending next to Satoko, narrowly missing the spectator.

Who smirks.

---

Keiichi sits on Rena. He is a rainstorm, the aluminum bat clouds above him, tears budding from the eyes of his troubled expression drips upon the visage of this girl.

"Why...?" the whimper precedes before his cry, "Why, Rena?! We did not have to fight! You should have joined us!"

She looks up at him, bright like a lush grass field he looms over. The tears he sheds, soaking her, only make her irises sparkle.

"Rena wanted to help Keiichi-kun, but she didn't want to help him kill Rika-chan."

"Help? By stopping me?!"

"That's right~!"

"You admit this, awfully chirpy, at this juncture..." he mutters, then gripes, "I don't understand!"

Rena giggles simply. Her cheerfulness doesn't ebb away. Her next words are as doting, genuine, and unmeasured. "My intention was to steer you away from trouble. That is how much I love you, Keiichi-kun."

His heart flutters. Rena... Did she say...? His free hand seizes his chest, kneading the pain. Portions of wind are getting punched out of him. Something's terribly wrong with him. There is this strange sensation going on. He's burning inside!

Suddenly his head fiercely jerks upward to view Satoko, who isn't that far from them. Keiichi can't figure out why he feels very compelled to do this; he observes her regardless.

Satoko pins her scrutiny on him. Impatient, but gently, she nudges him to tie the loose end. She beams at him, nodding, finger drawing a line across her neck to deliver her message.

The Trap Master makes no signal responding to Rena's admission. Though staring into the vivid splash of mauve in those eyes—that which evokes their world he and her share, he gets the indication for that as well.

He looks back to Rena. His heart returns to steady beats.

"I have Satoko. My devotion to her beckons," Keiichi decides.

"That's fine," Rena murmurs, to herself or to him he can't figure. She has a distant look in her eyes pointing heavenward from where his face barricades. He can't tell if the stare is intended for him or the sky. "Keiichi-kun seems content with Satoko-chan. I do not want to wedge myself between that."

The strange sensation from earlier returns with a vengeance. His chest hurts so much.

Why?

He watches Rena smile. She appears wistful in the act. "Nothing can be done now. Though our dance was wonderful. Rena really enjoyed it."

Tremors stir the cloud that is his weapon aloft, unable to curb in the lightning bolt craving its freedom, even as he wields the power of two hands.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Rena!" he cries, preparing to strike.

Her hands spread, they reach for his cheeks, cupping them. Rena may be smiling out of acceptance but she, too, is weeping. "I know. I forgive you."

The bat crashes down.

---

He did it. Rena is gone.

Yet his chest hurts all the same. His heart bloats, nearing explosion. Soothing the organ proves impossible. Residual tears dew the lashes of his searing, bloodshot eyes.

Forcefully avoiding what mangled state befell Rena from his doings, he averts his gaze.

His attention rests on the proverbial elephant in the room.

Keiichi knuckles the dew and sadness hanging from his eyes.

"Rika," he addresses her levelly. No honorifics, no show of disbelief. She must've popped up at this very moment. He can parse the dread and alarm written over her face. Punctuality at its finest.

Her bike tips over. Rika quakes, biting her lip, fists tightening.

He stands and moves away from Rena. Reaching out only repels Rika. She maintains her distance between them. Tiny she may be, Rika is fleet of foot when she then veers toward Satoko. He pauses, curious, to see how things would play out.

"Satoko. Satoko!" Rika grabs Satoko by the shoulders, shaking her. "Let us flee! Keiichi is dangerous!"

Composed and civil to her credit, the Trap Master regards the frantic miko with a faint smile.

Suppressing the seething rage, he knows without a shadow of a doubt.

"Rika, disrespecting your friends doesn't befit a prim, proper lady as yourself," Satoko stresses, almost mockingly. Rika doesn't notice.

"That's not it! I know it's hard to believe but Keiichi—his mind isn't clear!" her peer argues.

"Don't be ridiculous. His mind has never been so clear. And mine feels the same."

Sharp fingernails shade the marks on Satoko's neck noticeably darker.

Rika catches on.

"Satoko," she steps back. "You have not taken your injection," another realization dawns on Rika that makes her gasp, "...No. You haven't been taking your injection!"

"Uncle wouldn't let me visit Kantoku for my daily appointments, but it is not so bad. I can handle it. You and the doctors are so paranoid. I am tougher than you give me credit for," Satoko giggles. She continues scratching.

Rika springs into action. Her hands, enveloping Satoko's, separate her nails and neck.

"Stop! Don't scratch! Just bear the itch longer; we'll escape Keiichi, then get you to Irie-sensei for the help you need!"

"Liar."

Satoko yanks down her hands, successfully wrenching free.

This startles Rika who has become petrified at this sudden, aggressive motion. She's denied immediate reaction however when Satoko seizes her arms, securing them to her sides. Their roles are reversed.

"You lie," Satoko drops the pretense of friendliness. "You don't wanna help, you just wanna hurt me more."

"No, I'm telling the truth! I care about you—"

"You're lying!" she screams.

That's his cue to proceed. Keiichi starts his snaillike advance toward the pair.

Rika stammers, "S—Satoko..."

"I heard from Keiichi-san, the bad treatment that you gave him while I was with Uncle! You've cursed him, like how you cursed me when I broke into the Saiguden all those years back. Though you knew that this whole time, didn't you?!"

The context of her hostility falls into place. Rika gives her a guilty look. "...Yes," before quickly adding, "Satoko, I have never held that against you! And I would never curse you!"

Satoko scoffs, "Lying through your teeth again. Makes ya wonder if you actually delude yourself..." she begins squeezing Rika's hands, making her wince. "My world became strange after that incident; my family was stolen from me, and the elders grew to despise me, even now. I watched as you got punished, saw the pain you sustained. Why else wouldn't you be at fault? Surely you once felt resentful against me enough to enact retribution."

"My hands...Satoko, you're hurting me..." Rika gripes.

Wrong thing to say. Her grip tightens and the miko yelps.

"You! Always about you!" Satoko snaps, "Never stopping to consider the welfare of those who surround you. All that counts is you being happy, not us. You even go so far as sacrificing Hinamizawa! Keiichi-san also told me, "Let Hinamizawa and its denizens spiral in shambles for all I care. It's a doomed world," sound familiar?"

Rika freezes, recognizing the cold statement. Remorse fully settles on her face. "I...I didn't mean what I said. I had been frustrated."

Then to her confusion, Satoko breaks into a fit of laughter, lasting a couple nickels in seconds.

Once she composes herself, she tuts.

"Rika, Rika, Riika~! Words from a person can cut deeper than an actual blade."

"I know, I'm sorry! Let's escape now! I promise I won't disregard you, Hinamizawa or its people ever again!"

"No, you certainly will not," Satoko bares her fangs. "because you are no longer welcome in Hinamizawa."

After that Rika feels this sharp pain crashing into her temple. Though the agony lasts briefly, for it expires as fast as it starts.

Right as her vision switches off.

Keiichi fixes his gaze on the girl that topples over. Rika doesn't get back up after landing. She lies on her side, and he can pick up hushed groans, indicating unconsciousness. The blunt force of his swing seeds a flower of blood from where it struck, sinking into her indigo locks, the colors mingling into a purplish-black.

"You do not disappoint, K-Seishin," Satoko commends, the sight of Rika in pain satisfies her.

He nods. "I aim to please, and that was aimed right at her."

"Good. Now smash her legs; arms, too. Rika mustn't be allowed to cheat death."

So she instructs, so he obeys. Smashing her limbs is all too easy. Her bones pop and crunch, splintering like twigs. They're still clothed in skin, so the arms and legs appear contorted and a tad saggy.

He isn't unsettled in the slightest. Rika is no saint, far from it she is the shifty demon that curses and deceives. That is what got him and Satoko into this mess. Mangling Rika, for him, isn't as bad as killing Rena.

Rena...

His heart constricts again, his respiration cut into short and sporadic panting. The organ swells, hammering his chest, skipping certain heart beats, preparing to detonate. Too akin to a timebomb that proceeds its countdown for his liking.

Satoko sees him a sweaty, huffing mess. She worries, "What's wrong?"

"...N..Nothing," he lies lamely to his only companion. He doesn't want her fretful because of him. "I simply cannot wait to reclaim our happy world."

Fortunately this convinces her. Satoko diverts her attention away from his pain, crowing in a reverie.

"Yes, we've reached the penultimate chapter of this sorrowful tale! So close yet so far. Once we execute Rika, salvation will be brought upon us. There, our life together shall truly begin," she blushes, giggles, and tingles with excitement. "No curses, no misery; only the opposite, just the two of us! My heart thumps impatiently for the inevitable!"

He can't help smiling. "Mine thumps for you and whatever you desire."

His heart pulsates harder, and his eyes squeeze shut. He loses another breath.

Keiichi swears he can hear ticking.

---

He and Satoko trek the footpath leading to the Furude Shrine under the waning moon. Groves of olive trees, dominating the two from the sides, sprawl numerous branches casting shadowy tendrils over the track their steps trample.

Satoko is skipping up the stone staircase, her feet bounce, excitement wiggling its way in her activity.

Whereas Keiichi trudges a little ways in the rear, his footfalls heavy enough to quite literally drop and dint the dirt. The unconscious Rika lays over his shoulder, but she's a feather in weight so carrying her isn't the problem here.

In his chest is a knot tied where his heart should be, done with ropes of tension and torment. He hasn't been feeling the greatest since Rena died. Something about the way she blatantly defied him and Satoko plagues him—the way she smiled, how she forgave him as she stared happy and unblinking in the face of death. Truly he cannot fathom why Rena was not most people who'd scorn him if they had been in her shoes.

Did Rena see something in him? Something to do with how much she loved him apparently?

Keiichi knows he's making too big a deal of this. He prefers to forget it, which he would, if not for the swelling legs, vacuuming of breath, and hummingbird-paced pulsations.

"You sure you're okay?" Satoko fusses suspiciously as he finally makes it to the summit.

"Yeah. I am merely burning the candle at both ends," he puffs.

"That's been occurring throughout this entire journey here, and you're exhausted!"

He jokes, "Guess I should go on a diet."

This doesn't alleviate her wariness. Satoko can't be fooled twice. She frowns, pursing her lips, and scrutinizes him. He realizes what she is doing. She's giving him the stern look that makes all its victims cave in and fess up.

But Keiichi resists. This affair is not something he feels comfortable sharing right now. He trades back the solemn stare.

Many seconds pass.

Satoko eventually grows tired of waiting and heaves a sigh, "Someday your instant ramen will be the death of you."

They approach the altar. Indeed a sight to behold. The sanctuary exudes piety and luster beneath its patchwork of wood and concrete. Royal purple curtains hang down at the front, enriching the holy structure, accentuating its sort of pedestal amidst the lion dog sculptures.

Keiichi sets Rika atop the blest table. Satoko cradles her chin.

"I suppose this is good. The tools I require for the offering shouldn't be located too far from here," she presses his hand affectionately. "I won't be long. It'll be a quick trip."

He returns the squeeze. "Fine by me. You know I never doubt you."

Saying nothing, Satoko reacts fondly by rising to the ball of her feet, fingers clawing scoops of his shirt to help herself climb slightly. She stamps a sweet peck on his cheek.

The gasp he emits is nothing short of a choked whisper. Fitting. He is tongue-tied from her deed.

Not that he can say anything about it for Satoko begins her departure, waving him goodbye. Not just brighter than ever. Exceptionally radiant. She puts the noontide sun to shame. Warm colors of reddish orange heat her cheeks, her complexion marrying with the yellow glow of her short, kempt hair.

He mimics the wave at Satoko, doing this until she, the radiance, fades into the distance. His other free hand sneaks its way onto the side of his face, rubbing where she kissed him. His cheeks bulge thanks to the commissures of his large smile, crimson from his blush. An unseen, wet imprint made by her kiss lingers, the tips of his fingers feel.

Time elapses while he is still. How long, he knows not, for this feels like an eternity. His happiness, with Satoko...

A pained groan crawls into his ears.

Tensing, his glare shifts, Keiichi channels the warmth previously into a heated temper. It all directs to Rika.

"Awake already? You are resilient, I'll give you that," he remarks.

Rika flounders. She flaps her broken limbs so feebly he can't be sure if she did or if he imagined it. Another groan, this time tipping over to the side for her head lolls over the side of the table, her gaze obscure to him by her nape. "I've years of practice."

"Years for that but not to rectify your sins," the simmer boils into a seethe, then he steams, "How dare you! We were friends, I trusted you, and you—! You made Satoko miserable, you turned on me when misfortune presented itself. What do you have to say to that!"

"..." Rika lets the rant hover, incensing Keiichi tenfold.

His heart is acting up again, there's that ticking, it gets louder and louder. He grabs his chest enforcing a tight, shaky grip. "I...I don't know what's happening to me! My chest hurts, something's attacking me! But I think that you know," marching up to Rika, he leans in closer to her face. "Everything constantly circles back to you, Rika, this being no exception. This began happening just before you showed up! Tell me, damn it! Is this another of your curses, what did you do to me?!"

Finally, she has the decency to make eye contact. She studies him, his melting skin, his heavy breathing, his anxiety.

In her cynical, jaded, pensive disposition, Keiichi can pick up traces of...pity?

"This again. Like in that world, where you believed Shion was going to kill you in the hospital room," Rika murmurs, "You always did have the penchant of letting your emotions and fear get to you. Though it comes about differently sometimes, that paranoia usually becomes the catalyst to your impending..."

Her sentence dies away unfinished but it doesn't need to be complete. Keiichi has gotten the implication. There have been suspicions though he never pegged it to be true, wanting to maintain false hope, however miniscule, for the better prospect that Satoko envisions for them.

Now it matters not.

He's dying.

Shockingly he doesn't bite her head off some more. His anger dries up. Despair and anguish refills his mind. "How could this happen? Why is this happening...?"

"Keiichi."

Her abrupt call summons him, dispersing the crowd of brooding thoughts badgering him.

"I'm sorry," he hears her speak. Sprinkles of rue spice the calmness in her tongue, "I probably should've been more mindful. I strived to save Satoko, and I was devastated when we failed against CWS, but...you and everyone else were hurting and coping, too. Even if it was too late, I shouldn't have alienated you the way I did. You all are my friends..."

Rika dons a regretful smile.

"Whether you believe me or don't, Keiichi, I will do better; I'll give you, and Satoko, and everyone my earnest, fullest support when needed, no matter if Hinamizawa will end in tragedy. I'll even forgive you for today and turn the other cheek."

Her expression, her defeated form, her forgiveness, he draws parallels between this and Rena. There is a trigger, not yet set off. Keiichi is afraid to ask due to this. Curiosity jabs at him however, and he yelps a hoarse "Why?"

"Because that's how much I love you," Rika replies.

Air exits him. He chokes, then air re-enters his lungs in small doses, then the ticking accelerates. His heart bashes against his chest cavity demanding its right to be uncaged. The trigger.

The miko is too busy raving to notice. "That is a promise," she laughs to herself, "I'll change, and I'll try harder, for you my friends. For when I reach the Next Hinamizawa."

"Spare us the delusions!"

Keiichi whips around and finds Satoko, shaking, scowling. She strongly grips the knife and hoe in each hand. Had the items been stress balls, they likely would've popped from her omnipotent ire. "No Hinamizawa is awaiting you! As the sacrifice, you will be delivered to Oyashiro-sama and purge us, this village, and yourself of your sins! We'll bear this curse no more."

Rika gives her the same bittersweet look. "Satoko... I..."

"Save it!" Satoko stomps over to their captive. She sets aside the hoe, readying the knife.

"So be it," one sigh out of Rika and that is that.

Cutting edge steel chews the mint green sundress, the piece shred into two halves that glide down to the surface Rika lays.

"Funny. Like Rika, the ritual is entirely misleading," the Trap Master goes on telling him, "You might not know, Keiichi-san, but the Wata in Watanagashi is a homophone. Commoners translate it to mean cotton, but ultimately it is another term for entrails. Really, the true method to "drift away our sins down the river" lies in the offering. Thought you should know; I myself didn't find out until recently..."

The metal sheet of the hoe hovers above her head.

"Henceforth you perish and we live," Satoko declares, "Never return to Hinamizawa, this land you tarnish, the lives you curse, with your foul existence!"

Rika closes her eyes, holding her intake.

Keiichi looks on in acceptance.

Satoko growls.

"Demon, now I banish you! I relinquish you! LET OYASHIRO-SAMA FEAST ON YOU!"

Blade plunges, red leaks red spews, adding up as—blade sinks, tossing, raking—the opening yawns.

Soon the red ejects following confetti of pink; it goes flying, and it litters Good Lord it's everywhere.

Rika starts crying, why cry this is a dance! Dance, Satoko has not had one in a while, she celebrates she is having the time of her life. Joy hops through her arms, sways in the legs, as she dances.

Joy especially sings in her thoughts because she can hear laughter not hers—but Oyashiro! Oyashiro-sama is very pleased! This offertory dance attracts Oyashiro-sama, She, who cannot wait to accept her gift by the river when dancing is over. She? She. Sounds like She.

The offertory reaches a conclusion. Rika stops crying and Satoko stops her dancing. Immediately there is a change. Happiness, it sprouts, and it flowers into a rose garden in her heart. The long-lasting scariness of her and Keiichi's fate which her heart once harbored, Satoko feels, is absent entirely. She understands. Oyashiro-sama's curse is no more, it has been removed from them. Freedom at last!

Satoko titters, she gathers the pink confetti, scooping them into her arms, and turns to Keiichi asking for assistance.

But Keiichi's preoccupied. He stares into the reflection of the red tides streaming to his feet.

He whimpers.

---

"We did it, Keiichi-san! Oyashiro-sama has appreciated our penance and rewarded us! We're free of the curse, finally free!"

There's a brittle, soupy line of blood discoloring the river. It glazes the asphalt that borders the shore, chasing the entrails of Rika which have been shepherded afar by the streamflow long ago.

Satoko gushes about their future, a world devoid of the evil Rika. She brainstorms a myriad of aspirations for them.

But Keiichi does not listen, for he becomes deaf. Nor does he make eye contact, for he has become blind. Deaf and blind by contemplation over his recent discovery.

That reflection...there is no way that could have been him. He doesn't have pin prick-dotted periwinkles for eyes, nor a sharp, luminous blue glint bolting through them, or that paranoid expression that makes him seem deranged. All other colors in his appearance, mainly clothing and hair, are washed away slightly by the dark cast of crimson from Rika's blood, the shade conveniently neglecting the aforementioned details in his eyes.

Yet their resemblance is uncanny. That is Maebara Keiichi, down to the hair to trademark facial features.

Is the caricature truly him? What he was—what he has been? How come no one pointed this out; Satoko? Rika, Rena?

Didn't they know?!

...Rika knew. So did Rena. Rika, who sympathized with him in her final hour, and Rena, who had the noblest intention to help him regain touch with sanity. They saw him, clouded in hatred, anxiety, and resentment! Yet they chose to smile. They still treated him as nothing less than a friend. They loved him, forgave him.

And he got them killed!

His heart gets constricted again. This time he knows what's happening.

Guilt captures his heart within its noose. Tug, tug, tug. So tight. He feels his wind rip out of him; tendons swell and squeeze; skin liquefy into sweat; tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, his ears get deafened by, speedy and anxiety-inducing; what a miracle that somehow he can endure this a while longer.

He drops down to all fours, hands drowning in water, knees compressing into asphalt. Satoko panics seeing this, she shouts his name, while he gets face-to-face with the river. Through the rippling reflection he's greeted by Maebara Keiichi.

Him!

The Keiichi that Rika admired, the one who brought the Gaming Club together to rescue Satoko in another world, his duplicate whom he scoffed at!

He flashes an assertive grin, winking as he flicks a solid, unbendable thumb up. Like Rena and Rika, he welcomes him amiably.

His emotions, formerly the bastion of his identity, have been razed to the ground. Laughter, Sadness, Frustration, they give way. Whatever has not fallen into the billowy blue body beneath as tears and choking noises serve as rubble that pelt his poor, beating heart. It hurts, it hurts...

"Keiichi-san!" Satoko cries. "What's hurting you?!"

Keiichi did things he shouldn't have—kill, betray his other friends not named Satoko, and it is coming back to bite him. The emotions he has either ignored or suppressed for Satoko's sake, they want revenge.

This pain is a curse. But not the one Rika inflicted.

Huffing, Keiichi faces Satoko. She looks thoroughly alarmed.

The second noose, Regret, lassos his bloating heart and tugs.

He thought he could take charge, thought he could be there for this sunshine of a bright, vibrant girl. Devote his entire life to her and assist her in fulfilling her utopian world. Now look at her. She's terrified while he's on the verge of leaving her side. And he only has himself to blame in facing the music.

All he can do presently is hope for a second chance, a redo. To be the sociable Maebara Keiichi he previously rebuked. Not of wish alone, but of a need as well: to take a page from the person he should have been, assuming the duty he neglected. Being there for Rika, Rena and everyone who depend on him and look up to. Not just Satoko.

But for the Next Hinamizawa, or the next after, et al following that, he won't ever forget Satoko, who'll always have a special place in his heart. The deepest, centered regions of it.

Regardless, this is where they part ways.

Keiichi grabs the closest shoulder Satoko offers. His head tilts, neck craning to gain a better view of her plump visage.

"S—Satoko..." he whispers, voice raw from misuse.

Their eyes locking, periwinkle and magenta orbs meet.

His clairvoyance, having inexplicably faded into hiatus since rescuing Satoko, triggers for the last time.

Keiichi watches Rena glomp Rika—did she get a growth spurt? The latter flaps her arms wildly, pleading for freedom; he can't unsee it: a bird trapped in that bear hug of a cage. Somewhere behind him Mion spouts a boisterous laugh. He lies stomach-flat on the ground, and, beside him, Satoko mimics his position.

Her gaze turns to greet him; there's much her eyes tell him: maturity, amusement, nostalgia. Satoko will grow up, but stay that cheerful girl he wishes her to be—never exhausted of their happy moments, and she'll cherish her time spent with everyone. Especially with him.

Curving upward, her lips mouth three words.

Those three words...

"I love you."

The ropes that lassoed his inflating heart pull in unison. The ticking stops.

He feels his heart explode.

Satoko shrieks when Keiichi plummets into the stream. Ripples halo the corpse, not without slapping him from every side.

"Keiichi-san!" she flips the boy onto his back. Thin blankets of water wrap around his front. Her hands overlap, palms repeatedly compressing his chest. Every so often she delivers mouth to mouth, hoping that she can breathe life into him.

"Kōkina Seishin!" Satoko bawls desperately, "K-Seishin! Don't leave me!"

Her calls go unheard, mouth to mouth go unreturned. Absolute stillness solidifies his not-pulsating, unanimated heart into stone.

Minutes slip away as do her hands from his chest. Her endeavors cease.

His Noble Spirit has long since departed. Left behind is its shell.

She slams her fists down. The river below lets out a splashing protest and retaliates by spitting on her face. "It's not fair! This was meant to be our happy ending! What did Keiichi-san do to deserve death?" she screams to the heavens, "Why, Oyashiro-sama?! I have given you Rika as atonement! What else do you want from me?!"

Heaven says nothing. Even the deceased refuse to reply.

Satoko shrieks again. She proceeds to pummel the water which cusses up a storm for its abuse. But she cares not. Her frustration rages harder than anything the seven seas can conjure. A comparatively underwhelming river is nothing.

"How could fate conspire against me like this? Rika was supposed to be banished, and her curses lifted! Keiichi-san and I should have been at peace! Hinamizawa was supposed to be our world now! Why! Why, Why!"

Her face is drenched entirely but she only feels the stinging of fresh tears as it trickles down her cheeks. Her mantras loop, over and over; for each why, for each ache in her voice repeating the word, is copied precisely to where it's like hearing something out of a tape recorder.

But like a well bottomed out, the tantrum soon dwindles to a trickle.

She is puffing heavily after that. Her voice has become dry and hoarse from incessant raving. Even internally her indignation is at its limit like on the outside.

Still, Satoko ponders why everything went awry. She didn't do anything wrong. Oyashiro-sama applauded her during the sacrificial offering, of Her reincarnation no less! Rika is to die, which she did, and banished from Hinamizawa, which she was. So, why?

"...for when I reach the Next Hinamizawa..."

What Rika proclaimed earlier, as Satoko arrived. The Next Hinamizawa...

Satoko grounds her teeth, fists clenching. The gears in her head turn.

That wretched witch! Rika isn't truly dead; she has escaped to another Hinamizawa. One she'll terrorize like she did here. On top of that the miko had gotten the last laugh when she killed Keiichi. It all adds up now, what other reason exists for K-Seishin suddenly dropping dead. He was the one who alerted her about the different worlds Rika obsessed.

Worlds like the one of St. Lucia.

Rika must have known that. Accounted for that by taking Keiichi's life away. He knew too much and she snuffed him out. Discarding him, like a pawn of a chess game removed from play. To her, Keiichi is but a minor setback to her own ends.

"This...This really is just a game to you, Rika..." Satoko snarls.

Fishing through Keiichi's pockets, she withdraws a knife. The very same she brought to the Furude Shrine. She aims the sharp edge at the crook of her neck. Rika won't be getting off scot-free. Her selfishness must be paid in full with comeuppance. And her curses must be dispelled.

So shall it be. Once, twice, a thousand times over. Even if it'll take a century, Satoko will do everything in her power to stop Rika, chasing away the disgraceful native out of Hinamizawa.

Until the day Furude Rika becomes a resident of oblivion.

"Alright, Rika. Let's play!"

The blade plunges into her jugular.

Gagging on steel and blood Satoko strains a hand heavenward, thumb and third digit kissing each other's fingerprints. She staggers, twitches, everything is going blurry in cool colors.

The Nameless One smiles.

She watches as Satoko's eyes emit a blood red glow, and She watches her fingers snap.

---

Mother Earth has given birth to dawn, a new day cheerfully bright, yet living at its youngest. Hinamizawa is yawning, the chill breeze of its morning breath stirs the swaying grass. It smiles in the sunlight that greets its landscape body. The early birds, as they prepare themselves for daily farm work, value the salutation of the sun bowing at them in the horizon. Even the resident late risers awaken momentarily to crack an eye open, glaring or mumbling irritably at the sunrise peeping from their windows, before retreating into their bedsheets to slumber.

Few aren't able to witness such a beginning at all.

Ooishi Kuraudo, oddly one of the select bunch in that regard, would be found without an intact head, lying somewhere at the vast rice fields. Okinomiya Police Department mourns and honors his bravery.

For Ryuuguu Rena, those neighboring her residence would either wail in horror or lament at her bludgeoned form. Her father accomplishes those two things in the moment he lays eyes on his daughter. He's a prisoner in his own mind now, suffering the stormy weather within.

What would scar the deepest, however, is the discovery of Furude Rika, body found atop the altar of Furude Shrine, disemboweled. Nothing will be the same again for Hinamizawa, nor its villagers, not without their venerable miko guiding them forward through arcane knowledge. There is a future still, but it shall have to be decided among the people. Rika certainly won't be there to help anymore.

Finally there were two, the last to be located.

The sun fully rises, it beams intensely, radiant enough for the orange skies to burn intensely into blue under its summery touch, warm enough for the chilly atmosphere to thaw.

Mion weaves her way through the crowd of nondescripts gathering by the river. This ongoing gossip cannot be true, it just cannot!

Rena, Rika, Satoko. And Kei-chan...

She escapes the jungle of people, reaching the heart of the spectacle.

A hand claps over her mouth.

Shion sits on her knees as she cradles Satoko—the latter whose face is pillowed in her breasts, whose neck is stabbed with a knife; the blade juts from the side tasting the dry blood on its steel tongue.

"Satoko-chan...Satoko-chan..." her grieving twin keens.

Close to Shion, a solemn Kasai stands behind her, silent and a shoulder to cry on.

Nearby the pair, Keiichi is lying in the stream on his back. Bedsheets of water tuck him in. Almost looks as though he's sleeping peacefully.

Except his eyes are open. Glazed.

Her legs give way like they have liquefied into jelly as she stares at the dead male, trembling, lip quivering, emerald eyes contracting into pin pricks.

Mion screams.

The final chapter of Houjou Satoko and Maebara Keiichi has reached its end. Though their story stops, the world that they have once inhabited continues. Time is not susceptible to the whims of man.

Hinamizawa isn't permitted to wait for anyone, not for the dead or the miserable. It moves on, following time's footsteps, mothering this new day called today just like any other. Not reminiscing over the previous child named yesterday, not fretting about the next child that would be tomorrow.

Even When the Higurashi Cry.

---

Author's Note:

Where to set this two-shot?

/AU diverging from Episode 21 of Higurashi Gou. Upon becoming a looper by the help of Eua (The Nameless One), Satoko is thrusted into her very first world, the SaD world, rather than reliving a rehash of Satokowashi-hen/

Anyway, apologies for the very, very long wait! This one admittedly took a lot longer than anticipated. It was even more time-consuming because I started this in February, when Gou was still running. It was tricky because I worried about the anime contradicting anything I wrote. Thankfully, I made it work.

So Higurashi Gou has finished, now we're waiting on Sotsu. Wow, uh, it was one roller coaster ride with Satoko. Not sure how I feel about her willingly injecting her friends with Hinamizawa Syndrome. Satoko being a villain is an awesome idea, though I don't think she'd be that cruel to get her friends killing each other, especially out of her own accord (unless she succumbs to L5 like Takano Miyo did, and I doubt that's the case). I dunno, I feel like the fall from grace doesn't sell well for me.

Next one-shot will be Gou-related: about Rika and Satoko, more centric to the former.

---

Deaths of June XX, Shōwa 58:

Ooishi Kuraudo: bludgeoned to death by Houjou Satoko somewhere at the rice fields.

Ryuuguu Rena: bludgeoned to death by Maebara Keiichi at the front of Ryuuguu Residence.

Furude Rika: disemboweled by Houjou Satoko. Body located on the altar of the Furude Shrine.

Maebara Keiichi: died from acute heart failure. Body found by the river.

Houjou Satoko: died from a knife plunged into the neck. Body found alongside Maebara Keiichi.