*FLASH*
BASIL gave a satisfied nod, "Another perfect picture!"
AUBREY immediately hopped up from the picnic blanket before swarming over to BASIL, "I wanna see! Let me see let me see!"
KEL followed after her, "Hey! No fair! I wanted to be the first to see!"
HERO sat up next, going into protective peacekeeper mode, "Hey, guys, don't crowd him! You can each take a turn to see it once the photo gets printed!"
SUNNY had somehow already sneaked by everyone and was hanging his head over BASIL's shoulder to see the photograph first.
BASIL laughed nervously at all the attention he was getting, "Guys, come on! You'll make me drop it by accident!"
It was a perfect Summer day for HIKIKO and her friends. A perfect day to have a picnic by the lake of their secret spot.
She looked up at the stars shining above, pulling her hair back as she enjoyed the breeze of the wind.
Another perfect day…
BASIL eventually managed to get everyone else to settle down as they all formed behind him in a group, waiting for the picture to finalize.
Once it did, everyone gave a happy cheer at how beautiful the picture must have been.
BASIL was always such a good photographer. Getting him that camera on his birthday was the best idea HIKIKO ever had.
Now every day would be captured perfectly and never forgotten.
"HIKIKO, do you wanna take a look?" BASIL invited her over with an excited smile.
HIKIKO softly giggled, "Of course! Show me what you got!"
BASIL handed the photo over to her, allowing her to admire his handiwork.
All of them gathered in a circle on the picnic blanket, having fun and smiling all their troubles away. KEL and HERO were having a brotherly roughhousing session, while AUBREY and SUNNY were cuddling up close with HIKIKO in the center.
Amazing as always. Another perfect memory to place in the photo album.
"Everyone looks so cute!" HIKIKO practically gushed, "Aww, BASIL, this is great!"
BASIL gave an embarrassed chuckle as he blushed and rubbed his neck, "Aw, HIKIKO! You say that for every single picture I take!"
"That's because it's true!" She giggled, "I don't think I've ever seen you take a bad photo of us before."
"Now that's not true… You're just saying that!" Despite his words, BASIL was beaming with pride.
Pulling out the photo album in his pocket, he placed the new photo on a blank page as everyone gathered together to take a look and review everything they did today.
"Look at all the photos I was able to get just from today!" BASIL said happily. "At this rate, I'm going to need to buy another photo album just to fit more!"
AUBREY moved around the picture of them penguin-sliding when they went up to the snowy mountains earlier, "The penguins were so nice to let us ride on them! I hope we'll be able to visit them again someday!"
KEL pointed to a picture of himself standing on top of a table while pumping a glass of milk into the air victoriously, "Going to the Wild Saloon was fun! I can't believe I still managed to outdrink all the other Cowfolks and not puke right after!"
HERO fondly pressed on a picture of himself swimming with technicolored narwhals when they traveled to the beach, "Aw man, I can't believe we did this one just today! Those narwhals were so much fun to hang out with, if only we could have gotten to know them a little bit longer before they had to leave."
SUNNY pointed at one picture which showed him cuddling with a bunch of adorable moon-sheep when they went up to space, "Fluffy nap."
BASIL giggled as he pulled away a photo of AUBREY and HIKIKO posing right next to a talking sunflower they had met during their travels, "My personal favorite was when we met FLOWEY! I never thought we'd ever meet a friendly talking sunflower! I wondered if asking him for seeds so that I could plant more of them would have been considered a bit creepy though…"
HIKIKO felt a wave of warmth wash over her as she perused the entire photo collection, "We sure had a productive day today, didn't we? Let's hope the next day we spend together will be just as fun!"
Moments like these were what HIKIKO would always cherish in her hearts.
"Well of course!" KEL proclaimed cheerfully, "As long as we all stay together, every day is going to be like today!"
She couldn't ask for a more peaceful life than to be able to spend time with her little brother and all their friends. She was so blessed to have all these friends who have been so loyal to her and SUNNY for all these years. To be able to spend the rest of their lives together was something that she had always wanted. Each day spent with them seemed so much better than the last, there was no room to ever feel lonely or have any depressing thoughts.
A life like this was truly all she had ever wanted.
Everything was absolutely perfect…
On her side, SUNNY began nudging her with his head to grab her attention. HIKIKO glanced over and gave a curious smile as she petted her little brother's adorable head, "Something you need, SUNNY?"
"Can we take a small walk together? I want to stretch my legs." SUNNY asked.
"Aw~!" HIKIKO giggled before giving his forehead a quick kiss, "Sure, I'll follow you to make sure you're okay."
SUNNY nodded appreciatively.
The both of them stood up and brushed their legs as they got ready to go. Noticing the two siblings preparing to leave, HERO asked, "Is it time to go already? I'll help pack up the picnic."
HIKIKO was actually about to invite anyone else who would want to join before SUNNY suddenly answered for her.
"No." SUNNY held his hand up to stop him, "We're just taking a quick walk around. We'll circle back later. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
"Ooh! Can I join you guys?" AUBREY asked excitedly.
Surprisingly, SUNNY shook his head, "We're fine, AUBREY. It's just a quick trip, you don't need to come with."
"O-Oh… Okay, SUNNY…" AUBREY blinked a bit before seeming to deflate.
HIKIKO glanced down to look at him in surprise. SUNNY was unusually forthright for some reason. He'd almost never turn down someone over a simple request, especially not to AUBREY or BASIL.
Rubbing his neck awkwardly, he sighed and clarified, "Sorry… I just need a moment alone with HIKIKO. I wanted some privacy to talk with only her…"
At that, AUBREY perked up again as she nodded, "Oh, I understand now! Private sibling moment. In that case, stay safe and don't get lost okay?"
SUNNY nodded back before quickly grabbing HIKIKO's hand and pulling her away from the group before anyone else could notice and ask to join.
HIKIKO wondered what was going on as her little brother pulled her along. Was it something serious? SUNNY usually always tells her if he has any problems, but he was usually never so secretive about it to want to hide it from their friends.
She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious and worried…
SUNNY continued pulling her along for a long while now, far away enough from the picnic site that they almost couldn't see it anymore.
Then he went on even further.
Further and further and further.
Until they reached the shores of the ocean.
HIKIKO was remaining silent all this time, trusting that her little brother had good reasons to go so far off from the group for something as just a simple walk to stretch their legs.
When they finally stopped on the edge, SUNNY let go of HIKIKO's hand.
HIKIKO took this as her cue to finally ask, "SUNNY, is something wrong?"
SUNNY looked out to the horizon of the ocean, enjoying the fresh seawater air and the sunlight bathing him.
Then he took a deep breath, before turning around to face HIKIKO, "I have to tell you something…"
HIKIKO gave her brother a patient smile as she lowered herself to reach his level, "You can tell me anything, Little Brother. My ears are always willing."
SUNNY stared at HIKIKO for a while, his eyes shifting back and forth as he studied her face. In his eyes, HIKIKO noticed that he seemed a little… sad…
But why?
"I'm… I'm going to be going somewhere else soon. Somewhere far away." SUNNY explained.
HIKIKO blinked for a bit, before turning confused, "What? What do you mean?"
"It means I'm… I'm not going to be around anymore… I'm going someplace really far…"
At this, HIKIKO nervously laughed, "SUNNY, don't be silly! You don't have to go anywhere. What about your friends? Won't they miss you?"
SUNNY shook his head, "That's not the issue. I don't have a choice. The place I'm going to go to, I'm going there whether I like it or not…"
HIKIKO frowned worriedly, her instincts telling her to grab a hold of SUNNY's hand so that he didn't go anywhere.
With a nervous gulp, HIKIKO declared, "Okay, fine… then I'm going to come with you!"
SUNNY shook his head again, giving her a sad and apologetic expression, "That… that's not possible either. You can't come."
"Why not?!" HIKIKO asked incredulously, "I'm your sister! I have to come with you!"
"It's not possible… the place I'm going to be staying, it's only available to me. Nobody else can go except me."
"Then I won't let you go then! You have to stay here!" HIKIKO reaffirmed.
"You couldn't stop me, even if you tried…" SUNNY looked away guiltily, "Actually… it's too late. I'm already there. I've been stuck there since the beginning before all of this even started…"
"SUNNY, stop talking nonsense!" HIKIKO commanded roughly, grabbing a firm hold of his shoulders, "You don't have to go anywhere! You don't need to go anywhere! I'm your big sister, and I say that you belong here with me and your friends! We can keep you safe from whatever is trying to take you away from us!"
SUNNY gave a tired sigh, before effortlessly pulling her hands off his shoulder.
HIKIKO was stunned at how easily she lost her grip on him.
Holding her hands together, SUNNY explained, "There's a boy who's going to come. He'll take my place. He's going to wake up soon, and he's going to help you heal."
"SUNNY, what are you talking about?! What boy?!" HIKIKO was beginning to grow more anxious and frantic, "What do you mean he'll take your place?!"
SUNNY gave her a soft smile, "He's a good person. He loves you just as much as SUN- …" His voice trembled and paused, before correcting himself, "-as much as I do. He can help take care of you, and you won't even be able to tell the difference between us. In fact, we're not so different at all! I know you'll love him too."
"NO! NO NO NO!" HIKIKO violently shook her head, "I don't want that! I don't want something replacing my brother! I don't care how much better he is or how much I'll love him! You're the only little brother I want! You're the only one that I need! You can't go, you can't leave me! I won't let you leave me!"
SUNNY couldn't help but giggle a bit as he smiled softly, a tear falling down his cheek, "I know…! I know exactly how you feel…!"
HIKIKO tried desperately to pull away so that she could grab ahold of him again, to hug him, to keep him safe. Keep him within her grasp and line of sight so that he doesn't try to run away.
His grip was unnaturally strong.
There's no way she could let him go! He was her brother! Her only brother! HIKIKO couldn't lose him again!
She can't… not again… please, not again…
She couldn't bear to lose him again...
"There's still a chance…" SUNNY suddenly exclaimed, "A chance to get me back."
HIKIKO looked up at him in confusion.
Continuing to explain, SUNNY resolutely told her, "You don't want to lose your only brother, right? Then you have to listen to me and do whatever it takes."
HIKIKO straightened up at this, her mind already agreeing desperately in order to keep her brother with her, "Anything!"
SUNNY gave a deep breath, explaining, "He's going to do his best to help save you. Save you from yourself. But he can't do it unless you let him first."
HIKIKO grew confused again, "W-What do you mean? What is he going to help me with?"
"HIKIKO, you've been suffering for a long time… and honestly, in your situation, I'm sure I would have as well." SUNNY sighed, "There's something… something that you're trying to forget, isn't there? Or I guess you've already succeeded in forgetting it."
Forget…? Forget what?
There was something that she had… forgotten?
"And I know exactly why you want to forget it… I'd probably have done the same thing too…" SUNNY shook his head and gave her a determined look, "But you need to remember it, and face it this time! If you can't, you'll never get your brother back again!"
"SUNNY, I don't know what you're talking about! What have I forgotten?!" HIKIKO cried.
"It's something scary, MARI." SUNNY called to her, causing her to widen her eyes in shock, "It's something so scary, you'll try to deny it and hide it away again. But if you want to get your little brother back, you have to be brave enough to keep pushing through."
SUNNY moved to grab HIKIKO's face, before he pressed his head against hers.
"You won't be alone. He'll help you through it. He'll want you to succeed just as much as I do. He loves you so much, after all…! If you can do it… if you can face yourself over the truth… you'll be all better again… Stronger, better than you ever have been before…" SUNNY continued, "And you'll need that strength for when it's your turn to help him too."
SUNNY started brushing his fingers on her hair in a comforting manner. The action somehow soothed her despite everything that was going on.
"He's just like you, MARI." SUNNY explained, "He's been suffering, almost as long as you have. But he's a good boy who's just misguided, because he can't forgive himself over what he's done. You have to be there to help him too, before it's too late and he does something he won't even live to regret… Otherwise, you'll lose your brother forever. No more second chances…"
SUNNY's breathing gets hitched as he desperately tries to keep himself from sobbing. SUNNY moved to hug HIKIKO tightly.
HIKIKO hugged him back, not knowing what else to do.
"I tried, MARI… I tried so hard to convince him, but he just won't listen…! It wasn't his fault, but he refuses to accept that! He hates himself so much, and it breaks my heart just to see him like this...!" SUNNY gasped out, sniffling in her ear, "You have to be the one to save him, MARI! You have to succeed where I failed!"
After a while, SUNNY composed himself and pulled away from her with a gentle smile.
"When he's done helping you, you have to help him back… This is the only way you can save your little brother."
HIKIKO stared at him blankly.
She stared for the longest time.
She had no idea where to even begin…
A boy will come to replace her brother. He'll help her remember something that she desperately tried to forget. Once she remembers, she'll be strong enough to help him in return.
And somehow, that'll save SUNNY.
Still lost and confused, she had hoped to ask more questions to learn more-
But SUNNY pulled away from her before she could have the chance to ask.
Turning away, he looked to the horizon of the ocean with a disappointed frown.
HIKIKO looked over as well, only to see a large window with familiar curtains draped to the sides.
She's seen these curtains before. It's been so long since the last time she last saw them, but she's seen these curtains before.
"I explained everything I could…" SUNNY mumbled tiredly, "I don't have time left."
SUNNY began stepping towards the curtains, somehow walking on water as he went.
HIKIKO shot her hands out in desperation, "W-Wait, SUNNY!"
Pulling herself up, she sprinted towards her little brother in one last-ditch attempt to not let him go. To somehow keep him by her side, where he belonged.
Unlike SUNNY, her body splashed right through the water, submerging her lower body even as she tried desperately to catch up with him.
The ocean current pushed against her, slowing her down as she tried to reach out to him.
"Please…! Please don't go!"
What will she have left if she didn't have her precious brother by her side? What would she do with herself without him in her life?
What good of a sister is she if she couldn't even protect her own little brother?
SUNNY paused a bit, before turning around.
Then he gave her the brightest smile she's ever seen him give before in her entire life.
"Don't be sad. When you wake up, this is going to be the greatest day of your life!" SUNNY reassured her, "You'll get the chance to fix everything! You'll have the chance for a perfect life that I wish I was able to have. I know you won't screw this up. I believe in you."
The bright light from the window behind him shined brighter than ever before, blinding her completely. For a second, she thought she could see the shadow of a girl standing where SUNNY just was.
Everything became white.
Then black.
OMORI slowly opened his eye as the sun shined over his face
…
Where was he?
It took a moment for his eye to adjust to the light, it felt like it almost blinded him.
How long was he asleep for…?
Once his sight was adjusted, he stared at the ceiling in the room.
White tiles. White hospital tiles.
Hospital room.
Why was he back here again?
Closing his eye again, he tried deeply to remember what happened before he woke up…
He… he had just remembered. Remembered everything about MARI. The day she died.
It wasn't a suicide. It was a murder.
He was the one that killed her.
He woke up in BASIL's house… he was there with his friends. HERO, AUBREY, KEL. They wanted to check up on him to make sure he was alright. OMORI and his friends spent the night there to keep BASIL company if he needed it.
…
OMORI thought about it some more, before frowning…
No, it wasn't OMORI that spent the night there. SUNNY did. SUNNY woke up in BASIL's house. SUNNY, after remembering everything, went in to save BASIL. Because he knew the flower boy was about to do something that he shouldn't.
What a horrible mistake that was…
BASIL stabbed his eye out with garden shears, didn't he? He was trying to aim for SOMETHING behind him, only to hit his face instead.
...
OMORI brought a hand up to check.
His eye hasn't healed. In fact, he couldn't feel anything at all in the area. It was entirely numb.
...
After that… SUNNY passed out again. OMORI would then wake up in the hospital bed, his head covered in bandages.
It was at that moment, he knew what had to be done.
He realized how long he had burdened his friends. How much suffering he caused to them. How much suffering he caused to BASIL.
He spent the last four years of his life, forcing himself to forget what he did, but…
There was no forgetting, was there?
OMORI knew nothing would work out. No matter what he'd do, it would only end up getting worse for everyone he cared about. He was useless. Worthless. Less than worthless.
He was sick.
It'd be better to just die.
He remembered walking up the steps to go out to the roofs.
He remembered feeling the wind in his hair as he gave his last final thoughts.
He remembered taking the jump.
…
How was he still alive?
He brought his hand out in front of him again, seeing no bandages, blood, or injuries. Despite the absolute numbness of his entire body, his body looked the same as it did before. Skinny, frail, pale. He was completely fine.
Or was he?
"Mmm… SUNNY…"
His eye widened as he heard a voice just beneath him.
It was… a voice… a voice that he didn't think he'd ever hear again.
Forcing himself to sit up, despite the constraints and the numbness, he looked down on his lap to see his older sister resting her head on his lap. Asleep. Holding onto his other hand.
Ah. So that's it.
He wasn't alive after all.
This must be the afterlife of some sort.
Or maybe just even a hyper-realistic dream that he crafted for himself without knowing.
So… he finally did it, didn't he?
He finally freed himself. He avenged MARI, protected his friends, and freed himself.
Staring at his sister, he lamented at how sickly and pale she had gotten since the last time he saw her. She looked exactly like a ghost… like a shell of a person. Her entire appearance looked like a mess, as if she had gone through the worst years of her life.
MARI used to look so beautiful and full of life too… It was truly a shame that she couldn't look the way she used to.
How long had she been suffering, waiting on this side? Was she waiting for him? Had she been waiting for him, all this time?
OMORI frowned.
She shouldn't have waited for him. He didn't deserve to be welcomed by her the first thing after finally passing on.
He should be rotting in Hell right now.
…
Taking a hand, he gently caressed the bangs of MARI's hair out of her face so that he could take a closer look at her.
She was in such a deep sleep. Despite the years of suffering that he must have caused to her ethereal spirit, OMORI couldn't help but admire her.
Out of all the places for the afterlife to look like, why did it choose to be a hospital room though?
If he was going to be comforted, he'd rather be by the lake of their old hangout spot with a picnic basket.
If he was going to be tormented, he'd expected to be sitting next to the tree where he hung MARI's body.
A hospital room gave him neither the comfort he desired nor the torment he deserved. It just made him feel lost and confused.
Maybe that was the point.
Hm…
OMORI looked back down at MARI, once again staring at her face.
It was strange for people in the afterlife to need to sleep… He wondered to himself how something like this worked. Was it like when he enjoyed the naps he would have in his dreams?
...
God, he missed her so much… Even though the dreams of HEADSPACE managed to give him temporary respite, the MARI in his imaginary dream world could never have filled the empty void that was left behind when she died.
OMORI gripped his fingers around her hand tightly.
His hands were so numb… He couldn't feel anything…
If only he could feel the warmth from her fingers at least one more time…
He didn't want to wake her up just yet. He'd rather have her rest as much as she wanted. He had taken everything from her, after all. It was only right for him to be patient and let her rest.
She must be so tired… Having to watch over a murderer like him, even after all this time...
If only… If only he hadn't…!
Dammit…!
"SUNNY!"
OMORI flinched back a bit in surprise as MARI suddenly jolted herself awake.
For MARI, she was breathing heavily, the last moment of her dream still directly in her mind. The vision of her little brother going past the curtains, as if he was moving on to the afterlife… No matter how much she begged for him to stay, no matter how hard she tried to reach him, she couldn't get him to stop.
Oh god… Why did she have to dream that? Why won't her nightmares ever leave her alone? This one had to be the worst one out of all she could remember…
She'd rather have BASIL torture her again than to see something like that. It was too much for her…
It was just a nightmare though… It was just another nightmare...
OMORI could hear MARI start whispering under her breath as MARI tiredly rubbed her eyes. She looked so shaken up about whatever she saw, OMORI couldn't just stand back to watch...
In an attempt to comfort her, OMORI pulled his hand away from her grip to reach out and rub her shoulders.
At first, she didn't seem to register the touch, still trying to get over whatever nightmare she had been having. But then, after a while, she slowly started to stiffen her body up as he continued to rub her shoulders.
MARI turned to look at him with a blank stare.
Ah. Maybe he shouldn't have touched her?
For a long time, neither of them said anything. All they could do was look at each other, soaking in the image for as long as they could.
"S...SUNNY…?" MARI could barely breathe out.
"Hi, MARI." OMORI nodded depressingly.
OMORI could see the bags under her eyes were tinted so darkly, even under the bright light of the hospital room. She really didn't get any good night's sleep, did she? Probably not for a long time.
MARI blinked. Then she blinked again.
MARI couldn't stop staring at her little brother.
Was this… another dream? Was she still asleep?
Curiously, she grabbed onto one of his hands and brought it up near her face. His hand felt cold against her skin, but she could feel every touch.
OMORI gently cupped her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe the strand of hair covering her eye. If only he could feel the warmth of her face in his hand...
MARI still had no way of knowing if this was a dream or not…The way she usually tried to get herself to wake up was by hanging herself in the room of her BRIGHTSPACE.
MARI gulped, before hesitantly bringing her a hand up to wrap her fingers around her neck.
Maybe she should… test to see if it hurts?
MARI experimented with a tight squeeze, constricting her airflow.
OMORI grew alarmed as he flinched at the sight, the memories of what happened that day hitting him like a truck all over again. Out of instinct, he roughly pulled her hand away from that spot.
"Don't." OMORI shook his head pleadingly.
MARI's eyes widened.
It did hurt. It actually genuinely hurt. It never hurt before. She was awake. This wasn't a dream.
OMORI glazed his eyes over to the red mark on her neck, saddened that she felt like she had to do that. Was it a reminder? Was she wondering if he still remembered?
Of course OMORI remembered. There was no way he'd let himself forget ever again. It was all his fault.
"SUNNY…" MARI's voice trembled, "You came back to me…"
She had waited for so long.
Six whole years.
Six whole years of suffering, torturing herself, waiting for her little brother to finally come back to her.
He was back. He was here. He was awake. This wasn't a dream.
OMORI, looking up from the mark on her neck, noticed the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
Came back to her? Is that what she said?
So… MARI really did wait for him all this time. Even after all he did, she still waited patiently for him to finally be together with her…
He really… He seriously… He truly never deserved a perfect sister like her…
Solemnly, OMORI closed his eye as he felt himself beginning to cry as well.
"MARI… I… I'm so sorry…" He managed to get out, "I'm so sorry for everything…"
MARI shook her head slowly, "What are you apologizing for…?"
There was nothing to apologize about. This was everything MARI had always wanted.
SUNNY was back. Her little brother was finally back…!
"That night… on the stairs…The recital..." MARI heard him hoarsely whisper out, "It was all my fault…! Everything was all my fault…!"
What?
Why would he think that? Why would he apologize for that?!
"No, SUNNY! Don't say that!" MARI sobbed out, reaching out to grab his head and force him to look up at her, "That day wasn't your fault! Don't ever blame yourself! You can't blame yourself!"
That day was all MARI's fault.
Even though the memory was muddy, even though she couldn't remember why they were arguing on top of the stairs, she remembered clearly enough that everything was her fault.
She had been screaming in his face.
She had lost her balance and trip.
She had grabbed SUNNY down with her, and he wrapped himself around her entire body to save her life.
If it wasn't for her, none of this would've happened.
Why would SUNNY ever think to blame himself for what happened? Had he been blaming himself this whole entire time, his last thought stuck in his head as he slept throughout all these six years?
He slept, thinking it was all his fault?
What kind of horrible joke is this?! He doesn't deserve this kind of torture!
Her little brother shook his head frustratingly, as he cried out, "No- It's the truth! I pushed you…! I pushed you down- Everything was all my fault!"
"STOP IT! STOP SAYING THAT!" MARI shouted back.
OMORI flinched at her desperate tone, quickly making himself mute.
"Don't ever say that it was your fault ever again!" MARI sobbed, pressing her forehead against his, "Never! Never never never! It wasn't your fault! It was never your fault! Don't you dare say that again!"
OMORI couldn't understand why she was insisting so forcefully to not accept the fault. It was the honest truth. He was the one who killed her, all those years ago. Why would she be here to say that he wasn't?
It didn't make any sense…
Why didn't MARI hate him for what he did…? Why was she in denial…?
It was… It was the truth…
He killed her.
Murderers like him don't deserve to live…
It was the truth...
…
MARI stared deeply into his eye. The downtrodden look of remorse, guilt, and misery heavily weighed on his shoulders, MARI could clearly see it haunting him especially now.
He doesn't believe her. He genuinely believes that it was all his fault and he wouldn't believe her.
Oh god… SUNNY… Her precious little SUNNY… Her amazing, wonderful, innocent little brother- always so kind and considerate to everyone he meets…
Always bottling up his emotions.
Always putting other people's feelings first before his own.
Always hurting himself to make others happy.
He spent the last six years in his sleep, thinking that it was all his fault.
Even though everything was actually her fault...
MARI felt like her heart was being crushed.
"SUNNY…" MARI sobbed, "SUNNY… SUNNY SUNNY SUNNY SUNNY SUNNY!"
MARI will never let him go ever again.
MARI won't ruin the second chance that life has blessed her with.
She'll make this right, somehow. She'll make him realize the truth one day…
For now, she was just…
"SUNNY!" MARI cried out in relief as she hugged him, giving a genuine smile for the first time in forever, "You came back to me!"
She was just so happy.
So so so happy.
OMORI, overwhelmed by the genuine sound of relief and joy in her voice, couldn't help but hug her back as he cried.
He was finally back with his sister. He had missed her so much…!
It was all he could have ever wanted…
So why was this empty feeling inside him still so shallow?
Why was he still not satisfied?
Why couldn't he feel at peace?
Why didn't MARI blame him for what happened?
…
Maybe… This wasn't the afterlife after all…
This was just…
another…
…
…
...
dream.