A/N: And welcome back to When The Brothers Cry! Sorry I've been inactive with this story, I decided to write a fanfic profile for Adam and Jamie, which I got heavy into writing. So, sorry for that. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 5- Watanagashi
"So, Adam, we taking this job?" Jamie asked when his brother ended the call, before Adam smirked. "It's just simple observation. We just keep an eye on the mark, and report their movements. But, I wonder, why would they need drivers for simple observation?" Adam asked, causing Jamie to shrug. "Dunno. So, when do we start?" he asked, before his brother got to his feet. "Technically, we just did!" he said, before he went to enter his room. "I'm gonna get to sleep. See you the morra, bro!" he said, before fist bumping Jamie, and closing the door behind him. After closing his door, he flopped down onto his bed. "Seems we've only got to observe them, then report back if anything happens." He thought to himself, before he dozed off…
A Few Days Later…
Even though Adam had repaired his bike, he decided to keep with the trend of driving his Charger to school, and would always drive Rika, Satoko and Rena home, while Jamie would drive Mion, Keiichi and Shion. Afterwards, they would drive home, and fall straight to sleep. After a few days, it was eventually the day of the Watanagashi Festival.
"Alright, we'll get this lot home, then I'll meet back up with you at the house." Adam said to Jamie, as the Club left the school building. "Alright, I'll catch you later then, bro." Jamie replied, before fist-bumping Adam, and getting into the Skyline, the Sonozaki sisters and Keiichi following him. As Jamie's car pulled off, Adam got into the Charger. After getting into the car, Rika, Satoko and Rena got in as well. "Hold on, you lot." He said, before peeling out of the courtyard.
"So, you and Jamie coming to the Festival tonight?" Rena asked, as Adam drifted the Charger round a corner. "Definitely. Fuck all else to do." Adam said, before Rena gasped. "Adam, there's little ones present!" she said, before Rika looked at her from the passenger seat. "I'm not bothered." She said, before Adam looked in the rearview mirror. "Satoko, you don't mind, do you?" he asked, before the girl shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me." She said, before Adam smirked. "There you are, Rena." He said, before he skidded to a stop. "First stop: Ryuugu Household." He said, before Rena nodded. "Right, I'll see you all later tonight." She said, before getting out of the car, and closing the door behind her. Waving farewell to her, Adam drove off again.
In Jamie's Skyline…
"Right, well, I guess I'll see you later, Jamie. You will be picking me up, right?" Shion asked, leaning in the driver's side window, before Jamie nodded. "You can count on it." He said, before Shion nodded. "Alright, I'll see you then." She said, before leaning further in and kissing Jamie on the cheek, causing the poor boy to blush. "Alright, well, I need to get going. I'll catch you later." He spluttered out, before Shion stepped back, and allowed the Skyline to peel off.
Back with Adam…
"Right, Adam, I'll see you later." Rika said, as Satoko ran up the stairs to enter their house. "See you, Rika." Adam said, before the girl leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When she ran up the stairs after Satoko, Adam smiled to himself. "Maybe I should have let her kiss me a few weeks ago." He said to himself, before skidding off.
After driving for a while, Adam heard the walkie-talkie in his car blare to life. "Take a look behind you, bro." Jamie's voice said, before Adam looked to his wing mirror, where he saw his brother's Skyline behind the Charger. Picking up his walkie-talkie, Adam said, "Let me guess: You want a race?" Hearing an engine rev behind him, he saw the Skyline pull up beside him, and Jamie held up his middle finger, before speeding off in front. "Smartass." Adam said, before shifting his gearstick, and speeding up. "Alright, Jamie, I got something for your ass." He said, as he got in front of the Skyline again. Taking a look at the street in front of them, he pulled his handbrake, and turned his wheel to the side, causing his car to make a complete 180-degree turn, and he started to drive backwards. Lowering his window, he held his arm out, and flipped Jamie off. "Yeah bro, how do you like them apples?" he yelled, before his walkie-talkie came back to life. "Showoff!" Jamie said, before Adam smirked. "That's the Adam Robertson School of Driving right there, baby!" he said, before he looked in his rearview mirror. "Oh, shit!" he said, before turning his car back round, and managed to drift round the upcoming corner.
After the brothers arrived at their house, they parked their cars, and quickly got changed. After they exited the house again, Adam asked his brother, "Right, shall we start heading to the shrine?", but he raised an eyebrow when Jamie shook his head. "Yeah, sorry bro, but…I've got a date." He said, before Adam scoffed. "Come again? You've got a date?" he asked, before Jamie nodded. "Yeah, I told her I'd pick her up." He said, before Adam nodded. "Alright, get going." He said, before Jamie went to walk off. "Hey Jamie." Adam called out, causing his brother to turn back round. "Tell Shion I said hi." He said, before walking past his brother, who waited a couple seconds, after which Adam had disappeared, before shaking his head, and walking off in the opposite direction.
Arriving at the Sonozaki house, Jamie saw Shion standing outside, waiting for him. "You're late." She said, causing Jamie to smirk. "Yeah, sorry about that." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, since you're here, shall we get going?" Shion asked, before Jamie smirked. "Let's." he said, before taking Shion's hand, and the both of them walked through the town together.
As for Adam, he had walked towards the Furude shrine, and along the way, he had encountered Mion and Keiichi, who were walking along hand in hand. "Well, I'll be damned." He had said, before Mion and Keiichi blushed, and looked to their entwined hands, before breaking apart. "Shut up." Mion said, causing Adam to smile. "Don't worry. I'll tell no one." He said, before the girl smiled. "Shall we get going?" Keiichi asked, before Adam gestured forwards. "Lead on." He said, before following the two of them.
Eventually, Adam and his companions arrived at the shrine, where they saw a number of villagers were gathered, with Rena and Satoko standing off to the side. Greeting them, the trio looked round. "Jamie and Shion not here yet?" Adam asked, before he felt a hand tap on his shoulder. Turning round, he came face to face with his brother, who was still holding Shion's hand. "You talking about me?" Jamie asked, causing his brother to smirk. "And if I was?" he asked, before Jamie smirked and locked him in a headlock. "Alright, you wanna play like that?" Adam thought, before wrapping a leg round Jamie's, before decking his brother. "Sorry you had to see this, Shion." He thought, before he pulled Jamie to his feet.
"Alright, shall we have a look around?" Adam asked, before the Club agreed, and all of them started to walk round the festival grounds, where they visited a number of stalls, before Mion looked behind Adam, and waved. "Hello, Tomitake." she said, before the Club turned round, coming face to face with a young man carrying a camera, and a blonde woman next to him. "Hello, Mion. It's good to see you again." The man said, before the girl nodded. "Same to you. You taking some pictures of the festival?" she asked, nodding to the camera, causing the man to nod, before his eyes fell on the Robertsons. "Oh, hello! I didn't see you there." He said, before extending a hand. "Jiro Tomitake. Pleasure to meet you." He said, before the brothers shook his hand. "Pleasure's all ours. Adam Robertson." The younger brother said, before nodding towards Jamie. "That's my brother, Jamie." He said, before Tomitake nodded. "Alright, now only one introduction left." He said, before turning to the woman. "Miyo Takano." She said, bowing to the brothers, who returned the bow. "Pleasure." Jamie said, before Adam noticed Shion clenching her fist slightly.
"Anyway, it's been good to see you all, but we must get going." Tomitake said, before Takano cleared her throat. "May we actually talk to the Robertson brothers for a minute first?" she asked, before the brothers looked to each other, before nodding. "Sure." Adam said, before he and his brother followed the pair to beside the river.
"So, you two enjoying the festival?" Miyo asked, before Adam sighed. "Yeah, it's pretty cool, but I think you have something to tell us." He said, before Tomitake nodded. "Do you know about the dark myth about the Watanagashi Festival?" he asked, before the brothers shook their heads. "Well, I'll briefly summarise it." Takano said, before Adam nodded. "Shoot." He said, before the woman cleared her throat and started to explain…
"Since the night of Watanagashi in 1979, every year, on the Watanagashi Festival, two things happen without fail." She started, causing Adam to cross his arms. "What are they?" he asked, before Miyo smiled. "One person will die, and another will disappear. In '79, the construction manager was killed by his own workers, and was dismembered. Most of the pieces, excluding the right arm, were found, and the worker who suggested they dismember the manager's body disappeared. He was never found. This, the people of Hinamizawa came to think, was the start of what they believed to be 'Oyashiro-sama's Curse'." She continued, before the brother's eyes widened. "Holy shit." Jamie said, before Miyo nodded. "You want me to continue?" she asked, before Adam nodded. "Very well." She said, before continuing.
"A year later, the father of Miss Satoko Hōjō and his wife fell from a cliff viewing platform into the river below. Her father's body was later found, but her mother could be found. This was even worse than normal, as Satoko witnessed the whole thing." She said, before Adam shivered slightly. "Why have I got a bad feeling that the next year is even worse?" he asked rhetorically, before Miyo nodded. "In '81, it was the father of Miss Rika Furude himself who died, this time of what appeared to be a heart attack." She said, causing Adam's eyes to widen. "Damn. You wouldn't think she's gone through such a thing, with how she acts." He said, before Tomitake nodded. "May I take over here, Miss Takano?" he asked, before the woman nodded. "While Rika's father was the one who died, her mother was the one who disappeared. She believed her husband's death was due to the curse, and she supposedly drowned herself in the Onigafuchi Swamp to appease Oyashiro-sama, but her body was never found." He said, before the brothers nodded in understanding, while sharing the same thought, "Damn."
"And finally, last year, Tamae Hōjō, the aunt of both Miss Satoko and her brother Satoshi, was found with her skull caved in. The damage was so bad that she was unrecognizable. Immediately, the police suspected Satoshi, as Tamae would supposedly abuse him and his sister regularly. However, in a neighbouring prefecture, they claimed they caught the culprit, who turned out to be a drug addict who wanted to recreate the curse. The 'culprit' later killed himself by choking on a spoon. On Satoko's birthday, days later, Satoshi disappeared. When the police investigated, they found he had withdrawn all of his savings, as he was supposedly planning to run away. He was reportedly spotted boarding a train at Nagoya Station." Tomitake said, before the brothers sighed. "Shit." Jamie sighed, as the two adults nodded. "That's all we wanted to say." Miyo said, before they heard a bell go off. "Oh, that's the signal for Miss Rika's part of the Festival. You two should get going. Just…be careful." She continued, before the two adults took their leave.
"Let's go, bro." Adam said, pulling on his brother's arm. "Adam, you don't believe that there's a curse, do you?" Jamie asked, before Adam looked to him. "Later. We'll discuss this at home…later." He said, before Jamie nodded. "Alright, let's get going." He said, before the two of them met back up with the rest of the Club, then headed to the Shrine, where they gathered at the front of the crowd. After a while, they saw Rika come out, dressed in her shrine priestess robes, and Adam would be lying if he said that the sight wasn't…cute, if anything. "Enjoying yourself there, Adam?" Jamie asked, before his brother responded with a stamp on his foot. "Zip it." Adam spat, before looking back to Rika, who had picked up a rake-like tool and started to perform the ritual dance, before she started to pull the rake over a large batch of cotton multiple times. After she finished and left the stage, a man next to her started to scoop out bits of cotton, scrunch them into balls, and pass them round the crowd, who would take them down to the river, and set them adrift.
"So, what sin you setting adrift, Adam?" Jamie asked, as the brothers let their cotton balls drift off. "Like I'd tell you." Adam said, before a tapping on his shoulder caused him to turn round, where he saw Rika smiling down at him. "~Nippa!~" the young girl said, causing Adam to smirk. "Hey, Rika." He said, before the girl smiled. "So, you all having fun?" the blue-haired girl asked, causing Adam to smile as he patted her on the head. "Aye, we are." Jamie replied, making the girl smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." She said, before she spied Adam looking her up and down. "What do you think, Adam? Do you like it?" she asked, spinning to show off her robes, before Adam blushed in embarrassment, and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, it's very…cute." He said, before he heard Jamie snicker. "Shut it, bro." he said, giving Jamie the finger. "For once, Adam, I'm actually in agreement. She is cute in that." Jamie said, before Adam looked to Shion, who he could tell was silently fuming. "Thanks, Jamie." Rika said, before the older brother smirked.
"Well, Jamie and I need to get going. We've got some business to take care of at the house." Adam said, before Rika nodded. "Alright, we'll see you later, Adam." She said, before taking a running jump and kissing him on the cheek, to the shock of the Club. "Rika…what was that?" Keiichi asked, before Rika smirked. "I like Adam, so, why not?" she asked, before the Club looked to the boy in question, who was blushing. "Adam, she practically confessed to you there. What's your answer?" Mion demanded, before Adam scratched the back of his head. "It's…complicated." He said, before Mion growled at him. "How so?" Shion asked, making Adam to look to her. "Take, for example, Keiichi and Mion. They're close enough in age that nobody would bat an eyelash if they started dating." He started, causing the two specified to blush violently. "Rika and I, on the other hand, are too far apart in age for it to not raise questions. I mean, there's 7 years between us, for god's sake!" He said, causing the Club to smile. "But you are interested in Rika?" Rena asked, before Adam sighed. "Yeah, I am. But, as I said, I can't date her." He said, before he looked to his crush, who was still smiling. "I understand, Adam. I can wait." She said, before Adam bowed his head. "I know, Rika. But I still feel bad." He said, before turning to his brother. "Let's go." He said, before Jamie nodded. "Lead the way, bro." he said, following Adam off the grounds.
After the brothers disappeared, Mion turned to Rika. "Don't worry, Rika." She said, causing the girl to look at her. "About what?" the younger girl asked, before Mion smiled. "If it kills me, you and Adam are getting together." She said, before Shion scowled. "Mion, you heard Adam. He won't go out with Rika, until she's older." She told her sister, who smirked. "Oh, please. He wants to date her, he's just too proud to say it. And he's not the only Robertson we need to worry about, Shion." She said, before her sister blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about." Shion attempted to defend herself with, but Mion grinned and said, "Oh, really?", causing Shion to blush even more. "You seemed to be awfully friendly with Jamie. Is there something going on between you and him, or do you wish there was?" Mion asked, before the girl spluttered. "No, you misunderstand, it's not…" she tried to say, but the look she was getting from the rest of the Club, one that said, "You're full of shit.", caused her to lower her arms in defeat. "Yes." She said, before Mion smirked. "Well, we can give you a hand if you want." Keiichi offered, before Shion smiled. "You would do that?" she asked, causing her friends to nod. "Alright, at school tomorrow, we'll get started on the plan." Mion said, before the group said, "Yes, ma'am!" in agreement.
As for the brothers, they had just arrived back at their house, and had sat at the dining room table. "So, Adam, let's get to the important thing." Jamie said, as Adam placed a glass of soda in front of him. "Which is?" His younger brother asked, before Jamie scowled. "You know what, Adam. The information Takano gave us." He said, receiving a groan from Adam, who slammed his head into the table. "Alright, so let's review what she told us." He said, before raising his head back up. "Well, we got a construction manager, who got dismembered by his own men, one of which disappeared later." Jamie said, before Adam nodded. "Then, we've got Satoko's mother and father falling off of the viewing platform, with her mother disappearing, and her father being found dead." He continued, causing Adam to nod again. "Then Rika's father dies, and her mother suddenly vanishes." The younger brother took over, before Jamie nodded. "And finally, Satoko's grandmother dies, and her brother disappears." He finished, leaning back in his chair. "And so, the townspeople build a myth round this series of mysterious deaths, and call it a curse." Jamie said, getting a nod from Adam. "So, the real question is: Do we agree that there is a curse?" the older brother asked, before Adam shrugged. "Makes no difference to me." He said, causing Jamie to raise an eyebrow. "Adam, if this curse is real, every single person in this town is at risk. That includes us." He said, scowling when he saw Adam yawn, before finishing off his own glass. "Jamie, the only thing we need to worry about is if our contractor that hired us delivers on the payments they promised." He said, to the shock of his older brother, as he got up and went over into his room.
"Well, I don't know about Adam, but I'm starting to believe in this curse." Jamie thought to himself, finishing his own glass, before he got up and placed the glasses in the sink. Sighing to himself, he said, "I need a drive." Grabbing his jacket and flinging it on, he grabbed his keys and left the house, entering his Skyline, before driving off. Back in the house, Adam heard his brother's car pull off, and thought to himself, "I'm in the same boat as him. I need to drive.", before pushing himself off his bed, and exiting the house, locking the front door behind him. Next, he went to the garage, and entered his Charger, before pulling out, driving in the opposite direction that his brother had taken.
Eventually, Adam ended up at a cliffside overlooking the town. Getting out and locking the Charger behind him, he leaned on the hood of his car, and looked out over Hinamizawa, engrossed in his own thoughts. In his revelry, he failed to notice that someone was approaching him. It was only when he heard a twig snap, that his eyes shot open, his hand grabbed at his jacket, and a second later, the blade of a knife was embedded in a tree, above the shocked face of Rika.
"Oh, shit!" he said, as he ran up. "Rika, are you hurt?" he asked, sighing in relief when she shook her head. "Shocked, but I'm okay." She said, before Adam smiled, as he pulled the knife out of the tree. "Sorry, Rika, just acted instinctively." He said, sliding the knife back into his pocket. "It's alright, Adam. I was careless, and didn't announce my presence. You had every right to react the way you did." His crush said, making Adam smile. "I'm glad I missed." He said, before Rika smiled. "It's fine. What are you doing up here?" she asked, before Adam looked back out over the town. "Just admiring the view." He said, before he leaned back on the Charger. "Really? You didn't strike me as the type, Adam, who would be one to appreciate a good view." She said, pulling herself up to beside Adam. "Normally, I'm not, but I'd be a fool to deny the appeal of this." He said, looking to Rika, who he saw had raised an eyebrow. "There's something on your mind, isn't there?" she asked, before Adam sighed. "Damn, I swear I used to be better at hiding things like this." He said, sitting back on the car. "Yeah, I have something on my mind, Rika." He said, before the girl in question smiled. "Tell me. Please." She said, before Adam nodded. "My brother and I, we've got, what you would call, a part time job. And the workload we're getting is kinda driving us insane." He said, before Rika nodded. "Why don't you quit?" she asked, making Adam chuckle. "We need the money." He said, before Rika nodded. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask." She said, before Adam nodded, and opened the door to his Charger. "You want a lift home?" he asked, before Rika nodded. "Sure." She piped up, before entering the passenger side door. "Alright…" Adam said, sliding into the driver's seat. "Let's ride!" Slamming on the accelerator, the Charger sped off.
With Jamie…
"C'mon, you beauty!" Jamie said, as he drifted the Skyline around yet another corner. As he drove down the street, he saw a familiar figure walking down the pavement. Smirking, he slammed on his brake, causing the car to skid to a stop, directly next to the figure. "Hello, Shion." He said, after rolling down the window. "Jamie." She replied, looking in the window. "You want a ride home?" Jamie asked, before the girl shrugged. "Yeah, sure." She said, before entering the passenger side door. "Shall we?" she asked gesturing to the road. Smirking, Jamie shifted his gearstick, and sped off.
Soon after, the Skyline pulled up outside the Sonozaki house, and Shion looked to Jamie. "Thanks for the ride, Jamie." She said, before Jamie shrugged. "Don't mention it." He said, before Shion leaned over, and kissed him, this time, right on the lips. When she pulled back, she smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a while." She said, smiling at the blush on Jamie's face. "Same here." He said, before he leaned back over and kissed her again. This time, when they separated, Shion was blushing as well. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Jamie." She said, making the boy nod. "Sure. If you want, I'll drive you to school." He said, before Shion nodded. "Sounds good." She said, before exiting the car. After Jamie saw the door to the house close, he smiled, and slammed his head onto the steering wheel. "Well, fucking, done, Jamie!" he said, slamming his head repeatedly onto the wheel with each word. "Right, I need to chat with Adam." He said to himself, before shifting his gearstick and speeding off.
Eventually, the Skyline pulled up to the top of the hill, and Jamie took his hands off his wheel. As he waited for the lights to change, he heard an engine rev, as Adam's Charger pulled up beside him. "Where you been at, bro?" his younger brother asked over the walkie-talkie, making Jamie groan. "I believe you already know, Adam." He replied, picking his own radio up. Seeing his brother smile in the Charger, he groaned. "You wanna race?" he asked, before the Charger roared in response. "Loser cooks dinner?" Adam asked, before Jamie nodded, and revved his own engine. Looking up at the lights, the brothers built up a huge dust cloud. When the light turned green, the two shifted their gearsticks and sped off…
A/N: And that's a wrap! Again, sorry for the long inactivity, but when I start writing something fanfic-related, I get too wrapped up into it. Well, I'll see you all next chapter. Madman out!