5. Invasion

Shouwa 57 (1982)

Something is in the air today. I feel as if I don't recognize Satoshi anymore. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, cutting up vegetables for our dinner. I already stopped waiting for a loving touch from him. He's too afraid of Mion. He thinks if he caresses or kisses me, he might not see her in time. I'm afraid too. Not because I've read his diary entries of the last week. It is because I actually saw Mion two days ago. She's spying on us. Together with Satoshi's diary entries, it makes perfect sense. Onibaba didn't forgive us, as I thought. I was so naive. A Sonozaki with a Houjou. She wants to rub that shame out as if it had never existed. One sister is enough. Kill the twin. Kill the traitor and everyone who belongs to him. Mion is cruel enough to perform the bloody rites of Onigafuchi on her own sister. As long as she thinks it has to be done for the family, she'll do it.

An hour passes. I don't see Satoshi. But I know how afraid he is. Waiting for our execution is the hardest part of it.

Ahaha, what am I thinking?

We're living in the late Shouwa era. Mion told me often enough. No torture, no executions anymore. The dark times of Onigafuchi belong to the past. Come on, let's be happy, Satoshi-kun! If we both believe in it, it will happen! Let's be free and love each other!

My eyes are filling with tears. My heart is filled with so many different emotions, I want to scream. Then, finally, I hear steps. It's Satoshi. Come and embrace me, my love. If his hand touches my head and rubs my hair gently, everything will be alright and the whole world will disappear, leaving this heavenly feeling as the only reality.

Then, all at once, with a deafening crash the window pane breaks into little pieces and somebody jumps in. I turn around as fast as I can. But before I can even understand what is going on, I see Satoshi and Mion engaged in a fight. Satoshi is holding a knife and Mion is fighting him with a wakizashi. "I'm sorry, Satoshi-kun, but I won't let it happen!" Mion screams. I never even heard her scream. As unreal as it seems, this is happening. Even a short sword is more devastating than a knife can ever be. Satoshi can't even use the knife properly. It's such a sad sight and I feel an uncontrollable wave of pure hatred rising inside me.

After he desperately parried one or two of her blows, Mion's wakizashi slits Satoshi's throat. Blood starts spurting out at once and he tumbles to the ground. An icy chill flows through my whole body and tears spurt to my eyes. I start to sob and scream uncontrollably. Satoshi will die within a few seconds. And as I can't save his life ... I'm going to send Mion right after him.

Mion walks toward me with her hands raised in the air. "Shion, you must hear why I did this! Please, only one minute. Then you can decide ..."

Before she can react, I seize the wakizashi from Mion's hand. "Not even a second, big sister."

I slash Mion's stomach. With a shrill cry, she falls to the ground and squirms in pain.

"You know why I didn't cut your throat, don't you? Please savor your well-earned death, Mion!"

Mion, on the ground, tries to speak while the pain is contorting her face. "Shion, you got it all wrong ... Satoshi was walking up to you with the knife. He was going to kill you! He's sick with paranoia!"

I can't help but laugh out loud. "Poor Mion, even your last excuse is just as stupid as everything you said or did in your whole life!"

"Please look into his diary ... it must be in there. He feels threatened by you! You know I was watching both of you ... it was easy to see!" She moans in agony.

"Well, if you think that, just take a look at it!" I flip the pages, looking for the part about Mion's weapons. Then I put it in front of Mion's eyes. "He felt threatened by you, see?"

For a moment I only hear her moaning. She takes the diary with her bloody hands and flips the pages herself. Then she speaks with an unexpected clear voice. "You got it really wrong, Shion ... This is you he's talking about! You told him about the secret, didn't you? Mion! That's your real name!"

"Yes, I did tell him that ..."

"However, I was also wrong ... He didn't want to kill you, he just wanted to show you that knife and ask you what you were intending to do with it!"

I can't say anything for a while. Then a fit of laughter shakes me like an earthquake.

"Ahahaha, poor Mion, we must be the most stupid, pathetic beings in the world! The Sonozaki twins are two bloody fools who don't deserve to live! I must go now ... See you soon, in hell!" I'm screaming like a madwoman. But nothing fits better in this situation.

Then I run away. I don't know where I can go. Just run. Although deep down I know that won't help me unless I could run away from myself ...