Part B

We cancelled the day's club activity, on account of Keiichi's absence. Rena and Mion went their separate ways when school had ended. I decided to go to Okinomiya. Satoko wanted to come along with me. I wanted to go by myself, but I had already gone home alone the other day. If I said that I wanted to go alone again, Satoko would become suspicious. Everything was going along well! I couldn't risk ruining my good fortune!

I made up a story that I wanted to go to the candy stores and the toy stores. Kimiyoshi-san gave me money for taking care of the shrine and the Saiguden so well. I took care of those places all by myself. It was a small reward he wanted me to have. I wanted to refuse it, but he would never accept it. It was a perfect excuse for me to go to Okinomiya. I could also "just happen" to want to visit the police station to speak with Akasaka since I hadn't seen him for awhile.

Satoko and I changed into our casual clothes and got on our bikes. The ride was enjoyable. Satoko spoke about her talk with Mion. She said how she and Rena were going to arrange a special little picnic up in the mountainside for Keiichi and Mion. All this talk about romance…of course it irritated me, but I was still so curious about Rena.

"How's Rena feeling?" I asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Satoko glanced at me as we rode side by side.

"I'm just curious, that's all."

"Oh, I think I know what you mean!" She smirked. "You're talking about Rena-san's heart!"

Exactly. I just had to be sure.

"Yeah, Rena-san's perfect with everything! Heehee! I know she had a thing for Keiichi-san too! Those faces she made when she hugged him and stroked her cheek against his, they weren't because of her usual 'Cute Mode' antics! There was love behind them!"

"And Rena's fine with everything?"

"Yep! She actually pushed Mion-san to do this little charade! She was very adamant about it!"

Rena overcame her demon by giving up her chance with Keiichi. She was in love with him, just about as much as Mion was. Rena became so angry, frustrated, selfish, and territorial over Keiichi that she had us all killed in the first world. In the world where Mion took her place and posed as Shion, Rena sacrificed her love for Keiichi in order that she could be free of her nightmares and the demon. It was either carnal pleasure or the deaths of her friends. In the end, she made the right choice and grew strong.

Rena was still very much in love with Keiichi, but she channeled that love in a different way. She wanted him to be happy more than anything. She grew to be so selfless. I was proud of her!

"So what else are we going to do in Okinomiya?" Satoko inquired.

"I just wanted to buy some candy and maybe a toy from the store! Kimiyoshi-san gave me a reward for taking good care of the shrine and the Saiguden! He told me to get something cute!"

"Just don't let Rena-san see it!"

"Haha! I also wanted to see Akasaka since we're in the area. Is that okay, Satoko?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" She giggled. "I was actually going to ask you if I could see Nee-Nee! I haven't seen her much lately!"

Shion. We were in a different world now, so I doubt there was any chance of Shion's demon appearing. I was cautious, but I had to see how this world played out! Shion may still be in danger! It was good that Satoko was going to see her. If Satoko noticed anything wrong with her, I'm sure she would tell me! Satoko told me everything!

We came to Shion's apartment building. Satoko practically rushed up the stairs without even thinking. When she noticed that I wasn't following her, she inquired about me staying behind. I told her to go have fun with Shion. I would be fine by myself. She quickly agreed. When it came to Shion, Satoko lost all of her reason and focused only on her Nee-Nee. It made me job a whole lot easier. I didn't need her to be by my side when I would go to see Akasaka.

I walked for the past few blocks by myself…however I knew I truly wasn't. I could feel Hanyuu's presence as I walked along. She was hovering right behind me. I felt her breath on the back of my neck. It was so bizarre for me to feel a ghost-like entity like Hanyuu. The both of us were connected because she was my ancestor. To be more open, she was Furude Ouka's mother, another ancestor of mine. Hanyuu was the one who was slain all those years ago. The stories that were passed on through Hinamizawa lore said Ouka had killed the demon god, who some believe to be Oyashiro-sama. Hanyuu wasn't a demon. She wasn't a monster at all…

To think, everyone else in the world could see Hanyuu not too long ago. It had only been a month since she vanished from the physical world. I blamed it on her dwindling power. She used everything to create that one world where we had defeated Takano, and what little power she had left was draining. Did she return to her ghostly form because she lost her power to stay human? Did everyone forget about her because of that same reason, that her power, her link, to the world was gone? I had no idea.

Even though Hanyuu wasn't in a human form anymore, she was still part of our group. She had always been there for us, even when nobody but me could see her. Her spirit was always by our side. I wished that she could be human again, I prayed as hard as I could for that, but if this was the way things had to be, I had to accept it. It was better than not having her at all. If I didn't have Hanyuu in my life, if she disappeared for good…my life would lose its meaning. Hanyuu was my friend, my ally…the mother I never truly had for these one hundred and one years.

I came across the police station. This was my next step. The sooner I spoke to Akasaka about the issue regarding the Keima Clan, the sooner he would learn about Abbot Ayatsuri, and the sooner he could be stopped, assuming he was our true Enemy. And in turn about discovering Ayatsuri, Akasaka could then learn about TOKYO. This was the next phase…

I pushed open the doors and stood in the main lobby. I was greeted by an officer behind the main desk.

"Hey there, little lady! S'there something you need?"

"Um," I stood on my tiptoes and placed my hands on the edge of the desk. "C-Can I speak to Detective Akasaka, please? It's very important!"

"You need Mamoru? Gimme one sec." The man left his post and scooted down the corridor. I hoped that he wouldn't take long.

"Oh! Is that Rika-chan?" someone said behind me.

I looked over my shoulder.

Hanzaemon was standing behind me. He got down on one knee and smiled brightly at me. "It's so good to see you again! Hey, I'm still really sorry about knocking you down like that yesterday!"

"…It's fine!" I returned his simper.

"You're friend…Houjou-san…she must hate me, huh?"

"Satoko's a great girl! She doesn't hold too many grudges!"

"…Too many grudges, huh?" He frowned. "So, what're you doing all the way out here? Did something happen in the village?"

"No, I just wanted to say 'hello' to Akasaka!"

"Man, Senpai's the luckiest guy in the world!" He shook his head with envy in his voice. "He gets pretty girls to visit him! I get all the old bats and cantankerous old crows!"

An elderly woman sitting in the lobby coughed. When Hanzaemon saw her, she gave him a death glare. He laughed nervously and hunched his shoulders.

"See what I mean?" he whispered. "That lady's been bugging me about her lost cat for a whole week now! We're crime fighters! Why doesn't she just call a private detective or something? She's barely letting us get any work done with her nagging!"

"A kitty cat!" I raised my hands and moved them around like the paws of a cat. "Meow! Meow!"

His face grew red. He turned his eyes and scratched behind his head. "Haha…yeah…"

"I like kitties! Do you like kitties Hanzaemon?"

"Huh?"

He was surprised that I just called him by his last name. Young children were supposed to add honorifics to every adult or superior. I, however, managed to get away with it because I was a V.I.P. in the village, just like Kimiyoshi and Sonozaki Oryou.

"Ah…yeah. I guess they're okay…"

I frowned and hung my head.

"Ah! I mean, I love cats! Yes, sir! Can't get enough of those cats!"

I warped my face back into a childish grin. "Me too! Kitties are great!"

"Uh-huh…"

"I see you met Furude Rika-san, Takuma!"

"…Oh! Senpai!"

Akasaka Mamoru stood beside him. He was looking down at me with soft loving eyes. "Hey there, Rika-chan!"

"Akasaka!"

I don't know what came over me, but I leapt into his arms. He picked me up and hugged me tightly. I put my arms around his neck and held him as hard as I could. I loved this man. I had known him ever since I was very young. After a century, I took quite a shine to him. He was so kind, so determined, and he loved his family and friends. He was a wonderful man.

"It's great to see you!" Akasaka tucked his arm underneath me to hold me up. "How're you doing?"

"Great!" I smiled cutely. "Hanzaemon and I were talking about kitty cats!"

"Yeah, kitty cats." Hanzaemon looked embarrassed. "Love those things, ha, ha, ha…!"

"I thought you hated cats, Takuma!"

"Shut up!" He looked at me, and then back to his senpai. "I-I-I never said that! What gave you that idea?"

"Well, just yesterday you helped Akamura-san find one of her lost cats, and you came back into the station saying, 'I hate cats!'"

"Y-You don't have any proof!" Takuma folded his arms and turned his head.

"Haha, yeah." Akasaka's smile left him. "Did you look into those things I've been telling you about?"

"Oh those?" Hanzaemon's childish demeanor left him as well. I noticed the stern gaze he was giving Akasaka. "Yeah, I left a full report on your desk! It's all there for you to read!"

"Alright, good! Thanks, Takuma! With punctuality and good work ethic like you have, you'll make lieutenant in no time!"

Takuma wove his hand. "Like that's gonna happen! It'll be ten years before I ever get to that position! I have to fit the part of the new guy for a little while longer! It'd be weird for you if I suddenly became your superior, Senpai!"

"It would be! It'll be even weirder when you'll be calling me 'Mamoru' instead of 'Senpai!'"

"You'll always be my Senpai though!" Takuma winked.

Akasaka was getting uncomfortable. "Quit it…"

"Hehe! Sorry! Had to bust your chops just that one time!" Hanzaemon walked closer to us. "I better get back to work! Akamura-san's cats aren't gonna find themselves now! Stupid old bat!" He whispered the curse under his breath.

The old lady coughed again. She was about ready to strangle Hanzaemon right then and there!

"Oh shi-! Ugh…" Hanzaemon hung his head. He stuck his hands into his trouser pockets and stomped off.

"I like Hanzaemon!" I smiled to Akasaka. "He's a funny man!"

"That guy's a little weird and he gets lost all the time around the village, but he's a great cop!" Akasaka turned to me. "He's very dependable and he knows his stuff! It's hard to believe that he's thirty and I'm younger than he his!

"I heard you met Takuma yesterday! He said that Satoko was going to kill him because he bumped into you!" Akasaka laughed.

"Haha! Satoko will be fine!"

Akasaka let me down. He knelt down to my level. "So an officer said you requested me! You wanted to talk to me about something? The officer said it was urgent!"

I nodded. "Yes! That's right!"

"You okay, Rika? Did something happen in the village?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I just…"

He caught on to my hesitation. I didn't want to say much where everyone could hear me. I figured if I lowered my voice enough and shift my eyes around so he would notice. He could tell that I was nervous.

"How about we go to my office? It's private! You can me anything you want in there!"

He took me by the hand and led me down the hallway.

The station was a lot busier than I thought. The lobby didn't have many people there, but there were dozens upon dozens of police officers running around doing all sorts of work! Were they all working for Akasaka? I remember reading in the newspapers that Akasaka had transferred to the Okinomiya Precinct to work there, after Oishi-san retired. Akasaka was given much adulation for solving the bizarre chain of deaths that was once known as Oyashiro-sama's curse. The only rank I ever heard his peers call him was detective. Even so, he had authority over everyone in the station! Did they respect him that much for all that he did?

Akasaka opened the door to his office. His workspace was very tidy and every file he had on his desk was organized. The light bulb that hung from the ceiling was dimming though. It cast an eerie glow over his office. It was something like in those noir styled movies. I heard stories about them, but I never had the opportunity to see one. I only heard about those movies in the magazines or on television. They used to be quite popular in America they said! Akasaka would definitely fit the role of the goody goody cop who does no wrong! I could see him wearing those suits and with a fedora on his head!

Akasaka took a seat behind his desk while I climbed into the chair in front of it. He flipped through some of papers that were neatly stacked in the middle of his desk. After he scanned through them, he folded his hands and smiled at me.

"So what's on your mind, Rika-chan? What can I do to help you?"

I gave much thought to my next few words. I couldn't just tell him that I knew about the Keima Clan outright. I had to be delicate. I needed to get him to bring it up first and work from there. If I let on to the fact that I knew about the Clan, he'd be bombarding me with questions and that would waste precious time! I had to do this just right!

"How's work going, Akasaka?" I ignored him and smiled as cutely as I could.

"Huh? Um…it's fine. Nothing out of the ordinary really."

I saw his little finger twitch

"Really? Working at the station's been boring for you?"

"It keeps me busy! Everything's been pretty quiet since last month! We needed a break after all that!"

I nodded. I stood up from my chair and walked around his office with my hands behind my back. I hummed a little song to myself. I felt his eyes upon me. He watched my every move.

I looked over my shoulder at him.

He looked away.

I knew he was hiding something from me. Was it about the Keima Clan? It had to be!

I stood in front of a bookcase. My back was turned to him. "Everything's okay, Akasaka?" I made my voice sound more adorable. Maybe I could get him to crack if I flaunted my charm on him.

"Yeah! It's fine!" Akasaka stood up from his seat. He walked over to me. "Rika? Didn't you want to talk with me about something?"

"Did I?" I giggled. "Did I say that?"

Akasaka raised his brow.

"Akasaka!" I turned to face him. I looked up at him with the same soft loving eyes that he showed me before. "Hinamizawa is peaceful now all thanks to you! You beat all the bad guys up for me! I'm in your debt! Nipah~!"

"Ah…yeah, right." He looked at the wall.

"There's nobody left to hurt anybody anymore! Hinamizawa is perfect!"

He didn't answer. I just saw a crooked nervous smile cross his mouth.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. "I'm glad we have you on our side, Akasaka! If something bad ever came up again, I know I could count on you! You'd be my hero! Actually, you are my hero!"

He petted my head and sighed. "Yeah…thank you for saying so…"

"Hmm?" I raised my head up to him again. "What's wrong, Akasaka?"

He pretended that he wasn't listening to me.

"Nothing bad's going to happen…right…Akasaka…?"

He grunted. He rubbed his neck and heaved another sigh. I think I may have worn him down! He was too easy! Akasaka loved me, so it was easy to get anything I wanted from him! You just had to know how to work him over!

"All the bad guys are gone…right…?"

"…Rika…"

"Akasaka…? What is it?"

"…I don't think I should tell you this but…"

I had him!

"Why not? Can't you talk about it? You seemed troubled…"

"It's just that…" He looked back down at me. "I don't want to worry you…"

"You can tell me anything! I'm your best friend!" I giggled again.

"…Rika…please…"

"Tell me what's wrong! You can trust me!" I held out my little finger to him. "I won't tell anybody! Pinky promise!"

He smiled wryly at me. He saw that I had backed him into a corner, and unless he wanted to die by me smothering him with my charms, he'd do best and come clean with me.

He extended his little finger too. He hesitated, but soon curled his finger around mine.

After a quick shake, he walked back to his desk and took his seat. I jumped back in my chair and placed my hands over my lap. It took him a while to gather the right words. I hung off of everything he was going to say to me. Anything he said, no matter how insignificant it was, could end up being a great help to me.

"Rika," he began, "you need to promise me that what I'm going to tell you doesn't leave this police station! You understand?"

"Silly! We pinky promised!" I laughed. "I already promised that I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Right…good…good. I just wanted to make sure." He turned his head, but then turned it back to me a few seconds later when he mustered his courage. "I thought that everything would be okay if the police and I dealt with this alone, without having you worry about a thing, but…you really should hear this, now that I think about it. You're the leader of one of the Great Houses…I think you deserve full closure. I apologize that I've been keeping this from you for a while now."

"I understand! You were only trying to protect me!" I smiled at him.

Akasaka smiled wryly one more time before he gave me his stern gaze.

"Rika…have you ever heard of the Keima Family?"

I only knew what Hanyuu told me, about Keima Katsuhiro and his connection to the Onigari-no-Ryuo. That was all she could remember. There wasn't much else besides the name Kami Ousama and the presence of the Clan.

"I think I may have read about it in the library when I was doing a report for school," I lied.

"They used to be a part of the Great Houses here in Hinamizawa. You know that the Keima Family had a connection with your very family, Rika?"

"…Not really."

"Well, you see, they were a close friend of your family's for thousands of generations, according to legend. Keima Katsuhiro was the first Keima, a farmer that was chosen by Furude Ouka to guard the sacred Onigari-no-Ryuo after she had slain the demon god. They forged a friendship that lasted for thousands of years. It ended back in the 60's.

"Keima Katsurou was next in line to take over the divine duty of protecting that sword. It was going to be past down to him by his father, who was a very good friend of your own father. Katsurou's father wanted to take his family and leave Hinamizawa for some reason or another. Long story short, your father and the village cursed him for abandoning his duty. Katsurou's father later died, along with his mother."

"What happened to Katsurou?" I asked intrigued.

"He was visiting Hinamizawa with his wife last year. It was around the time of the Watanagashi Festival. Katsurou's wife was killed by a hit-and-run driver while he disappeared."

Keima Katsurou…he went missing last year? But…that was when Satoshi had disappeared too! That was when his aunt was killed!

"The wife's death and Katsurou's disappearance occurred after the festival," Akasaka continued. "Because of that, it wasn't added to the bizarre chain of deaths. Besides, not many people knew Katsurou had returned to Hinamizawa at all! Only the police and the Kimiyoshi Family knew about it!"

Kimiyoshi knew about this Keima Katsurou? If the Keima Family was such great friends with the Furude Family, why didn't he tell me anything? Why was Kimiyoshi keeping this a secret from me?

"How does Kimiyoshi-san know about Katsurou?" I asked.

"Apparently Katsurou did something to anger the Kimiyoshi Family. I asked him several times during my investigations, but he never gives me a straight answer! He keeps saying how he 'broke the taboos of Oyashiro-sama!'"

The taboos? That could mean anything! Katsurou left the village with his family, so he already broke one of the taboos. The only other law he could have broken was entering the Saiguden! Only I and Kimiyoshi could go in there! But…if Katsurou was blessed by Furude Ouka for guarding the Onigari-no-Ryuo, which was sealed within the statue of Oyashiro-sama in that very place, then how could he have been cursed? Perhaps my father removed those blessings from him? I didn't know! Why didn't Kimiyoshi tell me anything?

"Kimiyoshi never answers my questions! He's hindering our police work!" Akasaka leaned back in his chair. "The department knows about Katsurou because one of our own actually interviewed him after the death of his wife!"

"Who as that person that interviewed him?"

"Oishi-san."

So Oishi met Katsurou before? Could he know anything else about him?

"Oishi-san even filed the report after Katsurou's disappearance. He said that Katsurou was believed to be at the Onigafuchi Swamp when he disappeared. Only a necklace and cassette tape was found at the scene. We here at the station call it a disappearance, since nothing else has turned up concerning him. Although…there are other people who claim that the disappearance was actually…murder."

Murder?

I stood upright in my seat. "M-Murder…?"

"Yes! These people believe that Katsurou was murdered by members of the Sonozaki Family! They believe that Kimiyoshi put a hit out on Katsurou because he angered that House and endangered Hinamizawa!"

"…Which people are you referring to…?" I already knew the answer now.

"…They call themselves the Keima Clan." Akasaka folded his hands and rested his chin on top of them. "They're a cult! They believe that Keima Katsurou is a god! They believe that he is the one called Kami Ousama!"

Kami…Ousama? Keima…Katsurou…was this Kami Ousama that Hanyuu told me about? How was that possible…?

"Akasaka…I'm confused." I shook my head. "Why do they think Katsurou is a god? I thought he disappeared!"

"He's a 'god' because he was blessed by Furude Ouka! The Keima Family was said to have the power to manipulate demons and commune with the dead. They say this power was passed on through the centuries up to Katsurou. One man calls himself a witness to that power! That man leads the Keima Clan!"

"Who is that?"

"I did some digging into this group just recently and I uncovered a name…Ayatsuri, the Abbot of the Keima Clan!"

Hanyuu had told me about him! This was Akasaka's enemy in that dead end world of 1993! This was the man who was our prime suspect! The King Carrier!

"To be honest," Akasaka said, "I feel as if I know the name before. When I was researching the group, my mind wouldn't get that name out of my head! When my investigations turned up new information regarding the Clan, I found him! I don't know how I know his name…but…it's strange!"

Even Akasaka was having memories of those worlds too! That was perfect! We were already a step ahead! We were off to a great start!

"So what does this cult do exactly?" I leaned forward in my chair.

"We don't know much, except for the casette tapes we found on some suspects we brought in for questioning. They all played the same thing: they talked about demons, sin, the human spirit, and about the very powers of Keima Katusurou!"

"This tape…that started the cult?"

"It's one of the factors!" Akasaka rose from his chair and came over to me. He knelt down to me and placed his hand on my leg. "There's still so much more I don't know about the Clan yet, but when I find out something, I'll let you know!"

I was quiet for a moment. "Is that it?"

"…No. There's more." Akasaka frowned. "You're involved in this, Rika…"

I felt my heart cease its beating

Akasaka pulled an envelope from a stack of papers from his desk. He held it in front of me. His eyes were glued to my own. "Remember when I said that your father cursed Katsurou's family?"

I nodded slowly.

"…They haven't forgotten about that! They blame the Furude Family for Katsurou's death and the torments he had to undergo! They blame them, the Kimiyoshi Family, and the Sonozaki Family for his death! They blame even you!"

"…Why me?" For the first time in a while, my voice broke with fear.

"They want revenge for what your father did to their god!" Akasaka shook the envelope in his hands. "Kimiyoshi got this letter not too long ago! It was written by the Keima Clan and it mentions you and Kimiyoshi by name!" He swallowed hard and furrowed his brow. "It's a death threat!"

I was right! The Keima Clan was targeting me! They were targeting me because I was a Furude! They blamed me for everything that happened to Katsurou just because I was my father's daughter! I was their enemy!

The Clan were the ones that killed me all those times! Those demons in the night, the ones who murdered me, the ones who started that Great Fire! They did it! They were responsible for everything that ever happened to me!

Abbot Ayatsuri was our Enemy! He manipulated Rena into killing her friends! He made Mion murder in the name of a love that turned into lust! He made Shion lose her reason and forced her to kill Teppei and Irie! If this man came into contact with Katsurou, the heir to the Keima Family, Kami Ousama, then he acquired the ability to control demons! He could control the demons in a person's heart! He controlled us as the King Carrier and as a the leader of the Keima Clan!

But what about TOKYO? I couldn't forget about them! They had to be the ones that supplied Irie with all that cyanide! The Clan also had those drugs in the world dead end world of 1993! They couldn't get their hands on that without help! My fears continued to grow as Takano reentered my mind. I still pondered her involvement, but according to Hanyuu when she observed Akasaka's world, Takano was dead! She had died in 1983, our year! I still wasn't sure if she faked her death or not, and that frightened me even more! If she and Ayatsuri were indeed cooperating…!

"Rika? Rika, are you okay?" Akasaka threw the letter back on the desk and held my shoulders. "Rika!"

"…Akasaka…"

I hugged him. I never felt a fear like this before! I was always concerned about my opponents when Hanyuu and I theorized, but to know who my true enemies were…that cut me down to the bone! I couldn't think and I couldn't even speak!

"Rika! Listen to me!" Akasaka held me tight and never loosened his grip. "This is scary, I know! But you gotta have faith in me! I'll stop anybody that comes near you! I promise you that! I should have told you all of this sooner, and I'm sorry! I thought I could keep you safe by protecting you this way, but I was wrong! I should have told you before! But I'll do everything I can to make this better! I'll protect you, I swear!"

I looked at him.

"Whether it's the Clan, or anybody else, I'll stop them cold! I'll keep you safe! I'll make sure of it!" He smiled reassuringly at me.

I took a few deep breaths, but that didn't subside the fear I had in my heart.

"Rika," he said as he held me, "I'm worried about you! Let me help you! I can't any chances!"

"What do you mean?"

Akasaka released me and went to the phone on his desk. He dialed a short number. "Yes, hello? Get Detective Hanzaemon over here right now!"

He hung the phone up and returned to me. "Everything will be alright now, Rika! Trust me!"

I looked at him dumbly. "What do you mean, Akasaka?"

The door to his office opened. The goofy cop stood in the threshold with that hanky wiping at his forehead.

"What's up, Senpai? You want something?"

"Yeah."

He walked over to Takuma. He stared him down. He clenched his fists hard and spoke very sternly to his partner.

"You're going to be Rika-chan's bodyguard!"