2

12, April, 2011

Nanako smiled as her cousins came down the stairs. They were both fixing their uniforms, Yu buttoning up the last button on his blazer, and Yuri fixing the tie to the sailor fuku. She had already made breakfast of sunny side egg and toast. The two teenagers helped her by getting drinks ready and setting the table, something she was surprised by. She couldn't really remember the last time someone had sat down and had breakfast with her. Her smile increased a bit, receiving a small one from Yuri.

"Did your father go to work?" Yu asked as Yuri helped Nanako bring everything to the table.

"There was some kind of trouble, he won't be back," Nanako confirmed, "you're starting school today, right? My schools on the way, so…let's go together."

"That would be wonderful, Nanako-chan," Yuri said, a soft smile on her face as she picked up a piece of toast and bit into it, "the food's good as well."

It was a quick breakfast and, once everything was cleaned up, they headed to school together. There was a slight drizzle, so they stood underneath their umbrellas. Yu and Yuri had clear plastic umbrellas while Nanako had one from a tv show she watched. Yuri understood that it was a magical girl detective show, she wasn't too sure. The road to the high school wasn't long, but they easily passed the elementary school. Nanako stayed with them so she could point them in the right direction. Yuri turned her attention towards the river and squinted to see the water.

"Has the fog always been so thick out here?" She asked Nanako.

"For as long as I can remember it has, Dad might know more," Nanako answered, giving an apologetic smile.

"I might ask him later then," Yuri said, smiling back.

"You just go straight from here," Nanako said as she pointed up the road to where they could barely see an outline of the high school, "my school is back there, bye!"

"Excited?" Yu asked as they waved to their cousin.

"Hell no," Yuri sighed.

They started walking up the hill and a student on a bike went racing past them, only to crash it. The student was letting out pained sounds as he got up to his feet and brushed himself off. The twins shared a look and decided to leave him be, it would be best. Why did Yuri get the strangest feeling that they'd see that student again?

"What's bothering you most about school?" Yu asked.

"I worry that people are going to say horrible things about you, because of the fact that we should be third years," She answered, a frown appearing on her face showing how it had been on her mind.

"I think it was worth it," Yu commented, and she shot him a dubious look, "I have a best friend in all my classes and someone I can tell everything to."

He gave her a bright smile at that before looking forward and losing it. Yuri simply stared at the ground as her frown increased. Someone he could tell everything to, huh? She couldn't do that with him. She knew how he'd react if he heard some of the awful things people said about them, the insinuations of their relationship and their intelligence. She had perfect relationship with her twin, they shared secrets and hobbies though she had her own she enjoyed, and he had his. Her mood darkened further and she quietly sighed. It was like that everywhere they went, school and the hospital. Too many nurses liked to whisper behind her back when they thought she couldn't hear them. It didn't help that there was a lot of ammunition against her. Her own health was a topic amongst them. She shouldn't have made it to adulthood, but she did. They reached the school and headed into the building, folding up their umbrellas, and putting on their indoor shoes, before heading towards the administrative office and getting their schedules before heading to their foot lockers.

"Our classroom is two-two," Yu informed her as they put their shoes away.

"I think all the second years are up on the second floor," She commented as they walked up the stairs, "makes it easier to remember."

"Yeah, will you be okay going up the stairs?" He questioned.

He thought she'd give him a dirty look, but she simply nodded instead before heading up the stairs. There was a teacher waiting for them, a scrawny man with large teeth that stuck out of his mouth in an unfortunate manner. The man narrowed his eyes at them, and Yuri got the impression that he wasn't impressed by them one bit. It was nice, it meant that they'd be treated like everyone else.

"So, you two are the city transfers?" The man asked, his speech was rough, and it was obvious he disliked them already, "I should warn you that dyed hair of unnatural colours is prohibited by school rules."

"Oh, this is our natural hair colour," Yuri quietly said, and Yu decided she would be better received, "I have documentation if you need it."

"Bring it to the staff room after school and I'll make a copy of it," The man grumbled, and Yuri gave a small smile before nodding her understanding.

People like the teacher in front of her were easy to talk around. There had been several Doctors in the hospital she usually went to for check-ups. She gave a gentle smile and the man let out an annoyed huff. He grasped onto the sliding wood doors to the classroom and gave a harsh tug, slamming them open. Yu blinked at the man's attitude and narrowed his eyes slightly as he brought a hand up and placed it on his sister's shoulder. They headed into the classroom and heard the quiet whispering.

"Shut your traps!" The man snapped and the class fell silent as chalk was slapped into the twin's hands by the man, "I'm Morooka Kinshiro, your homeroom teacher from today forward!"

Yu and Yuri shared a look as they wrote their names up on the chalkboard. It was a standard introduction by a teacher, but they got the strangest feeling that it was going to quickly go off the rails. It was so odd.

"First things first! Just because its spring doesn't mean you can all swoon over each other like love struck baboon," Morooka continued his speech and the entire class blanched at his words, "long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow! Now, I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce the transfer students."

Yu and Yuri weren't holding their breath. The rest of the class was shooting them pity-filled glances. Morooka had to be infamous in the school if that was the reaction. Yuri let out a mental sigh while Yu's posture became rigid. He was going to make sure he didn't bring ire down on them, they didn't need that.

"These sad sack's have been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage," Morooka stated, and Yuri blinked in surprise while Yu came to the conclusion that the ire was worth calling the teacher out for horrible conduct, "this guy's as much of a loser out here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!"

"You calling me a loser?" Yu asked as Yuri glared at the teacher.

"That's it, you're both on my shit list, effective immediately," Morooka informed them as he narrowed his eyes in response, "now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one, you better not even think of getting involved with any of the students here. Let alone abusing them."

Yuri tuned him out and looked into the sea of students as he mentioned phones. Life-journals and my place? He was close to the actual names of websites, but she didn't care. A girl with light brown hair cut into a mop-top nodded to herself before raising her hand.

"Excuse me! Is it okay for the transfer students to sit here?" The girl asked, motioning towards the two empty desks near her.

"Huh? Yeah, sure," Morooka muttered as he was brought out of his rant, he turned towards the twins, "you hear that? Your seats over there. So, hurry up and sit down already!"

Yuri took the seat next to a girl with long dark hair that was held back by a red headband. The other girl had dark eyes that were a dark shade of grey. The dark-haired girl sent her a look of sympathy before taking out a notebook. It seemed that they were both shy around people they didn't know, Yuri just couldn't hide behind her brother.

"I'm Amagi Yukiko," The dark-haired girl softly said as she finally found her courage.

"Narukami Yuri," Yuri responded, "it's nice to meet you."

It was awkward, but the teacher yelling caused both to turn to their notebooks and start taking notes on the lecture. The lesson wasn't long, and the subject was strange due to it being the new semester, but it was oddly informative. Yuri hadn't expected much out of the man because of his rants. Why he was so invested in the lives of minors she'd never know. She sat back and placed her pencil down as soon as he finished.

"That's all for today," Morooka announced, "normal lectures will start tomorrow."

"Attention, all teachers," A calm female voice announced over head, the speaker causing her voice to crack with static, "please report immediately to the faculty office for a brief staff meeting, all students must return to their classrooms and are to not leave the school until further notice."

"You all heard the announcement," Morooka snapped at them, "don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise!"

"I wonder what happened," Yukiko softly muttered to herself, looking towards the window as the sound of police sirens began to grow.

"It would be nearly impossible to tell with all the fog," Yuri stated with a slight frown, annoyed at the fog.

Yu stretched slightly before getting his sister's attention. They quietly began to pack up their belongings and he sighed. It was just their luck that everything went to shit as soon as they started school. It really was. His desk mate looked between the two of them before cocking her head to the side.

"You two really do look nearly identical," The girl said, and Yuri nodded at that.

"It was worse when we were younger," Yuri confirmed smiling slightly.

"I wonder how long they'll make us wait," The girl said, rubbing the back of her head in thought.

"There's no telling," Yukiko commented, putting her belongings away in her school bag.

"I should've left before the announcement came on," The girl grumbled before perking up, "did you try what I told you the other day? You know, that thing about rainy nights?"

"Oh…no, not yet," Yukiko stated before smiling apologetically, "sorry."

"Ahhh, that's okay. It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like "my soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!""

Yuri thought that was very unlikely. It wounded more like he had fallen asleep and had a vivid dream. Yu looked towards her and it seemed like he had the same idea she did. They didn't say anything, not wanting to scare away any new friends they could make. Having anyone would be better than no one. The intercom buzzed to life and static filled the air.

"Attention all students, there has been an incident in the school district," The female voice from earlier announced, "police officers have been dispatched around the school zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds."

Well, that was difficult for Yuri and Yu to do. Their Uncle was most likely at the crime scene and they didn't want to bother him by calling. It was likely that he already knew as well. Yuri made a face as she rubbed the back of her head in thought. He wouldn't be home at a decent hour if that was the case.

"Do not disturb the officers, head directly home." The announcement ended after repeating the sentence one last time.

"Incident, huh?" Yu muttered, "Think Uncle Ryotaro is there?"

"That's likely," Yuri answered, "think he knows that we're leaving school?"

"It's likely," Yu nodded.

Yukiko looked between the two, the corners of her lips twitching slightly. She had been stressed for a while with how much work she was doing at her family inn, but something about the two cheered her up a bit. She couldn't explain it. Her best friend beamed at her before turning towards the two taller teens.

"Are you going home by yourselves?" She asked, "Why not come with us? Oh shoot, I nearly forgot, I'm Satonaka Chie. You know I sit next to you, right?"

"Of course," Yu confirmed.

"Well, it's nice to meet you!" Chie chirped before turning to Yukiko, "This is Amagi Yukiko."

"It's nice to meet you," Yukiko said to Yu before gaining an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry that this is so sudden."

"C'mon don't apologise like that it makes me look like I've got no upbringing," Chie joked, "I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all."

"Yuri and I are pretty much open books," Yu informed her and she cocked her head to the side in response.

Somehow, Chie really doubted that about Yuri. The female twin reminded her of one of the pattern books that Yukiko's mother looked through when placing an order for new linens. Beautiful, but complicated. It made sense that she seemed able to get along with Yukiko already. Someone stepped up to her and she looked over at them, raising a brow at who it was.

"Um, Satonaka-San?" The boy nervously called, a dvd case in his hands, "This movie was really awesome. Like the way they loved was just amazing and…I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please have mercy until my next paycheck!"

The boy pushed the dvd case into her hands before turning on his her and giving a quick wave. He was sweating bullets, obviously in fear of Chie. Yuri wondered what he did to be that nervous. You decided that whatever it was, they would just ignore it and go home. He wondered what they were having for dinner. Maybe they can order something, Nanako's choice.

"See ya! Thanks!" The boy chirped as he slowly began to walk away.

"Stop right there!" Chie yelled stomping up to him and grabbing onto the back of his uniform, "What did you do to my dvd?!"

The student let out a strangled sound as she stopped him from running. She stepped around him, fixing him with a glare before opening up the dvd case with a slight crack. There in the case was one of her favourite movies, split in half. Her anger was completely justified.

"What the! I can't believe that you cracked my Trail of the Dragon dvd!" Chie growled at him before bringing a leg up and kicking him in the crotch.

"I think mines cracked too…that was a critical hit to the nads," The boy said, keeling over.

"A-Are you all right?" Yukiko asked, knowing just how hard Chie could kick when she was all fired up.

"Oh, Yukiko-San…Are you worried about me?" He asked and Chie gave him a flat look.

"He's fine, Yukiko," Chie said to her friend as she put her broken dvd into her book bag, "let's ditch him and head home."

"Do you play soccer, Satonaka-San?" Yuri asked as they slowly made their way down to the shoe lockers.

"No, but I do enjoy Kung-fu," Chie answered, grinning at the taller girl.

Yuri nodded her understanding before changing into her regular shoes. Once they were all finished, they headed outside into the fog. It wasn't as thick as it had been that morning, but they couldn't see very far into the distance. Yu looked up at the sky and noticed the cloud coverage, did all the clouds mean it was going to rain again? He supposed that they'd have to make sure the window was closed before they went to bed. Yuri liked having some fresh air circulating through the room, and he didn't mind the smell of rain. They were about to strike up a conversation when someone stepped up to Yukiko. Yuri felt her stomach drop at the sight of the teen. He had to be her age. His eyes were dim, like a sharks, and his skin was incredibly pale. He looked like she did, but her excuse was illness.

"You're Yuki, right?" He asked and Yuri slowly loved behind her brother, "Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?"

"What?" Yukiko asked in confusion, completely baffled by his question, "Wh-Who are you?"

Someone whispered behind them about something called the "Amagi Challenge". Yuri brought a hand up to hold onto her brother's sleeve when the other teen started to get angry that he wasn't getting his way. That scared her, more then she wanted to admit. Because she didn't know what he was going to do. Yu narrowed his eyes at the teen and slowly stepped closer to Yukiko. The unknown teen was making his sister uncomfortable, that was enough of an issue in his book.

"So, are you coming or not?" The teen asked.

"I-I'm not going," Yukiko firmly denied.

"…Fine!" The teen snapped at her, he turned and stomped away.

"What did he want from me?" Yukiko asked Chie.

"What did he want?" Chie repeated before sending her a dubious look, "Obviously, he was asking you out on a date."

"I think she made the right choice in turning him down," Yuri quietly piped up, "something about him was off…I suppose it's better to be safe then sorry, yes?"

"Yeah, the way he asked was over the top and super creepy," Chie agreed, "it was even worse that he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

"Yo, Yukiko-San," The boy from earliest voice rang out as he walked up to them with a bike, "turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel…you got me the same way last year."

"I don't recall doing that," Yukiko stated, he might've talked to her when she was busy with schoolwork and her work at the inn.

"Are you serious?" the teen asked, "Would you like to hang out sometime?"

"I'd rather not," Yukiko bluntly replied.

"That'll teach me not to get my hopes up," the students muttered before turning towards Chie," you two better no pick on the transfer students too much."

"We're just curious is all!" Chie defended.

"I-I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yukiko apologised to her desk mate.

"Don't worry about it," Yuri waved off, "I don't mind being dragged in."

She did, but it was obvious that Yukiko felt bad. It wasn't like she was the one that had struck up the conversation. She looked to where that strange teen had headed, her mind not wanting to let him go. She was bothered by him. Even thinking about him caused an uncomfortable churning in her stomach.

"Let's get going," Chie stated, looking around at the crowd they had somehow gathered, "everyone's staring."

"So, what brought you to Inaba?" Yukiko asked the twins.

"We're staying with our uncle, our parents went on a business trip," Yu answered as they began to walk into the town.

"It's not the first time they've gone on one, but it is their longest," Yuri added a slight frown on her face.

Yukiko wondered if there was something wrong in their family. It was the oddest sensation, but she felt there was. She sighed quietly and questioned how she knew it. She shook her head, it had to be a guess. Conversational contexts that she picked up on.

"Oh, so you came here because of that?" Chie asked before giving a sheepish chuckle, "I thought it was something more serious."

"Is it always so quiet here?" Yuri asked, picking up on the silence surrounding them.

"Yeah, there's pretty much nothing here," Chie confirmed, "that's what makes it so nice, but there's not really anything to show people from the outside…though I think there's something from Mt. Yasogami, our dyed clothing or pottery is pretty famous…oh! We also have the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it, it's the pride of Inaba."

"Huh?" Yukiko asked, not expecting to be dragged into the conversation, "It's…just an old inn."

"It's been in a few of the travel blogs I follow," Yuri quietly commented, and her cheeks turned a pale pink, "I hadn't connected the last names…it's a beautiful building."

"Thank you," Yukiko said, a strained smile appearing on her face.

"So, tell me," Chie said, turning to Yu with a sly grin on her face, "you think Yukiko's cute, huh?"

"She's very nice," Yu said, trying to be polite.

He didn't really like being put on the spot like that. Yuri gave him a sympathetic look as Yukiko tried to save the situation. It was such a strange friendship, Yuri felt like Chie was taking dig at the other girl. It was even stranger when Chie played it off like she wanted to mess with the two of them. She didn't have enough experience with friends so she couldn't tell if that was normal.

"I wonder what's going on," Yu muttered as they came across a crowd of people.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street," A woman in an apron said to another.

"Wow. Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?" The other said, an excited expression on her face.

"I wanted to see it too." The first woman commented.

"You got here too late," The second one said, a slight frown appearing on her face, "the police and fire department took it down a few moments ago."

Yuri wondered what they were talking about. The twins shared a look before shrugging in unison. They shared a feeling of dread. Could whatever had happened be the misfortune that Igor had warned them about? It was possible.

"I think it's terrifying," Another woman said, "I can't believe a dead body showed up around here."

"Wait…what did she just say?" Chie questioned, dawning horror showing in her tone, "a dead body?!"

Yuri let out a sound of disbelief and reached for her brothers sleeve. She'd seen enough dead people to last her a lifetime. Yu placed a hand on her shoulder in quiet solidarity. He knew what was bothering her. He looked towards the crowd before inwardly wincing. Their Uncle was walking towards them with a frown on his face.

"What are you two doing here?" Dojima asked his Niece and Nephew.

"We were just passing by," Yu answered and Yuri nodded her confirmation.

"We weren't really good by the school where we could or couldn't go," Yuri quietly added.

"That damn principal, we told him to do so," Dojima grumbled.

"You two know this guy?" Chie asked, gaining Dojima's attention.

"I'm Detective Dojima, I'm their guardian," He informed her, "ohhh…well, how should I say this…hope you get along with them. But, you four need to stop wandering around and head straight home."

No sooner had he finished his sentence did someone rush past them. Yuri stumbled slight as she was pushed out of the way by the person. Yu made a grasp for his sister, but his Uncle was able to steady her before she hit the ground. Her shot a severe glare towards the person, who was currently losing their lunch in a nearby trash can. None of the teenagers wanted to be ok the receiving end of that glare.

"Adach!" He barked, "How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?"

"I-I'm sorry…" The person said before losing the content of their stomachs again.

"Go wash your face," Dojima sighed, "we're going to go around and gather information."

"Thank you," Yuri quietly said to him, gathering that the conversation had ended between him and Adachi, if one could call it that, "right, I needed to make sure you knew that I had to head to Iwatodai on the twenty-fourth for a check up at the hospital there."

"That's the Kirijo Hospital?" Dojima questioned and she nodded, "I guess their Doctors are better than the ones in Tokyo."

"That's the hope," She said and he caught the tone of her voice.

His niece didn't believe that anyone could help. He winced, somewhat glad that Nanako only had chronic stomach pains. He wouldn't know what to do if it had been as sever as Yuri's…but he'd do better than his sister. He made a mental note to be there more for his daughter, because he didn't want to see her end up with the same hopelessness he saw from his niece. He gave the four teenagers a curt nod before heading back towards the crowd to get information, he needed something to busy his mind.

"Was this what the announcement was about?" Chie asked.

"What do they mean…it was hanging from the antenna?" Yukiko muttered.

"It's strange, if it was a murder then it would be difficult to get a body up on a tv antenna without anyone noticing…" Yuri added, and Yu smirked slightly.

"Glad to see that your Clue skills are coming in handy," He quietly teased and she huffed in response.

"I like a good mystery…sue me," She grumbled.

"Would someone even be able to…" Yukiko trailed off.

"It's…unlikely," Yuri answered, knowing what the brunette was getting at.

Yukiko gave an uneasy nod before leaving with Chie. Yu and Yuri looked at the crime scene again, Yu knowing his sister had her attention grabbed the second someone mentioned the antenna. He took out his phone and checked his messages. Nothing from their parents or his friends. He put his phone away when his sister turned to him and tugged on his sleeve, their silent way of communication.

"Should we pick up something for dinner?" Yuri quietly asked him.

"I don't think Uncle would like it if we stopped along the way, maybe they have a takeout menu?" Yu shrugged, "You think this might be the beginning of the misfortune Igor was talking about?"

"It might," She said and they frowned in unison, "so much for a quiet year."

"Yeah…" He agreed, his expression falling flat before he turned to his sister, "bring me back a souvenir from Iwatodai."

That got him a light smack to the shoulder from her. He grinned in response, it was always easy to mess with her. They headed home and Nanako greeted them with a tiny smile on her face. They didn't really have homework due to what happened so they all sat around the tea table while watching tv, well Yu and Nanako watched tv. Yuri was working on her blanket. It was halfway done, and currently draped over her brothers shoulders as she worked on it.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…" Nanako said as she looked towards the clock.

"Do you want to order something for dinner? Your choice," Yuri offered and Nanako nodded, "all right."

The crocheting hook was put down and Nanako helped Yuri put a list together before they called a place. It was from a beef bowl shop, Aiya's. It hadn't even been ten minutes after ordering that their food was delivered by a teen with blue hair. They thanked her before paying. Apparently, they just needed to leave the bowls outside and she'd pick them up again. Nanako and Yuri set the table and got all the food together before digging in.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb," The news announcer reported as the group of kids ate their dinner, "Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba."

Yuri and Yu shared a look while Nanako let out a nervous sound. She didn't like where the news was heading, and Yuri understood her unease.

"The deceased has been identified as Yamano Mayumi-San, a 27 -year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…"

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where dad works!" Nanako exclaimed, gaining a slightly worried expression.

"It'll be all right," Yu said and Nanako gave a small nod.

"I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens," Nanako said to them.

"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state," The news announcer continued, "with the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow."

Yuri paused in her eating as she thought about the information they'd been given. So, the woman had been found hanging from an antenna, but how did she get upside down? Doing such a thing would be difficult for a human to do, even one that was physically fit. So how? Her head started to hurt, so she stopped thinking about it.

"They found her on the roof?" Nanako muttered before looking down at her bowl of beef, "That's scary… Oh, it's Junes!"

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" The commercial stated, the speaker was a woman standing amongst product lined up neatly on the shelves, "Every day's great at your Junes!"

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang at the end, a large smile appearing on her face before she sent an expectant look at her cousins.

"Do you like that song?" Yuri asked as her brother repeated the tune.

"Yep. It's popular at school too." Nanako informed them.

Nanako keeps singing the song over and over. Yu and Yuri knew exactly what she was doing, she was distracting her mind so she wouldn't worry about her father. Once dinner was done Yuri took the bowls outside like the girl from Aiya told them to do. She stood outside a little longer and let some of the rain hit her face. She hadn't even noticed that it had started to rain. She headed back inside, planning to take a shower before going to bed.