5. Chapter 5: Acceptance

Chapter 5: Acceptance

Part A

There were at least six police officers in my apartment. They were all in my bathroom looking over Kasai's body. He had left me just like that.

I had called Takuma immediately after I found Kasai on the bathroom floor. He rushed over with Akasaka as quick as he could. When they got to my apartment, along with their men, they took the painkillers that were beside Kasai and began taking pictures. They were examining every single inch of my bathroom. They even started to examine every other room in my apartment. I couldn't stand watching this any longer.

I stepped outside onto the balcony. I gripped the parapet hard. I could have broken it because of how hard I squeezed. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Everything was supposed to get better, right? Everything was supposed to be fine! Then why…why did Kasai have to die?

A hand touched my shoulder. Takuma had a sullen look on his face. He didn't know what to say. I turned and suddenly embraced him. I don't why I did, but I did. I stuck my face into his chest. He held me and gently rubbed my back.

I wanted to cry. I desperately wanted to cry, but I couldn't. The tears just wouldn't come. I was so guilty. I cried so much over myself that I didn't have any more tears for Kasai. I was such a selfish human being.

"C'mon, Shion," Takuma said softly to me. "Let's go to my car. I think you should sit down."

I didn't respond at all. He left my grasp; he stood next to me, wrapping his arm around me and holding my own arm that was right next to his chest. We came down the steps of the apartment building and walked over to his car. He opened the door to the passenger seat. I sat there, but my legs were sticking out of the car. He knelt down to my level; I was facing him. My eyes were locked onto the pavement.

"I'm really at a loss for words here, Shion." He touched my hand. Takuma looked almost as sad as I was. "I'm thankful that I could be here to help you though. You did the right thing calling me."

I remained silent.

Takuma pulled a taped recorder from his jacket pocket. "This is gonna be tough, but I'm going to need your official statement. I promise it'll only take a minute. Just let everything out, okay? Let's get this over with as quick as possible. Can you do that?"

I nodded.

He clicked the record button and started speaking into the microphone. "This is Hanzaemon Takuma, Okinomiya Precinct. I'm with Sonozaki Shion, a witness to the death of Tatsuyoshi Kasai. Now, Sonozaki-san, can you please tell me everything you know about this incident?"

I was quiet for a few minutes before I mustered the strength to speak. "I woke up this morning to find Kasai lying on my bathroom floor dead. There was a bottle of painkillers next to him. I don't know what it's supposed to mean…I don't think I want to know though…but that's really it."

"Did you speak to Tatsuyoshi-san at all last night?"

"I did, right before I went to bed. He was taking care of laundry and straightening up the apartment. That was the last time I saw him."

"The pills that were near him, I can only assume he took a heavy dose which led to his death. Did Tatsuyoshi-san ever have any suicidal tendencies? Or perhaps thoughts about suicide?"

I glared at Takuma. I bared my teeth at him. My canines were like fangs, waiting to be sunken into the flesh of certain prey. "Kasai would never kill himself!" I was yelling at him. "How could ask something like that?"

Takuma hit the pause button. "Easy, Shion! I didn't mean to offend you! But I have to look at it that way until we find evidence that disproves that idea!"

I understood what he was getting at, but just the way he said it angered me. I knew Kasai all my life! He wouldn't kill himself! He had no reason to! He was a happy guy! Why would he die this way though? Something was amiss! Something wasn't right about the whole thing! What wasn't I seeing?

Takuma pocketed his tape recorder. It looks like he didn't want to continue this, he got what he wanted. "Please, Shion! I know exactly how you feel, but work with me here!"

I shook my head and rubbed my temples. "I'm…sorry….Takuma…I didn't mean to snap at you like that…"

"It's fine, don't worry!" He patted my hand. "Please just know that I'm doing my best to help you! I'm not trying to hurt you!" He smiled warmly.

"…I know you're not…"

He pondered something. "Hey, why don't I take you somewhere? I'll buy you some ice cream! Would you like that?"

"No." I said sternly.

"Oh…alright…" He rubbed the back of his neck and fidgeted where he squatted down. "But…what if I took you to Hinamizawa? I'm sure you could use your sister or Satoko-chan right about now. I can take you to your sister's house! It's no problem at all!"

"I want to stay here."

"Huh? Why?"

"I want to stay here." I repeated, much colder than before.

Takuma gave up. He looked all around the interior of his car. He had no clue on what to do next. I wouldn't let him take me anywhere or I didn't want to see anybody. I just wanted to be by myself.

"Everything was supposed to work out," I mumbled.

"Hmm? What was that, Shion?"

I looked him in the eye. His eyes widened as he looked into mine. He must have seen something he didn't like.

"I was blessed by Oyashiro-sama's priestess. That blessing was supposed to make everything better…it was supposed to relieve me of my sorrows and pain…but Oyashiro-sama only increased my suffering."

He frowned at that name.

"What did I ever do to him?" I clutched my pajama bottoms. "What did I do to deserve all of this abuse? Why does he hate me so much?"

"I told you he's a selfish god." Takuma looked at me now. This time, I was taken a little aback by his gaze. "He punishes people even though they didn't do anything wrong…"

"He's a monster," I gritted my teeth as I went on. "I hate him…I hate him…!"

Takuma continued to stare at me. He was emotionless. He was merely watching me vent.

I turned so that my body was fully in the car. I threw my hands down upon the dashboard. "Why?" I yelled. "Why is he doing this to me? Dammit…dammit! That bastard! He ruined everything! He ruined my life!"

My body felt light. My head was filling with thoughts and desires. My heart burned and my stomach was tied in knots. I wanted Oyashiro-sama to experience everything I felt! I wanted him to suffer like I suffered! But I couldn't do that! I couldn't do that to a god!

"Shion." Takuma touched my shoulder. His blank eyes were looking into me. "Stop."

I expecting his voice to be full of concern over my current state, but his voice was so dull. There was nothing behind it. His eyes were empty as well. There was no sign of life within this man.

"Why are you wasting your breath against such a selfish and evil god?" He began to squeeze my shoulder. "You thought a blessing was going to help you? That kind of shit doesn't cut it in the real world, I'm afraid…"

He wasn't hurting me, but the sensation I felt from him was so bizarre. I can't describe it. I felt my blood boil.

"But maybe, just maybe…there is a way to get back at him."

"How?" I replied quickly.

"…There is a way to make him pay…you can attack him directly if you do it just right!" His voice was filled such malicious intent.

I saw something emanating from him. A venomous crimson mist was coming out of his pores. It circled around him. It enveloped his entire body and it wrapped around my own body. It crawled to my abdomen, my chest, and to my neck. It tickled my neck and I felt it lick me. It traveled to my lips. It forced itself down my throat. I was gagging. I tried to spit it out, but it wouldn't come up! The mist kept choking me!

It forced me to look at Takuma. His eyes were different. The dull eyes I saw before had changed. They were burning gold with a red slit in them. These eyes weren't human! They were…they were…

"Demonic?" He said.

He was reading my mind? How did he…?

"Everyone has a demon…don't they? Rena said that, didn't she?"

"How…did you know…?" I was still coughing.

Takuma grabbed me by the throat. He was applying so much pressure to my windpipe that he was going to snap my neck in two! I wrestled against his grip but I couldn't get him off of me!

"I know everything…Shion…" He squeezed me tighter. He brought his face closer to mine. Our mouths were a few centimeters from each other. "I know there's something awful inside of you…!"

I was running out of air. Drool was dripping from my chin.

"We're not so different, you and I." His breath was so cold. I could see it every time he spoke. "Actually…we're the same!"

"Let me go…let me go!"

"Talk to me..." He released my throat and held my face in his hands. His skin was just as cold as his breath. "Let me help you…I can help you cope with that demon. Accept him! All you have to do his accept him and he won't bother you ever again!"

"Stop it…let me go…please!"

"I…can save you…Shion…"

He pressed my cheeks together. He applied just enough pressure until I heard a sickening crack. I heard horrible sloshing sounds and the sound of droplets of water hitting the floor. My whole world went red and then it turned to black. When I opened my eyes, I was still in Takuma's car. I held my head. It was hurting so much! Why was it hurting like this?

"You're awake!" A warm and concerned voice spoke to me. "Are you alright, Shion?"

"Kei-chan?" I looked to my side. Takuma was right next to me.

I screamed and backed all the way into the driver's seat of the car.

"Get away from me! Get away from me!"

"What are you talking about, Shion? It's me! Takuma!"

His eyes were their original color and his voice was back to normal. The crimson mist wasn't around him anymore. Takuma was his old self again.

"T-Ta-Takuma…?"

"Yeah, that's right! What happened to you?"

"That…That's what I'd like to know…" I rubbed at my head furiously. I shook my head several times before I looked at Takuma again. He was still the same.

"Shion?"

"What happened, Takuma? Did I pass out?"

He grimaced. "You were saying all sorts of weird stuff. You were talking about Oyashiro-sama and you started having hallucinations! You thought something was choking you and killing you! You told it to stop and leave you alone! You looked so afraid of me!"

It happened again, just like with Rena. My whole world was changing all around me. The demon was coming back again, I felt it. It was altering my reality to frighten me, to let me know it still had power over me. My demon manifested in this world. It took the form of Takuma, since he was the closest to me, and attacked me. It had done this with Rena in the exact same way!

Even though that was just a hallucination, my throat was hurting immensely and my face was throbbing in the real world. The demon's form was much more frightening as well. Takuma's aura was more malignant than Rena's. I sensed anxiety, rage, depression, desperation, deceit, and lust within that foul air. All of those feelings were mine! The demon was getting stronger by the day! It latched onto my friends and tried to attack me through them! The next hallucination would probably be the end of me…or the end of them!

Takuma took out his hanky and held it out to me.

I backed away from him. I knew this was the real Takuma, but my reflexes couldn't help themselves.

"I won't hurt you! Please, let me help!" He was so kind and so warm. He was just trying to help me, but I was afraid.

I hesitated, but in the end, I took the handkerchief. I wiped my face clean and around my neck. Takuma let me keep it. He knew I would need it.

"Shion…you really need someone to look after you. I'm worried about you! Let me call your sister! I want to make sure you'll be okay! I'm not taking 'no' for an answer!"

After the police had finished scanning my bathroom, they left for the station. Akasaka went back with them while Takuma stayed with me until Mion came to get me, against my wishes. I just wanted to be alone, but Takuma persuaded me to have Mion come to pick me up. Takuma told me that he would let me know the second he found anything regarding Kasai. I thanked him. I also apologized for my sudden freak out. He ignored my apology and said that he just wanted me to get better.

I got on the back of Mion's bike and we rode to Hinamizawa, after Takuma spoke to her in private. We didn't talk at all. Mion couldn't find the right words, much like Takuma. Mion must have been struggling to think up a solution to help me. She must have been thinking all about what Takuma told her, whatever that was. Mion also was probably trying to think of what not to say to me, out of fear of setting me off.

We arrived at the Sonozaki head house a little while later. Kei-chan and Satoko were waiting for me. Satoko embraced me and grieved for my loss. Kei-chan was very quiet. He frowned and joined Satoko in the embrace. He tried to rub my head, but Mion pushed me into the bathroom so I could freshen up. I could have used that head rub…

I was in the bath now. I slipped off my pajamas and was soaking in steaming hot water. I wanted to go back into my apartment to get fresh clothes, but Mion and Takuma insisted that I should go to the village right away. I had to borrow Mion's clothes. After my bath, I borrowed one of her spare yellow shirts and her jeans. I was basically her, although I kept my hair down. I didn't have my ribbon in my hair though to make myself look more elegant. I just had to deal with it.

I stayed in the guest room by myself for the longest time. The hours that past seemed like mere minutes. This week was basically a hell on earth. Teppei returned to take Satoko, there was murder or a disappearance at Onigafuchi Swamp, and my demon was attacking me with full force. My mind was so fragile. I would break at any moment, I could tell. I was damaged beyond repair. I didn't think that boy could even help me now. I was a vase that had been shattered, with no hope of being put back together.

"Shion?" Mion stood at the door to the guest room. "Can I come in?"

I allowed her entry. She sat in front of me. She was twiddling her fingers.

"How's Satoko?" I asked so robotically.

"She's well." Sis grinned a little. "She's so worried about you though. She keeps asking me how you're doing. She wants to see you, but I know you wanted to be alone for a while, so I have Kei-chan keeping her busy."

"She's a sweet girl." I didn't return the grin.

Mion scooted closer. She took my hand into hers. "Shion…I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault…"

"I can still be sorry!" Sis sighed loudly. "You're such a mess! Why is this happening to you?"

"I wonder the same thing."

She gently traced her nail along my palm. "Hanzaemon's gonna take care of this! He promised me he would do that! He's crazy about you, you know?" She laughed lowly. "You really worked your charms over him, huh? I think he likes you!"

I was quiet. I sat there and didn't open my mouth at all. Mion was growing more and more uncomfortable by the awkward silence.

"Shion? Can you please talk to me?" Mion gripped my hand. "I can't do anything for you unless you tell me! Please, speak to me! Let me know that I can do something for you!"

"You can't stop what's growing within me." I held my stomach. "It's growing by the minute and it won't stop. It's going to take control over me soon…it'll consume me…"

Mion closed her eyes tightly and looked away from me. "Kei-chan…he told me about this..."

"About my demon?"

"Yeah…he did." She tapped at the floor with her finger. She was getting nervous. "What…what really is that thing?"

I was the one frowning now. "If I told you, you would hate me."

"What? I would never hate you! You're my sister! We're twins!"

I feigned a smile. "Even so…you'll find a way to hate me."

"I won't hate you!" Mion held my shoulders. "Please, just tell me what's been bothering you! I want the honest truth about what this demon really is!"

"You should already know the first part of it, Sis." I averted my gaze. "Remember how I was shipped away to St. Lucia? How I had to show my distinction? How Satoshi-kun was taken from me?"

She nodded slowly. She didn't want to remember how much torment I had to undergo. She also didn't want to remember how she stood there and watched me pluck three of my nails out.

"All of the anger and sorrow I felt from those times…they created another side of me, a demon. It's actually funny, you have the demon tattoo on your back and I'm the one stuck with this devil." I laughed. "This demon takes control of me whenever it sees fit and makes me hallucinate. It's been trying to turn me against my friends. It almost…made me kill Rena."

"Kei-chan told me about that too. But you stopped yourself! You have power to stop these bad feelings then!"

"It's not that easy." I looked back at her. "I need something to take my mind off of it all. I need something…someone to ease my pain and my aching heart. This is where the second part comes in."

Mion titled her head at me.

"Please…don't make me say this, Sis…I really don't want to!" My voice choked up.

"Say it! Get it off of your chest!" She smiled at me. "It'll make you feel better!"

I sighed. I feared what Mion would do. I had to trust her though. She was my sister. She said she wouldn't hate me no matter what.

I looked at the floor the whole time. My arms wrapped around my stomach.

"I…I…I'm…I'm in love with Keiichi…!" I raised my voice.

Mion looked at me blankly. Was she angry? Did she hate me? What was she feeling? Oh God…why did she have to make me say this?

A few tears came into my eyes. They always came for me, but not for my friends. "I'm selfish! I'm sorry! I know how much he means to you, I even told you to confess your feelings to him! And here I am, falling in love with someone who shouldn't even be mine!"

She turned from me.

"I'm in love with Satoshi-kun too! I don't know what's going on with me, but Kei-chan is special to me! I like him, I love him! I can't help it! I love it when he's near me, when he rubs my head, when he touches me, when he holds me…I can't deny it any longer! The more I refuse to face it, the more the demon takes advantage of my vulnerability!"

I bowed to Mion. My forehead touched the floor.

"Forgive me! I'm so sorry for this! I can't help it though! I tried to stay away from him to give you room, but my feelings kept growing stronger and stronger! I-I-I…"

"That's enough, Shion!"

Mion turned to face me again. I didn't know what to expect from the sound in her voice. I was afraid of her. I was afraid of she would do to me. When she looked at me, her face didn't have any sign of fury. Her eyes held no contempt for me. She wasn't mad at all! She was smiling at me!

"Ahaha!" Mion was honestly smiling. "You know, I always had a feeling you liked him! There's nothing to be ashamed of! If that's how you feel, then that's how you feel! Even if I was mad at you, I couldn't force you to stop loving him!"

"You're…not angry with me…?" I was so flabbergasted by her. I was certain that she wasn't going to accept that!

"Of course not!" She laughed again. "I actually liked Satoshi too when he was around us! I guess we're even now! Ahaha!"

I was beginning to smile as well.

"But listen here!" Mion shot me her iconic mischievous look at me. "Just 'cause you confessed that, it doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with it so easily!"

"Huh?"

"You forced me into this position with Kei-chan, and I'm not going to stop as I'm so close! I'm not gonna give up!"

I giggled lightly. "I really wasn't expecting you to."

Mion laughed her usual hearty laugh. "C'mon, enough of this serious talk! You're someone who could use a nice a game! Tell ya what: let's play with Kei-chan and Satoko, and then we'll get some special treats! Takuma specifically asked me to care of you! I'll do it for him, somewhat but not much, but I will take care of you because you're my sister!"

"Mion…"

"We're going to be twins in our next life aren't we?"

I nodded strongly. "I want that!"

We embraced each other. At that moment, just for a second, I felt hope.

Part B

Sis, Kei-chan, and Satoko were at my every beck and call. They brought me food, candy, tea, and they even played some games with me to take my mind off of Kasai. I would never forget what happened, but they kept trying to cheer me up. I appreciated everything that they did for me. I didn't deserve their kindness, but they smothered me with love. They were too nice to me.

I lay in the bedroll of the guest room. I was on my side, curled up into a ball, just staring at the dark wall. I wasn't fatigued, despite when I had been through. I didn't want to sleep, but I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I just wanted to stay here in this dark room.

I was waiting for Takuma to call. He said he would talk to me once he found out something. I waited all of the afternoon and most of the evening for him. He had to have found something by now. Why was it taking so long? I need to know why Kasai had to die!

The moment I thought of that, I heard the phone in the hallway ring. I was about to go and snatch it from the hook, but I heard someone coming down the hall. They were trying to be very quiet. I think they wanted to be courteous to me because they thought I was sleeping. I heard the person pick up the phone.

"Hello, Sonozaki residence?" It was Sis.

I put my ear to the door to my room. I listened as closely as I could.

"Oh, hey! I didn't expect to hear from you so soon! What's up?"

Was she talking to Takuma right now? It had to be him!

"Uh-huh…alright…yeah…no…are you serious?" Her voice grew tense. "You're sure all of that is right? Oh man…"

What? What did he say to her?

"Alright. I won't. Thanks for the update, I really appreciate it." Her voice was now sullen.

Sis hung up the phone and proceeded elsewhere. I needed to figure out what was going on! I gently slid my door open and crept down the hall after her. She walked to the living room. I stuck my head out a tad, just enough to see Satoko, Kei-chan, and Mion sitting at the small table there.

"Who was that?" Kei-chan asked.

"That was Hanzaemon, Akasaka's partner at the police department. He has news involving Kasai's death."

"Really?" Kei-chan was getting excited. "Did he find out what really happened?"

Mion spoke darkly. "Hanzaemon thinks it's a murder."

"Murder? Is that for certain?"

"It is. Remember I told you what Hanzaemon said he found when he saw Kasai's body? He found a bottle of medically prescribed painkillers. Well, it turns out those weren't painkillers! That bottle actually contained poison!"

"What do you mean poison?" Satoko was beginning to shout. "You mean someone was trying to kill Nee-nee and Kasai?"

Mion gestured to Satoko, telling her to keep her voice down. "That may very well be! The painkillers according to the pill bottle's label, Hanzaemon says, is something you can get in most convenience stores and most hospitals! He said you could find this brand in Okinomiya as well as in Hinamizawa! Somebody replaced the pain pills with poison! He doesn't know why or how, but he suspects that someone is trying to kill Shion!"

"Why would anybody want Shion dead?" Kei-chan was getting furious. "What did she ever do to anybody?"

"Nee-nee's a good person! This is so stupid!" Satoko beat the floor with her hands. "Where would anybody get poison?"

Mion rubbed her chin. "I have no idea, but Hanzaemon's looking into that. In the mean time, he wants us to look after Shion. He wants us to make sure that she's safe and that she doesn't leave this house for anything! We need to protect her until Hanzaemon figures out what the hell is going on!"

"We'll watch out for her!" Kei-chan and Satoko spoke in unison.

"Also, we can't let her find out about this! She's fragile as it is! I'm afraid she might lose it if she finds out that Kasai was murdered!"

I stood there, motionless. Not a single strand of my hair moved. Not even an eyelash fluttered. My mouth was so dry. My throat was beginning to hurt again. My stomach was killing me.

Kasai was murdered? I knew he would never kill himself, but I couldn't accept the reality behind the news. Somebody killed my Kasai. Who? Who the hell would want to kill Kasai? If he was killed, then was I the next target? I was the closest to him! Was somebody trying to kill us? What the hell…?

The floor creaked from under my foot.

"What was that?" Mion shot a quick look over to where I was.

I hid behind the wall again.

I heard her get up. She was coming over to me!

I crept quickly and quietly to my room as fast as possible. I tiptoed all the way there and gently shut the door. I crawled back into my bedroll and pretended to be asleep. A few seconds later, Mion opened the door to my room. I felt her eyes on top of me. I could feel them examining every detail of how I was lying down. She shut the door and returned to the living room couple of moments later. Once she left, I took a quick breather. That was too close!

I sat up in my bed and pondered what I had heard. So those painkillers were actually poisonous? Where did I get poison from? Those were supposed to be pain pills! Takuma said you could get the pills, namely the brand I had, at any convenience store or hospital.

Wait a second. You could get them at any store or hospital. I remembered that I got the pills from Hinamizawa the other day. I didn't get them at 7th Mart. I got them when I was at the Irie Clinic.

Something within my mind snapped. The clinic, I got the painkillers at the clinic. But they weren't painkillers, they were poison. Then…that means…Irie gave me poison? That wasn't true! That couldn't be! He didn't have a single bad bone in his body! He wouldn't kill anybody! He wouldn't try to kill me! He wouldn't kill Kasai!

But…who was I kidding? The facts were all there! I got the poison from Irie himself! Did he know that he gave me poison? Did he make some stupid error that cost my friend his life? It didn't matter…all I knew was that he gave me poison, and that it killed Kasai. It could have killed me too! I had to find out the truth behind this! I wasn't going to let this go! I had to figure this out!

I wasn't going to wait until the morning. I wanted to know now. It was around ten o'clock. Kei-chan, Satoko, and Mion were all asleep. They were tired from playing all day again so they went to bed early. That was my chance. I sneaked out of my room and checked each of their rooms quietly. They were all fast asleep. That was good. I had to do this as quickly as possible! I needed to get this done and return to the Sonozaki house before I was missed!

I borrowed Mion's bike and rode all the way to the Irie Clinic. I stuck to the shadows for the majority of the ride. There was no one out at this time of the night. I didn't have to worry about being spotted. I just hoped that I would continue to be as lucky as this.

I parked the bike at the side of building. I walked to the front door. The lights were still on, but there was no one in the lobby. I entered through the doors and stood in the lobby; I made sure that there was no one else around.

The lights were on in Irie's office. I saw his silhouette. He was working at his desk, unbeknownst to the fact that I was here. I walked up to the office door and knocked three times, very loudly.

Irie got up from his seat and opened the door. "I'm sorry but the clinic is closed…oh, Shion-chan!"

He smiled goofily at me. It made me sick.

"What are you doing out here so late? You need a quick check-up?"

I only looked at him with these dull and blank eyes.

"Huh? Are you sick? Do you need an examination? You don't look so good!"

"I know about the pills." I was going to bullshit around. I wanted the honest truth right here and now.

"Eh? What are you talking about? What pills?" He looked confused.

"Don't give me that!" I pushed him into his office. I slammed the door shut and I locked it. I faced him with a fire in my eyes. He was startled, but he wasn't truly afraid of me.

"Shion, I seriously don't know what you're talking about! Why are you so upset?"

I lowered my voice. My brow wasn't furrowed anymore. I looked depressed.

"I was in this office not too long ago. You gave me some medication for some pain I've recently been experiencing. I brought it home but I didn't take any of the pills yet because didn't feel any pain at the time. However, last night, Kasai took a pill."

I saw his eyes dilate behind his glasses.

"You know what happened to him? He died. He died right in my bathroom." I clenched my fists.

Sweat was dripping down his temples.

"The police called my sister a few hours ago. They examined those 'pain' pills you gave me. Turns out that they're actually poison." My voice grew colder.

Irie backed into the wall. I slowly walked towards him. Now he was afraid. I had caught him!

"Why did you give me poison, Irie? Why would you go and do a thing like that?"

"Shion…please…listen to me…!"

"I never harmed you in any way, so why? Why would you want me dead?"

"Shion…! This isn't what it-"

"WHY!" I screamed. My approach continued. I stomped my feet with each step I took.

"Shion, please!" He shot his hands out in front of him. He was waving them furiously. "You have to listen to me!"

I suddenly stopped.

He loosened his neck tie and tried to catch his breath. "Shion…are you listening?"

I didn't respond to him. I only stared at him.

He cleared his throat. "I…" Irie was quiet for a few more minutes before he finally began. I could sense the fear inside of him. I could taste it. It was taking over him. "The police are right…those pills that I gave to you the other day…they are indeed poison."

My eyes twitched.

"They are a highly concentrated dosage of Cyanide. They were put into pill form and distributed under the guise of the common pain reliever medication. I've had these for a real long time now…I've never used them before…"

My eyes didn't leave his face.

"I…I…please…don't make me say-"

"Why did you give me Cyanide, Irie?" I barked. "Why did you try to kill me?"

I saw tears forming in his eyes.

"Why did you try to kill me?" I yelled louder. I stomped my foot forward.

"I didn't mean for it to be this way!" He fell on his hands and knees. He was sobbing. "I never wanted any of this to happen! Please, believe me! I never wanted anybody to get hurt!"

"Then why?"

"Why what…?"

"You said you didn't want any of this to happen. You didn't want anybody to get hurt. If that's true, then why give me poison? I never did anything to you! Why try to kill me? Why kill Kasai?"

"I…I…" His sobbing only increased.

"You're lying to me."

"I'm not lying!"

"Liar!" I rushed over to him and stomped on his back. I kept stomping on him harder and harder. "Liar! Liar! LIAR!"

His grunts of pain only made me attack him harder. I wanted to hear him scream in agony.

"This-is-all-your-fault! Give him back! Give Kasai back to me! Give him back!" I kicked his face, screaming at the top of my lungs.

Blood shot from his lip and his glasses flew off of his face.

I huffed and looked down on him. I was out of breath just by this simple attack. I wasn't through though! I lifted him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall. I punched him in the stomach and punched his face until my arms gave out.

He slumped down to the floor and spat up some blood onto the floor. I placed my hands on his desk and breathed heavily. I didn't feel my arms anymore. I was so hot. I couldn't form a single thought in my brain. My body was merely acting. My brain had nothing to do with anything.

Irie struggled to get back on his feet. He spat some more blood from his mouth. He sat on the examination bed next to the window. He coughed.

"I…wasn't lying, Shion…" He was starting to cry again. "I never wanted anybody to die…but I had no choice! I couldn't do anything! It was this…or…"

"…What?"

He looked away from me. "Things are complicated…I had to do it…there was no other option…"

"I don't care what you did…and what you feel! The fact is that you killed Kasai! And you tried to kill me! I don't care about anything else! I'll…I'll never forgive you!"

"…I'm not expecting you too…but please…let me go. I'll tell the police everything! I tell them everything I know! I'll do it! I promise!"

I gripped the sides of the desk. There was a syringe and a scalpel near my hands.

"Just let me go! I'll tell them everything! You'll never see me again! I swear! I'll do it all for you! I'll do it to atone for what I've done to you!"

I slowly turned my face to look at him.

"You promise?"

"I promise! I swear I'll do it right now! Just let me go and do it!"

I released the desk and faced him. My eyes were looking at the floor.

"You can follow me every step of the way to the police station! You can confirm everything I do!"

"…Irie…?" I wiped some tears of my own away. "I'm…sorry I did this to you…"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing! You're right to hate me!"

"I'm so sorry…"

My body was trembling. I was sniveling.

He got up from the bed and staggered over to me. He didn't touch me. He just looked down at me. "I'll do whatever it takes to do the right thing…from here on out! I want to make this right!"

"I…I'm sorry…"

"You're sorry? You're not guilty of anything here! I am!"

"I'm sorry for all of this…for everything…I'm sorry I couldn't do a better job…! I failed…!"

"Shion?" His hand reached out to me, but he hesitated.

"I'm…I'm so sorry…Keiichi…I'm so sorry…"

"Shion…?"

"But…I…can't…hold…on…any longer…it's too…strong…for…me…"

"What's wrong?" Irie's voice was shaking.

"I…tried…so…hard…but I…I…can't…stop…it…anymore…I…don't…want…to stop it anymore…!"

He touched my shoulder.

"Ha…ha…ha…ha…hahaha…"

"Shion? What's wrong with you?"

"Hahahaha…hahahaha!" I began to lift my head up.

Irie could only watch in horror as my face lifted up to see him.

I was heaving. I was breathing so hard. Sweat poured down my face and my lips kept curling.

"Shion! What's going on! What are you-"

There was this disgusting sound that came from him. Something dripped onto the floor. A small groan came from his mouth. His hand left my shoulder. He held his stomach. He dropped to his knees in front me. He looked so scared.

"Kukukukuku…NYAHAHAHAHAHA!" I threw my head back and stuck my tongue out of my mouth. I was holding the bloody scalpel in my hands. "You thought I was going to believe you? You think I was going to buy all of that crap? You silly, silly man! Nyahaha!"

Irie crawled to the door of his office. His blood was smearing all over the floor.

"Like I was really going to let you go! After everything you've done to me, you'd be lucky if I let you go with just a scratch! No…you're not going anywhere…Manager…!"

"Sh…Shion…" His speed increased by a small fraction.

"You're gonna pay for what you did!" I picked up the syringe on the desk. I looked lovingly at it. My teeth flashed as I saw my reflection in the chamber. The needle glistened in the light. "I don't care…I don't care anymore! I don't care if I destroy my mind! I don't give a damn about anything anymore! All I want is for you to die! I want you to suffer like I suffered!"

Irie was out of his office. He fell on his stomach. He turned over and lay on his back. I stood over him with the needle and the scalpel. I crouched down to him. He brought his arm up to defend himself, but I knocked it out of my way.

I punched at his stomach to open his wound more. I then took the syringe and jammed it into his neck. He was choking and coughing up more of that red liquid. I lifted up the scalpel. I smiled wickedly at it. I raised it high.

He kicked me off of him. He scurried over to the receptionist's desk and lifted himself back to his feet.

"Tch! If that's the way you wanna play, then fine!" I pulled out a stun gun I had stolen from Mion's house from my back pocket. I squeezed the switched. The blue lighting frightened him even more.

I rushed him. He shoved his hand out to try and shove me away, but he did it too soon. I thrust the stun gun into his palm. His forearm drooped and he tried to shove me away with his other hand, but I incapacitated that as well. I stabbed him in the other side of the neck with the scalpel.

He collapsed onto the floor. Irie was still moving. Why wasn't he dying? Why was he still alive? I crouched next to him again and lifted the scalpel back up. I impaled his chest, his arm, his neck a few times, his mouth, his forehead, and his eyes. I kept stabbing him, grunting and screaming with each new wound I made.

All I saw was red. He was just a black figure against this red background. My hands were black as well. Every sound I heard echoed all around me. Every sensation I felt intensified.

After a while, I stopped. I looked down at my work. I didn't recognize him anymore. What did I just do? I just…killed someone! I killed him…I killed Irie…out of justice! He killed Kasai, this was a just punishment! He deserved to die what he did! Irie was a monster! He murdered my best friend and tried to kill me too! He acted like he was my friend, but he was my enemy all along! He was trying to kill me from the start! But I got him first!

Irie didn't care about me! He didn't care about Satoshi-kun! He didn't care about anything! He tried to kill us! Irie didn't get away with it though! I punished him! I stopped him before he could kill again! I did a service! I did a service to Hinamizawa!

I backed away from Irie. I backed into a wall and just stared at his body for a while. I then looked at my hands, my shirt, and at my scalpel. There was blood all over my face. I licked the corners of the mouth and tasted it. I shivered as it dripped down my throat.

"So good…"

I licked the flat parts of the scalpel's blade. I licked my fingers and my hands.

"It's so good…it's delicious!"

I squatted in the corner. I dropped the scalpel. I lifted my head to the ceiling.

"Hahahahaha…! Hahahahaha! This feels so good! I love it! I don't want this to stop! I want more…I want more!"

I licked at my fingers some more to get the last few drops of that delicious nectar.

"Nyahahaha! You're avenged Kasai! I just killed all of the evil in Hinamizawa! Me! Me!"

The lights flickered as I laughed joyously. I had won! I had saved Hinamizawa from this evil man!

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"