"Sato...ko..."
The few words Rika were able to mumble out, as her tongue danced alongside Satoko's, managed to reach her friend's ears. A small pause in their courting passed as Rika felt the soft, sweetened lips she had been tasting leave her own, before feeling them peck her cheek, her jaw, and slowly making their way down her neck. Was this about to happen? Is this when all their pent up desires and tensions will finally be released? The thoughts passed through Rika's mind before a shock of painful pleasure rippled through her as a pair of teeth nibbled on her neck.
"Ahhnn, Satoko~."

As though on queue, Satoko sat up in a flash, flustered and embarrassed, apologizing profusely. "I-I'm so sorry, Rika! I don't know what came over me!" She held her hands up, waving them frantically. "Something in me told me to ki-...er, do that and I just went with it. I'm sorry!" Satoko placed her hands together, repeating her apology over and over.

Rika simply stared up at the repentance on display, a smile growing wider with each utterance of 'I'm sorry'. She reached up, grabbing Satoko by the shoulder and pulled her back down, letting her arms slide around Satoko's neck. "There's nothing to apologize for, Satoko." Rika rustled the back of Satoko's head, letting her fingers flow through the soft, blonde hair as she pressed Satoko's forehead to hers. "I was the one who instigated it to begin with, you just...took the more aggressive route." Staring into the beautiful rose colored eyes again, Rika felt her heartbeat quicken, her breaths becoming heavier. "So as long as you're ready to take responsibility~..."

"Rika..."

*BRNG BRNG* The sharp ringing of the telephone halts them in their tracks, startling them. Rika, with a disappointed sigh, nods to the still ringing phone. "You should probably answer that." Satoko nods before standing up and hastily walking to the phone. Rika stayed down, trying to keep her emotions and hormones in check. 'What if no one called?', she thought. 'Would Satoko have...gone even further?' She sat up, shaking her head. 'Stop, you managed to calm yourself down, no need to get worked up again so quickly.' Glancing over at the still talking Satoko, Rika stood up and flattened out her skirt before listening in.

"Oh, yeah, she's here with me. Wanna talk to her?" Satoko turned around, reaching out the receiver to Rika. "Someone wants to say hi!"

"Who is it?" Rika mumbled to herself, walking over and placing the receiver to her ear, curiosity overpowering any tension. "Hello? Who am I speaking with?"

"RIIIIIIKAAAAAA-CHAAAAAANNNN!" That ear piercing scream could only belong to one person, Rika thought, pulling the phone away before her ears started to bleed. "Why didn't you tell us you were back in Hinamizawa!?"

"I'm sorry, Mion. I planned on it later today, but I wanted to see Satoko first." Her eyes darted to Satoko, who was simply idling by with her hands in her pockets. "I really missed her and she was my priority to see." Rika swapped the phone to her other hear, hiding the tiny smirk she had as Satoko lightly blushed. But something seemed off; she thought Satoko looked sad for a moment, before the frown turned into a smile as their eyes met again.

"I see, I see. I hope Teppei didn't give you much trouble."

"I actually ran into Teppei before coming here! He as actually pretty nice!"

"Well, as long as things work out for you, I'll be rooting for ya. Oh yeah, Satoko-chan will probably ask you, I asked her before swapping to you but, I wanted to get the club back together for a night! Kei-chan is already fine with it, and he's trying to get a hold of Rena-san and Nee-san."

Rika took in a light gasp. Seeing Satoko again was enough to make her happy, but seeing all her friends again so soon after? A wide smile that no amount of phone receiver could hide grew as she became visibly excited. "Yes! That'd be wonderful! What time and where?"

"Ahhh, no confirmation yet, but be at the old schoolhouse around 5PM. We're trying to get everyone there no later than 6, but I know Kei-chan and I will be there around 5."

"Sounds perfect. Satoko and I will be there! Bye Mion!" Receiving the news and a farewell, Rika hung the phone back up and beamed a smile at Satoko. Noticing the hint of sadness on her face, Rika grabbed Satoko's hands and pressed them between her own. "Why do you look sad, Satoko?" Rika leaned forward with a sly grin, with a hushed, risque voice, "Did you want to continue~?"

Satoko let out a nervous laugh, shaking her head. "N-no, just...something's just on my mind, that's all."

Rika pulled back, still holding Satoko's hand and a more serious expression replacing the sly one. "Did you want to talk about it? Does it have to do with your uncle?" She knew Satoko well enough to know if it wasn't serious, Satoko would be more than willing to divulge. But nothing. "Satoko, please."

"I'll...talk to you later about it, okay?" A forced smile. "I promise."

"It's a promise then." Rika gave Satoko another heart warming grin, trying to bring the girl into a better mood. "Speaking of, I told Teppei we'd stop by. Did you want to see him before we meet up with the others? Though I'll probably want to change into something more comfortable." She looked down at her school uniform, unbuttoning the jacket with one hand. "It's cute, but it's not something I can wear all day."

"Sounds like a good idea, I've kinda been lazing around in these clothes since yesterday. And I want a bath."


The Hojo house roared with laughter, its occupants sitting around the living room table with smiles and tears in their eyes. Rika breathed a sigh of relief from the stuffiness of her uniform, now clad in a green sundress, not unlike the one she wore as a child. She looked over at the outfit Satoko chose, and laughed in her mind, seeing as Satoko copied her 'child outfit' rendition, wearing a tightly fit, red sleeveless shirt, and a pair of denim shorts that looked every so slightly too small. 'Satoko has really grown up.' Rika thought to herself, eyes darting between Satoko's chest and her own. 'Especially there. I'm a little jealous, honestly.' Her inner discussion was cut short by the loud laughter of Teppei.

"Bwahahaha, and then get this, girls. After nearly running the son of a bitch over, he actually got worried I was blind!" Teppei slapped his thigh, Rika giggling at the course, but honest language. "He kept pointing to stuff to see if I could make it out, and after he pointed to himself, I realized all I saw was a blurry, blobby mess!"

"And you took me to Angel Mort being blind as a bat!" Satoko laughed at her own brush with death, berating her uncle. "Now you have to look like a nerd in order to see anyone up close or drive anywhere."

"Yeah, and this nerd saved your ass how many times when you were fixing up that shed?" Teppei puffed his chest out with pride. "Rika-chan, you won't believe this, but Satoko once fell off the shed roof twice in five minutes. Thankfully, I was there to catch her the first time."

Rika chuckled at her friends clumsiness, getting a light elbow jab from Satoko. "The girl who could walk on stilts and ride a unicycle can't even stay on a roof." She playfully poked back at Satoko's ribs as a fluttery feeling welled up in her heart. "At least you didn't get seriously hurt." Rika takes Satoko's hand, now realizing how rough and callused it was as she examined it. She ran her fingers over Satoko's palm, a sense of sadness filling her. "Be more careful next time, okay?" Looking up to stare Satoko in the eyes, a not-so-subtle cough caught Rika's attention. Teppei was staring at them, with an expression of curiosity that made Rika worry. She quickly let go of Satoko's hand, her cheeks blushing a light red.

"Now I don't want to be rude, but..." Teppei sighed, causing Rika to tense up. Did he see through to their budding relationship? "Are you two..."

He did, Rika thought. She internally cursed herself before standing fast, deciding to go on the offensive. She glanced over at Satoko, who was just down at the floor, defeat all over her face. Rika looked back at Teppei, a fire now lit within. "Yes." Never looking away, the image of Hanyuu blocking Takano all that time ago flashed before her. This must be what it felt like to Hanyuu, to defy a doomed destiny. "Teppei, sir, I have loved Satoko for many, many years. Much more and much longer than you can fathom. It took being 3 years away from her to fully understand what I was feeling. And I won't let-"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, Rika-chan." Rika stood firm, unwilling to break her stance, never breaking eye contact with Teppei. "Gimme a moment, I need to get my words together." The hint of defeat in his voice was all she needed to hear before sitting back down. Rika slid a hand over to Satoko as Satoko did the same, their fingers lightly embracing. "I think I know what to say." Teppei stood up, looking to Satoko, then locking eyes back with Rika. "I...I may not agree with that lifestyle..."

"But-" Rika flinched.

"Hear me out. I may not agree with it, but I know when it comes to Satoko, I have no right to judge her or her choices, considerin' the things I've done." Rika felt Satoko tense up, her fingers being embraced harder. "I think I've always known that you two would be together, since I came back. How you would always be at each others sides, for the most part." A prick of pain fell onto Rika's heart as she noticed the tears welling up in Teppei's eyes. "I've done as much as I can to make up for my sins against Satoko...and I'm not about to lose the love I managed to earn back by tellin' her she can't love you, Rika-chan."

Before Rika could utter a word, she watched Satoko jump up and over to her uncle, embracing him and sobbing uncontrollably. She stayed sitting, dumbfounded at the turn of events. "Teppei..." Rika simply watched as the uncle and niece hugged and cried, happy that they were tears of acceptance.

"My lil' Satoko can love whoever the hell she wants, I'll support her all the way." He pulled Satoko away and looked her in the eyes. "And if any of these villagers give you shit for it, tell me, so I can go beat their ass!"

The tears that were flowing were suddenly stopped and replaced with laughter, the ridiculousness of Teppei's last words making Rika and Satoko double over in a fit. "Uncle Teppei, you don't know how happy it is to hear you say that. And you certainly haven't gotten rid of that mean streak." Satoko wiped her eyes with the collar of her shirt before looking at Rika and then back at Teppei. "Thank you."

"Anythin' for Satoko."

Rika stood up as Teppei motioned for her to join them, and was pulled into the embrace. "Thank you, Teppei. For taking care of her while I was gone."

"No, I should be thankin' you, Rika-chan." Rika's heart skipped a beat, looking up at Teppei. "You helped take care of her in my absence. Your whole club helped. And no amount of thanks could ever match what you all did for me."

"Oh yeah!" Rika perked up, the mention of the club reminding her of their evening plans. "We're actually meeting up with them later!" Pulling away, she glanced to the nearby clock, hoping they hadn't lost track of time. Rika let out a sigh of relief, seeing that it was nearing 4PM.

"Well, if you girls got plans with your friends, may as well let you get goin'." Teppei released Satoko from their embrace and gave her a light pat on the head. "But I meant what I said; anyone troubles you two for being...together...I'll set them right."

Satoko gave her uncle a light smile and nodded, turning to Rika. "Let's get goin' then. We can grab somethin' to eat on our way!"

A warmth filled Rika's heart as she watched Satoko's interactions with Teppei. 'Though looping was absolute hell, there can still be good things to come of it.' She smiled, taking Satoko's hand and made for the front door, bidding Teppei farewell. As the door closed behind them with a 'have fun kiddos', Rika couldn't help but pull herself closer to Satoko, resting her head on the others shoulder. She expected a reaction, even a small one, but Satoko did nothing. Rika looked up from her leaned position, seeing the same pained expression on Satoko's face from earlier. She parted her lips to speak, but Satoko beat her to the punch.

"Listen, Rika. I'm not...ready yet. I don't know when I'll be, honestly. But we'll talk about it when I am." Satoko looked down to Rika, the latter able to see the immense pain in the formers eyes. Rika squeezed the hand held in hers and rubbed her forehead gently against Satoko's shoulder.

"You did promise me earlier, so I'll keep you to it."


The sun had started its slow descent towards descent to the horizon as Rika and Satoko approached, hand in hand, the old village schoolhouse. The building looked as she remembered, Rika thought, with fresh planted flowers and paint giving it a like-new look. Getting closer, Rika let go of Satoko's hand, running in excitement up to the window that held their old classroom. She peered inside, the classroom being empty of any desks or chairs, barren save for a light coating of dust on the lockers. Rika turned back to Satoko, frowning. "What happened? Is Hinamizawa losing its school?"

Satoko nodded, making Rika's frown even bigger. "Yeah, the village agreed to stop using it as a school. Next year, there would be less than 10 students, and the upkeep wouldn't be worth it." Satoko walked up next to Rika, peering in herself. "But we're not losing the building itself. The head families agreed to turn it into a museum. Remember the tool shed behind your family shrine?" Rika nodded, looking back inside. "Well, the Sonozaki family convinced the other heads to be more open about the villages distant past instead of hiding it. It's kinda secret for now, they plan on announcing it after the Wataganashi Festival."

"How do you know about it then?"

Satoko started to speak before the sound of a vehicle approaching grabbed their attention. She pointed to the driver of the blue sedan, "That's how I know.", and started waving. As it came to a stop by the gate, the two girls rushed over to greet the occupants exiting.

"Riiiikaaaaaa, Satokooooooooo!"

Rika felt a pair of arms pull her and Satoko forward in a flash, pressed against a soft pair of breasts. The 'hau hau hau' breathing told Rika exactly who it was as her and Satoko returned the hug. "We've missed you too, Rena."

"Hau, if Mii-chan wasn't my ride, I'd take you both home and never let go!" Rena gave them one more big squeeze before letting go, the kyute mode subsiding. "It's so nice to see you both again, especially you, Rika-chan!"

Rika began to speak, only to get 2 more sets of arms around herself and Satoko. The silky, mint green hair rubbing her nose was a dead giveaway for one, and the other was obvious. "Mion, Keiichi, it's been way too long!"

Mion gave one more squeeze before she let go, beaming at the two girls. "Looks like we nearly got everyone here. Keiichi, mind grabbing the bag from the back?"

"Yeah, yeah." The disgruntled Keiichi let go of his old underclassman and headed towards the back of their car, Rika watching with a puzzled look.

"Who else are we waiting on?" Turning back to Mion, Rika's eyes lit up as the deciding factor dawned on her. "More importantly, what are we gonna be playing?"

"Well, I figured since we're all adults here, or close enough to it," Mion reached out, patting Rika and Satoko on the head, "we could play something fitting instead of the old kid level stuff, ya know?" The crunch of gravel caught their attention again as another vehicle approached, a sleek, black sedan that the entire group recognized instantly. "And the second guest of honor arrives!"

Rika waited with bated breath as two figures exited out of the back, one being the spitting image of Mion and the other a tall, short haired blonde man. She eagerly waved as Mion's twin walked up to the drivers window, shared some words, and locked arms with the man as they started approaching. A flash of blonde hair rushed by Rika with a kick up of dirt as she watched Satoko run towards them. With whatever has been bothering Satoko, Rika thought, seeing her brother should alleviate some of her sadness.

After breaking out of Satoko's bear hug, the 3 of them walked over to the rest of the group, the Mion doppelganger snatching up Rika and pinned her to her rather impressive breasts. "Rikaaaaa-chan, it's so good to see you! How'd you like St. Lucia?"

Rika tried to speak, only managing muffles underneath the voluptuous chest. "Nice to see you too, Shion." She pulled away, jokingly gasping for air. "I see maturity has helped you out." Rika gave Shion a pouty look, patting her own lackluster chest. A bit of playful jealousy between friends.

Shion smiled before turning to her companion, waving for him to come over. "Ya not gonna say hi, Satoshi?" The blonde man, Satoshi, trotted over, Satoko latched tightly to his arm. "And Satoko-chan! Just like me, maturity has been nice to you too!"

Satoshi chuckled at the friendly banter before patting Rika on her head. "Hello Rika-chan. It's been...quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. It's been, about 8 years since you 'disappeared', hasn't it?" Rika eyed him up and down, feeling daggers aimed at her from both Shion and Satoko. She decided it would be best to play it safe and not upset them. "You've grown into a handsome young man."

Satoshi blushed lightly as Shion clamped his other available arm. "Ahaha, thank you Rika-chan. You've become a lovely woman as well!" Rika watched as Shion jerked the arm she was attached to around playfully at his comment, Satoko following suit. "H-hey, what're you guys doing?"

"Don't flirt with another girl when your girlfriend is right here!"
"Don't flirt with my friend right in front of me, Nii-Nii!"

Rika laughed to herself, getting one over on the big breasted Shion and Satoko. Having others jealous of you was nice, she thought, even if it was simply playful jealousy. Rika stared off, her eyes unfocused. Something about today felt nostalgic, as if...as if she was back in 1983. A sudden wave of fear pierced through her mind, bringing her eyes back into focus. Her arms reached out, instinctly pulling Satoko to her, and buried her face into the breasts she was jealous of only earlier.

Satoko looked down in surprise, reciprocating Rika's abrupt embrace. "What's wrong, Rika? Don't tell me you're jealous of my Nii-Nii, are you?"

"No, it's..." Rika trailed off with a slight sigh. "I just need this for a moment, okay?"

The no nonsense voice of Keiichi snapped Rika out of her moment. "Let's head inside guys, don't think the villagers want to see young couples all lovey dovey out in the open." Rika peeked out from her grounding totem that was Satoko's breasts, glaring knives into him. "H-hey, what's that look for?"

Mion intervened before anyone else could speak. "Kei-chan is right, we're burning sunlight, people! Tonight, the Hinamizawa Game Club is at 140% power!"