Chapter 6: The Forest of Broken Dreams
It was a sight so sad; Kyoko could only watch in horror. She couldn't be quite sure if this was real or if this was a frightening hallucination of hers...A few minutes later, the sound of the front door closing and Rika's voice saying, "I'm home!" broke Kyoko out of her trance. She turned around to Rika's direction as Rika too, stopped in an instant. Her expression went from happy to appalled.
At the sight of the dead rabbits and blood everywhere, Rika screamed.
Neither Kyoko nor Rika knew what to do or how to clean up the mess, and because the school offices were closed, the only thing the girls could do was wait until morning.
As soon as the main school office opened at 9 a.m., instead of heading for their first period class, they went straight there to report to the school officials what had happened. The school called the cops and specialists to clean up the mess. The police officers asked numerous questions to Kyoko and Rika, but none of the girls had any information that could provide clues to why and how the horrific incident occurred.
Two days later, Rika had moved out to live with her cousin in Tokyo at least until the end of the semester. Kyoko felt tempted to ask Rika not to go, because she would miss her, but decided against it, understanding how that incident would make Rika want to leave their dorm.
Because the school semester was coming to a close, the To-Oh students were busy in their final weeks of assignments and exams. Kyoko had asked Rika if they could study together at the school library or a café, but to her disappointment, Rika had declined...Kyoko was not sure if she was imagining it or not, but ever since the dead rabbit episode in their dorm, she got the impression Rika was becoming more distant and trying to avoid her. The thought made Kyoko sad, she wished she could do something about it, but she didn't know how.
August 3rd, Meisho Year 24
In the days following the frightening occurrence and Rika's leaving...Kyoko felt as though university life had lost its fun. She studied and worked on her assignments in the library, having decided she didn't want to spend unnecessary time in the dorm. She opted to stay because even though she was creeped out, it wasn't enough to make her leave just yet...She did not want to add something to her parents worries by talking about the spooky stuff and running away from the dorms. Also, going back to the dorm would inevitably make her think of how her friend Rika was no longer there, and the thought made her so sorrowful she didn't know how to take it.
Especially since she knew Rika probably doesn't want anything to do with her anymore. She missed having conversations with Rika, how Rika was able to offer ideas and insights she herself overlooked, she missed listening to Rika explain the basics of archery. Kyoko had not tried archery yet for herself, but became interested from Rika's influence. She missed Rika's upbeat, carefree attitude and how in her presence, Kyoko naturally felt happier, even if they weren't talking about anything in particular.
Kyoko checked the news on her pear phone and found out Misa would be starring in director Nishinaka's next movie. Misa was going to play the heroine and idol Hideki Ryuga will be playing the male lead—
Hideki Ryuga...
When Kyoko heard the pop star's name, how could she not think of the Ryuga who attends...or, at least attended their university? She did not know what happened to, or where Ryuga was. She presumed the best person to ask would be Yagami-san, but she hasn't been seeing him around either. The last thing she had heard about him was that he was dating Kiyomi Takada, who was nicknamed "Miss To-Oh," by fellow students on campus.
Kyoko had yet to speak with Takada-san, she had only seen her from afar a few times and she understood why she was given her nickname. Kiyomi was slender, pretty, and looked like someone who could be a model in one of those Eighteen magazines.
The next day after classes were over, Kyoko went to the library to study and work on assignments again...at this point it was like a habit. She concentrated reviewing at least 5 last Economics 1 chapters until...
Kyoko's eyes flew open, yet she could not see anything. She reached, meaning to touch her glasses, but they were not there...She realized she was lying down on a hard floor, and slowly sat up.
Where...where am I? Kyoko thought to herself looking around at the unfamiliar darkness surrounding her. It must have been nighttime here, and this place has no signs of light coming from anywhere.
She continues to wonder, Is this a dream? Am I asleep?
As she reluctantly got up, she looked around. Being in a dark place without her glasses, it was impossible to see anything...And then she could be so sure she heard a young girl's giggle and heard running foot-steps. Kyoko began to realize she was in a house...and she has been here before...it was...that house in the forest of dreams. She walked carefully, realizing if she runs in this darkness, she could easily fall and hurt herself.
As she walked ahead, she could tell there was something like another door. Kyoko grasped the handle and opened it. She stepped out and knew she was finally outside. It was dark, only some moonlight filtered down from the trees.
She carefully walked down the stairs, and once she felt the ground beneath her feet, she ran out of the forest as fast as she could. No matter how much effort she put forth, she felt she could not make her legs move fast enough. Her breathing was out of control.
Kyoko eventually made it out of the Yoyake forest and ran straight back to the To-Oh campus and the student dorms. It was so hard to see, due to her bad eyesight. But after walking to her dorm all these times, she finally memorized the directions, even if she couldn't see the signs. When she reached the front door of her dorm, she remembered she had nothing on her, but tried to see if the handle would move. The door was left unlocked and she was able to rush right in. She locked the front door, threw her shoes off and ran straight to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, out of breath and exhausted, she dropped to the floor and couldn't move. Tears formed in her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks.
For the first in a long time, Kyoko sobbed uncontrollably.
In the evening of the next day, Kyoko stayed in the school library until closing but this time, determined to find clues on what could have happened the other night, she asks the school librarian Sueyasu Ishimaki, a man with black wavy hair and glasses, if he remembered around what time did she leave yesterday.
"Ishimaki-san, sorry to ask a strange question but...around what time did I leave last night?"
"You left at the same time you always do. When we were closing." Ishimaki responded.
"Oh... Um, can I... also ask you something about the Yoyake Forest? Did...did something bad ever happen there?" Kyoko continued.
The librarian's face became grave this time, Kyoko could not help but think he reminded her of a someone remembering grief from the past, and she felt guilty for having asked the question. He goes on to say, "I hope you didn't go there, Kyoko. It's not called, 'The Forest of Broken Dreams' for nothing, you know."
"The Forest of Broken Dreams?" Kyoko repeated in surprise. She then said, "I've only heard it being called, 'The Forest of Dreams."
"It was originally called 'The Forest of Broken Dreams,' but was shortened over time. I suppose because of the forest's beautiful, dream-like scenery, people preferred to drop the 'Broken' part. But make no mistake, people generally avoid that place because of its history of people going there to commit suicide. And... even if a person doesn't go there to die, whoever goes into that forest are believed to have nothing but misfortune." Ishimaki says unhappily.
He then has a stern expression, moves closer to face her and looks Kyoko straight in the eyes, and tells her, "You must never go there! Do you understand?!"
"Yes sir." Kyoko says timidly, too afraid to admit she already had and was now suffering the consequences of it.
After Kyoko had left the library and Ishimaki was alone and locking up. When he knew nobody could overhear him, he holds the wedding ring on his finger and starts to tear up. He whispers, "Rihoko...why did I have to lose you so soon?"
August 15th, Meisho Year 24
School was finally in summer break which would last between August 15th to September 7th. The plan ride from Kanto to Hokkaido was smooth and Kyoko was starting to get the feeling she was getting used to it. When she arrived to the Tawarahoro airport, her parents came to pick her up.
Kyoko was relieved to be home, as she looked through her bedroom for the first in a while. Her parents were going to celebrate Kyoko's belated birthday party this weekend, as her birthday was on the 11th of this month and she turned 19, but she was still in school during that time.
Kyoko was happy to be reunited with her family and enjoyed the party, her brother Haruki and sister-in-law Sasha came. However, grandparents Dainosuke Yotsuba and Eruca Yotsuba (nee Hatori) and her uncle Arayoshi Hatori couldn't make it either. But his wife and children, her aunt Izuko Hatori and cousins Mitsukore and Sekka were able to come. She wished she could have had her high school and college friends come over, but they were either in different prefectures or on trips to faraway places.
After the party was over and the guests had gone home, while Kyoko and her parents were cleaning up, Kyoko couldn't help but wonder if her grandparents and Uncle Arayoshi's absence had something to do with Yotsuba's unexpected and questionable growth that her mother warned her about...
Over the break, Kyoko tried to contact Rika and Shiori. As she expected, but was heartbroken, that Rika had ignored her various attempts. However, Shiori did respond, and they texted each other a few times.
Summer vacation seemed to have been going without other major events or happenings until one afternoon, when Kyoko checked the photos in her pear phone, she found a few she had never taken. The first three was of daytime woods and forest scenery that reminded Kyoko strongly of the Yoyake forest. The next three left her with no doubt. As the fourth one was a picture of the front of the haunted house, the fifth was of the closet door with the 4's written in blood and the sixth...was of the girl in the ancient kimono stained in blood with her eyes glowing red. Kyoko was in such terror, she felt as though the girl could see her through the electric screen...She quickly deleted the photos, but felt no true peace of mind since.
As early September came, Kyoko decided to take online classes this semester because she was still somewhat disturbed by the things that happened in the dorm and in the forest of dreams. She found out that this was an option for her since a conversation she had with Shiori when they had lunch together before the summer vacation. Her parents seemed confused by her decision, especially since Kyoko couldn't really explain why she wanted to do it, but she just claimed she wanted to give it a try. But her parents didn't prohibit her as it wasn't a problem and the option was available to her as a To-Oh student.
She looked through the available courses and checked which ones she would need to take to fulfill the credit requirements for her major. She decided to take Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Accounting 2, Economics 2, Basics in Mathematics 2, and took Philosophy 1 as a liberal arts credit.
Kyoko found learning online to be an interesting, new experience. She found it convenient how the class videos were on-demand and allowed her to watch and study in the time of the day she learned best. However, she did have to admit that it sometimes got lonely, not being with her other fellow peers in-person. She began to consider that despite her fears of the Yoyake forest and of that haunted house, maybe she should go back to campus in her second year.
October 9th, Meisho Year 24
Classes were becoming increasingly difficult, but this was only to be expected, as she was now in second semester and midterms were going to come up by the end of this month.
After Kyoko had finished her homework, she checked her planner and realized today was Shiori's birthday. She typed her a happy birthday message over text, letting her know she hoped Shiori had a special day and all her wishes would come true. Kyoko also took this opportunity inform her that she was planning to go back to campus for next semester
Before going to bed, Kyoko checked her pear phone for the news as usual. Last night, Misa-misa's manager had died in a drunken fall. She felt sorry for the man, as it seemed Misa's career was finally taking off and he didn't get the chance to see his star in the full bloom of fame...
October 12th, Meisho Year 24
"We'll begin the meeting, take a look at the papers in front of you..."
"I thought that Kida acted carefully enough..." Hatori says.
Takahashi, who was clearly annoyed, then says, "You think? It's bad that he didn't say anything...It would seem suspicious that he didn't respond."
Higuchi than threw in, "Are you guys idiots? Try to understand that we're beyond the level of being 'suspicious.'"
"Higuchi's right. Coil has figured a lot out. Otherwise, he wouldn't be asking for money to keep his mouth shut." Midou said.
"How much has he figured out?" Takahashi asked.
"Listen, Coil would obviously want to know about the client before he takes a job." Midou answers as he adjusted his glasses and goes on to continue,
"He'd figure out who it was quickly, otherwise he'd be useless as a detective. Coil is world famous for his ability to find people...Once he finds out that it's Kira, he'll investigate him in depth, that's to be expected."
"The client works for Yotsuba...But Coil doesn't stop there. He must have noticed the growth in the company these last few months and what was behind it..." Reiji says.
Then Ooi said, "So basically...We should assume that Coil has figured out that we are connected to Kira..."
"Isn't that bad?" Shimura asked.
"If he were to reveal that to someone..." Takahashi says grimly.
"That's why he's asking for money to keep quiet." Midou explains.
Hatori then nervously blurts out, "I... I don't know who Kira is but I want out of these meetings. I don't want to go to jail!"
"Whoa...Hatori, you'll be dead by tomorrow..." Higuchi says with a creepy smile. The rest of the room was silent for a moment.
"Wait! That was a joke! I'll stay with you guys!" Hatori quickly says.
"So Hatori definitely isn't Kira..." Reiji says with his arms crossed.
"You sure? If Hatori were Kira then he'd never be killed. That means he could say whatever he wanted to." Ooi said.
Shimura, hoping that whoever Kira was would consider sparing Hatori, says, "A... Anyway, we can't kill Hatori. We can't have one of our members die. That will make things difficult."
Ooi goes on to say, "Hatori, how many of these meetings have we had so far...? Leaving now won't change anything for you. I wouldn't be thinking about leaving if I were you."
"Yeah...you're right...Sorry..." Hatori replied.
Kida went on to say, "So what do we do? If he knows we're connected to Kira, then we better at least give him the two million and keep him from revealing it."
"If we're going to have to pay him $2,000,000 either way, then it would be better to have him uncover L and then kill him." Higuchi said.
"We don't know his face how can we kill him?" Ooi asks.
"We'll just make it a condition that he has to appear before us. Or one of us can meet him and snap a picture." Says Higuchi.
"We wouldn't know if it was really him." Ooi reasons.
"Kida knows his voice, right?" Higuchi replies.
"The guy on the phone might not have been him." Ooi persists.
"Would he really have his representative say something like "Buy my silence"?" Coil is a detective, you know? Higuchi asks.
Mido stares at Higuchi skeptically and says, "Higuchi, why do you want to kill everyone? There's no need to kill Coil. Coil is very smart."
He continues, "Uncovering Kida as the client may be expected, but Coil looked at how we're throwing money around and figured out that we are acting as an organization."
"Yes...And not only that, Coil has even...Figured out Kira's thinking." Reiji chimed in.
"Kira's thinking?" Takahashi asks.
"What is he thinking? Please tell us, Namikawa." Kida asks, amused.
"Listen, just because I'm talking about how Kira thinks doesn't mean you should assume that I am Kira. Not that I have any problems if you do..." Reiji says in a matter-of-fact tone.
He continues, "What Kira wants is wisdom. That's why instead of acting on his own, he assembled seven others."
To this, Higuchi says, "Like we can't figure that out on our own? Stop acting so superior."
Reiji still goes on to elaborate further, "Kira started out wanting to rid the world of evil. That has been slowly happening and the world has changed. In terms of human needs, what's next? It's money. Actually, most people go for that first. Kira can control people before he kills them. Earning money would be simple, but what he wants...
Is not merely money, but social status. You can win the lottery over and over or hit it big on the stock market and become nouveau riche, but that will never be seen the same as someone with social status. If Kira is among us, then he is in position to gain both money and status."
"True...If we keep having these meetings, then Yotsuba's wealth will soon be unparalleled throughout the world. And all of us will definitely be sitting at the top. All of us realize how comfortable that chair would be..." Ooi said in agreement.
"Status...Eh? How stupid..." Higuchi says closing his eyes and shrugging.
"So, in order to gain that, the eight of us are putting our heads together? I get it..." Takahashi agreed.
"And Coil has shown that he's figured out that much. You could also assume that he's trying to impress Kira." Ooi says.
Reiji then says, "Listen, if Coil is a detective who acts according to a stupid notion of justice instead of money, then we're all screwed. But as expected, he's showing that all he cares about is money."
"Before he could use the excuse that he was just searching for L out of interest." Mido contemplates and continues to say, "But now he's still willing to accept the job knowing what we're doing. That means that he's prepared to share the guilt if caught...If we make this deal, we'll both be holding the other side's weakness."
"So long as we pay him, he's with us. That's what you're saying...," said Ooi.
"Aren't we being a bit too positive here...?" Shimura says anxiously.
"I agree that Coil is smart. We need to get guys like this on our side. He will be valuable in the future," Kida says as he pushes his glasses back up to his face.
"Yeah, buy him. No matter how much it costs." Reiji agrees in a haughty voice.
"We have about 6 billion available to us right now. And the amount should only go up in the future...Should we just agree to his terms? We shouldn't delay him any further." Kida said.
"He asked for $2,000,000 upfront, right?" Ooi asks Kida.
Kida answers, "Yeah?"
"Give him $5,000,000. We should show Coil just how big we are. And how much we value him." Ooi continues.
Mido then agrees and says, "Yeah, that's good thinking. This is a guy who acts for money, we might as well show him how deep our pockets are. Once we've bought him, we won't have to worry about him revealing anything."
"So I'll make the deal for five million upfront and ten million after completion?" Kida asks.
"Yeah, Coil will be a future Yotsuba executive." Ooi said.
With that, the meeting came to a close, and the eight men got on the elevator.
Shimura approaches Ooi and says, "Ooi."
Ooi responds, "What is it Shimura?"
"I understand what Mido and Namikawa are saying but...Aren't you neglecting the possibility that Coil could be a spy for L or the police? We may have shut down the Japanese police, but Kira doesn't just kill Japanese criminals and Coil isn't Japanese. He could be a foreign special agent or something...
Coil could always sell us out to L or the police." Shimura tries to reason with him. But to this, all Ooi says is,
"Shimura, why must you always think so negatively...?"
"I'm just looking at all the possibilities and..."
"What's the point of focusing on the bad? If you really think that, then be confident and bring it up at the meeting."
"Yeah, but..."
"Relax. If worst comes to worst, we can blast a missile into Coil's or L's or whoever's base. Yotsuba is powerful!"
"Uh..." Shimura says, at a loss for words.
"That... was a joke..." Ooi responds.
Author's Note: You may have noticed this, but I think I ought to clarify anyway is, I headcanon Dainosuke Yotsuba who is the Yotsuba company's president and his son Arayoshi Hatori as being Kyoko's relatives. To be specific, Dainosuke is Kyoko's maternal grandfather and his children are Arayoshi and Asami (Kyoko's mother) who are brother and sister. I noticed in canon Arayoshi Hatori does not share the same surname as his father the CEO, in canon they called him the "illegitimate son of current Yotsuba president Dainosuke Yotsuba" so I headcanon he and his sister took their mother Eruca's "Hatori" surname because their parents were not married at the time. However, by the time Darkness Rising began, Dainosuke and Eruca are finally married. Also, to my knowledge, Arayoshi is stated to be married and have children, so I declared his wife's name "Izuko" and his children to be a son and a daughter, "Mitsukore" and "Sekka." Last but not least, thank you very much for reading! Likes and feedback would be greatly appreciated.