[Thanks again for the reviews, the cross over is still dead in the water, 7 for 7 against. I am still counting obscure votes since I don't know whether or not they involve the story or not. The good ending is leading with multiple endings catching up rather fast. As said before the Angst is going to start dropping because the story is coming to its conclusion. I will hopefully conclude this story when I don't get votes and/or reviews for 2 or 3 days. I feel that the disclaimer on the front of the story is still in effect since this is basically another part to the first chapter. Enjoy]
Depression
Naru sat in the room crying. It had been about three hours since she received the news that changed everything. She wanted to hit something, to claw, to rip something to shreds. But every time she started to do so it would bring back memories of how she had treated Keitarou. So all that she did was sit there and cry, in the now dimly lit room huddling against the corner of the room opposite the hole in the floor that brought her so much happiness and so much pain.
********
The girls walked up the steps of the Hinata sou. Motoko was walking to the left of Keitarou, Su in front of him checking to make sure that everything was clear on the steps. Shinobu walked behind him, timidly, so that if he started to fall she could stop him. Kitsune surprisingly was the closest to him. Looping her arm with his to also offer support and to help guide him up the steps, though he most likely could be doing all of this by himself. He had adjusted to where he could walk on his own and find his way around the Hinata sou.
The girls had left everything in the same places so that he could memorize where it all was. As they approached the front door Motoko turned to Kitsune, watching her let him go as he then started to walk off to go do whatever. Probably more chores, it made Motokos stomach churn. Su went back into her room and Shinobu into the kitchen to cook diner, Motoko decided to ask Kitsune the question that she had been longing to ask since Kitsune helped Keitarou out the door.
"Kitsune, how come Keitarou wasn't afraid when you approached him and why didn't he try and get away from you the whole time we were out?"
"Well Motoko, You'd be surprised what a few night visits will do to a man." Replied Kitsune.
"Is that really how you did it?" Motoko knew to question the older woman's answers because of her sly and cunning nature.
"No, I took him by surprise after Naru left. He probably didn't realize his arm was being held until we were too far out to tell who it was. I only wish that I could make him forgive me for al of this, after all if I hadn't suggested that little game, things would still be normal" Said Kitsune rather solemnly walking into the building.
Motoko stared at the older girl. She had changed, they all had, because of this. Motoko stared up at the Hinata sou for a while then entered it as well. Promising her self that she will find a way to apologize to Keitarou.
********
Keitarou entered his room and walked over to his bed. He was tired out after the day and decided to get some rest before diner. Once in his room he walked over and sat down on his futon. Relaxing a bit he then decided that it was time to sort things out.
'That kiss, what was it for, I mean Naru wouldn't just kiss me, a useless person like me isn't even worth her time. It was probably her trying to trick me into another beating. I'm just a burden to them now, I'm better off leaving. But if I leave Shinobu would be unhappy, but if I stay the others are unhappy.' Keitarou started weighing the two possibilities digging deeper and deeper into his memories.
'I hate you, begone from this place.' Motoko, her sword drawn, voice full of anger and sincerity.
'I hate you and wish I had never met you.' Naru angry and frustrated, corner9ing in on him.
Pain, hot searing pain, so much his vision became white, eyes burning. His head pounding, ready to explode and his body felt as if barbed wire was being drug across it. The girls and their smug, satisfied look as he flew around Su's room right before the pain hit him.
'Su, she will be disappointed as well. She must have been the one to hit me with whatever it is and is only showing him the same emotion she would a toy. That's all I was to her anyway, a toy to play with and experiment on. I guess that there truly isn't anything left here for me, everyone is better off if I leave.'
His mind made up Keitarou packed what little he needed anymore, leaving behind all that he no longer needed. Each reminding him of how useless he felt. His photo stickers, he could never see again. The letters his sister, Kanako had been sending him that he didn't get a chance to read, would never read. His study books, he would never meet the girl of his promises and she would be waiting for him in toudai forever. He kept his glasses, even though they were useless he was used to wearing them and they seemed to make him what he used to be. Putting his stuff behind the divider and out of sight leaving the rest where it was he felt the door open. The way the floor felt as the other person approached told him it was Shinobu. He walked towards her and let her lead him out to eat.
After dinner he waited for a while in his room. Naru was huddled in her room. Su had run up the stairs a while ago. Shinobu and Kitsune had also walked up the stairs to their respective rooms. He could only assume the same for Motoko, her steps weren't heavy enough for him to feel. Waiting a while longer he then picked up his stuff and left. All he had was his duffel bag and a backpack He then slowly walked out of the inn and eventually made his way to the street.
********
Shinobu and the others gathered in the living room. They woke up to find that Keitarou wasn't in his room. Searching Hinata-sou had turned up nothing and now they were making their way out to search the town. He could have only gone so far and they were going to search until they found him.
'Sempai, why did you run away?' wondered the little girl until she was broken out by Shinobu.
"I've got my Keitarou tracker, lets' go get him." The rest of them nodded and ran along side Su.
********
Keitarou sat down. He had been walking without stopping since he left. He didn't know where he was but finding a public bench wasn't too hard. He had done fairly well, he walked slowly using his feet to feel in front of him slightly as he did so. He could slightly feel the people walking on the sidewalk and the cars moving through his shoes. Since he couldn't feel them that well he decided to take things allot slower than he would like.
Sighing lightly he leaned onto his knees. And concentrated on the sidewalk, it was getting easier and easier to tell what was going on. The cars were a light vibration and after one passed it would leave a slight gust of air, Bicycles were a rolling yet rough pressure on the ground. People were by far the hardest to tell, it was just a light jolt on the concrete.
After a few minutes he stood up and picking up his bags began walking again. He had just felt that the cars on the street he was walking next to started to move again so he crosses the street that the traffic was stopped on. A car quickly turned off the road sharply at a high speed, this barely registered before he felt the pain hit his legs sweeping him up into the air. Keitarou was then pushed out into the traffic from the force of the blow where he hit a truck in the grill, rolled off the side of it only to be caught by the windshield of a passing car going the other way. This knocked him up into the air where he then found a power line. Getting tangled in it the lines snapped and Keitarou fell into a small puddle of water on the sidewalk.
'This is just like that day, I can't do anything right.'
This was his last thought before the cable hit the puddle.
********
They had found Keitarou, he was lying in a puddle of water with a power line in it. Again Su attended to the source of power while the others drug him out of the puddle.
"It's not as high voltage as my reactor, looks like he's having a relapse." Su chimed in.
"Hmm, we should get him to a hospital." Sakata Kentarou said looking at his rival.
"Where did you come from?" Kitsune asked.
"This idiot got in my way when I was turning so I decided to see if he was…" He got no further before Naru slammed him against a wall.
"You ran him over? Don't you know that he can't see and can't hear? You're the idiot, you should be the one that got ran over not him." Cried out Naru.
Motoko went to calm Naru down, but was pushed away. Kenatrou was their best chance of getting Keitarou back to Hinata, but if Naru did this, then the option wouldn't be there.
"Naru, calm down, we need his help to get Keitarou back to the Hinata. Come on it's the best way to handle it." Kitsune chimed in.
Naru calmed down but was still angry with Sakata, Pushing him away from her the others sighed with relief. Motoko and Kitsune picked up Keitarou and carried him to the waiting car on the other side of the street.
The drive back to Hinata was silent, then everything was rushed to get Keitarou back to his room. After sitting him back down on the futon Su ran into her room while the others stared and worried over their kanrinin. He had been hooked up to several monitors and wasn't doing too good, his mind pattern was unstable and looked as if it could stop at anytime. Su returned holding her Virtual-kun.
"I was going to use this so that we could talk to him again. I haven't finished building the piece that gives him the ability to see or hear. We can however interact with him inside of his mind though."
"Why would we want to use that now? As you said it's incomplete, He's not in the best mental condition now either. If we use that he could die." called out Motoko.
"If we don't use it, he will continue to stay in this relapse and die from that, I'd much rather use the Virtual-kun then just sit here helpless and watch him die." Kitsune said standing up.
"What makes you think that? He can still pull through?" Motoko continued to protest.
Naru, for the first time since she had released Kentarou looked over at Keitarous body, his face showed all, his mind was tormenting him with a nightmare that they had helped to construct.
"Keitarou," Naru walked over to Kitsune and Su standing next to them, Shinobu walked behind them.
Motoko let out a sigh of defeat and it was settled, Su did some last minute adjustments then attached her device to Keitarous head. Each one of the girls put on their visors.
"We will be going into Urashimas mind. Be prepared to face the nightmare that we have made for him." Said Motoko from her spot.
"The Virtual-kun will inform us of what is going on and how to save onii-san. Every one ready?" The girls each nodded their heads, Su put on her goggles and reached for the button. "Then lets go." The Visors turned on.
********
Black, it was all they could see except each other. Not wanting to be the first to ask a question they remained silent. Just as Naru was about to ask Su a question a voice filled their heads.
"Subject, Urashima Keitarou, Fragmented personality, each piece is in a different array throughout a generated world. Move the fragments to a safe location before the world erases them or ceases to exist, safe location is a foggy area. You will be dropped next to it and safely anchored there incase the instable world is about to destroy you."
It sounded like a video game, they all looked at each other in the darkness, walking in close to one another Kitsune was about to ask where the world was when suddenly a burning hot wind pushed around their bodies. Each one covered their eyes some out or reflex then they looked up at the source of light and heat.
In front of them, burning by intense flames and releasing an intense heat, was the Hinata-sou.
[Sorry about the delay on this chapter, it's getting close to finals and I have to do more work now than I had to before. Next chapter will be the next to last, unless multiple endings is chosen. Keep on voting and I will keep on counting.]