The girl that was once Akane Kiryu walked back into the Old Tree. Her face was locked in a kind of profane ecstasy – the delight of utter evil. She ambled over to the dug-up grave that she had once belonged to and lay down.
The earth began to cover her once again.
Sae floated above the Hellish Abyss, her laughter filling the cavern. The Veiled Priests watched in horror as she began to float forward, the air around her shimmering. Some of them ran; others were frozen to the spot in abject terror.
"Well?" she whispered in a deep voice that was barely recognizable as her own. "WHO'S WEAK NOW?" She reared back and continued laughing. One of the Veiled Priests retched.
Sae turned to the man, who immediately shrank back in fear.
She disappeared.
The Mourner standing at the back of the Abyss let out an unearthly shriek. The priests looked and saw the crazed ghost standing behind him.
The cavern filled with fire.
Ryokan stepped into the Family Altar room and collapsed not far from where his daughters had sat only hours before. He had killed his brother, and now his daughter. What next? He covered his face with his hands. Not to mention Makabe-san, who had died so joyfully…
Everything lived for it.
Everything died for it.
So why was it so hard to accept?
He shook his head. No use thinking about it. It could only condemn –
"Hello, Father."
He whirled around at that voice – so unlike his daughter's, yet so similar. Sae stood behind him, her once white kimono now spattered with blood.
"There's someone that wants to say hello to you, Father," she whispered. Slowly her face lit up in a malignant grin. "He's been waiting to tell you something…"
Ryokan's lungs began to fail. Some force was pressing against his chest…he couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he couldn't run…
The world grew gray, presumably from exhaustion (although Sae knew differently), and a new figure appeared next to his daughter. He managed to pull his head up to see…
So many figures wailing…mourning…in so much pain…all the Kusabis sacrificed before…
And, in front of them all, was Seijiro Makabe.
Ryokan's sight failed him. Within five minutes, he was dead.
Sae walked to the Tachibana House. Itsuki would be there, of course – he wasn't really dead, he wouldn't ever have killed himself, she just saw it wrong like the silly girl she was. She laughed the same laugh that had plagued the village all that night. She walked through the front door and into the foyer. Itsuki would be in his room – or the Tatami Rooms, maybe? She decided to start with his room, where he had spent so much time studying how to escape.
As she roamed the house, she heard a closet door shut. Her head turned and the mad glint filed her eyes.
No, please don't
She turned and began to walk towards the closet. What delightful surprise waited inside?
Don't you dare!
She heard the chiming of bells. Bells? Who would shake bells when they were trying to hide? Her grin widened. Only a child would do that…
Please, not her, it's our fault, leave her alone
She could practically see her now…a little girl, wearing a crimson kimono. The bells would be around her neck…a gift from her dearly departed older brother. Was it because she was deaf? No, almost blind…that was it…
She reached the door
NO!
And her head began to pound. For a minute Sae was herself again – no madness, no Malice – and thenit returned.
But the haze…damn, the haze wasn't there! The girl had run away.
"She's gone…"
Sae turned around and began searching again.
She never did find Chitose hiding in that closet. And, to tell the truth, she didn't really want to.
After all, it was their fault for running away.
The girl hid behind the kimono on the second floor of the Osaka House. Her mother had told her that Sae wanted to play Demon Tag with them, and she had to be very sure not to get tagged. But this was getting pretty boring…
"I'm hungry," she whimpered. How much longer would it be until Sae found her? Or, better yet, gave up?
She slowly slid into a deep sleep. Unbeknownst to her, her two brothers fell asleep at the same moment. Her mother managed to last another five minutes in the box she had crammed herself and her youngest child into, but eventually she too fell to the Malice.
None of them ever woke up.
They must have been so sad
Why do you kill?
I must make the dolls
The eyes are the key!
Why kill?
I must keep them safe with me!
I don't want to kill you.
Hikari ran through the Kiryu House, clutching her head. "Leave me alone!" she cried out. She ran into the study, and he was there. She ran into the storage rooms, and Azami was there. She even ran onto the bridge connecting their house with the Tachibana one, and got to see a woman she didn't know leap off and break her neck. She stormed back into the house and ran to the stairway.
"I want out! Get me out of this house! I WANT OUT!"
She barreled to the window.
Fly.
You know
WHY KILL WHY KILL
That you can
WHY KILL WHY KILL
Fly out
WHY KILL WHY KILL
Of this place.
Her body stopped trembling. She looked up at the window. The open wondow leading out of the house. It was high, but…if she flew…
She leapt off of the stairwell. There was a sickening crash as she landed on the ground below…
She slipped into unconsciousness as her four limbs shattered.
You'll come back for me, Yae…
I know you will.
We promised…
Ryozo stepped back to the village. Well, it used to be the village – now it was forest, just like everything else. There was still a Shinto gate, but that was all. No houses, no altar…nothing.
At first it was faint, but he was sure he heard crying. He looked around, and there she was.
Yae.
He walked forward and touched her shoulder. Initially there was no response, but she eventually raised her head and looked at him.
"…What?" she choked. "Who are you?..."
His brow furrowed. Who was he? She didn't remember him?
"Do you…can you tell me…what's happened to me?"
Amnesia?
Ryozo held her close to him. "I don't know, Yae…"
Yae looked up at him. "Yae…that's…me…"
Ryozo closed his eyes.
"Yae…" he said. "Would you like to come with me?"
Okay! One chapter left… (Cries uncontrollably).
Oh, well.
Again, the whole Woman In Box thing is probably wrong…but I figured it'd be a little stupid for her to be an all new character for one tenth of a chapter.
I hope you liked this chappie. I'll try to get the next one up quickly…ciao!