2. Chapter 2: Threat

Chapter 2: Threat

Part A

Rika still had me by the collar. Her eyes were glued to mine. I couldn't pull away from her. Her sudden transformation paralyzed me. Who was this little girl that was holding me now? It wasn't Rika! It couldn't be Rika!

"Stay away from Shion?" I said with fear in my eyes.

"She's hurting, can't you see that?" Her voice was calm as it was frightening. "She's vulnerable she's clinging on to what she has left...she's very vulnerable "

"What what do you mean she's hurting?"

" She's dangerous." Rika took the other side of my collar in her free hand. "Keiichi should stay away from her. He can get hurt too."

I could be hurt? What was she blathering about?

"Keiichi should leave her be. He shouldn't do anything foolish. He should mind his own business."

Rika let go of my collar. I fell on my backside and watched her. She blinked her eyes a few times at me. She smiled cutely, like she always did. She reached her hand out to me. I flinched and tried to back away from her. Her hand petted my head, I couldn't get away now. Her hand caressed my head lightly; she was still smiling at me. Rika was back to her usual self.

"Are you okay, Master?" She took her hand back and brought her hands up to her face. She acted as if they were the paws of a cat. "Meow!"

I only trembled at her. What the hell did I see? Who was that just now?

"It's getting late; I should get home before Satoko starts to worry!"

Rika picked up her bottle and her funnel. She smiled at me one more time and thanked me for allowing her to borrow the soy sauce. I didn't speak. I didn't even nod at her. My eyes were looking straight ahead of me, into a whitewashed wall of my home. Rika daintily walked to my front door.

"Keiichi?" I heard her small voice call from the door. I was still in the kitchen, but I could hear her perfectly. "Don't tell Shii we talked, okay? I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to my kitty cat. Meow!" She exited my home.

I was in my room, sitting against the wall, trying to decipher what I had just seen. I never heard Rika talk like that before. She sounded so strange. She didn't sound anything like the Furude Rika I've known all this time.

I didn't understand a damn thing at all. Shion looked alright to me. She was happy! She was laughing with me and Satoko all night! She didn't have a care in the world! How could she be hurting?

Maybe Rika knew something I didn't. Maybe she knew the truth of Shion's feelings. She wanted me to leave her alone. How could I do that? I couldn't avoid Shion. She and Satoko were like sisters. How could I be with one and exclude the other? It didn't make any sense. I couldn't exclude any one of my friends.

Shion was hurting. How was that possible? I didn't do anything to her. Was it that I tried to rub her head before? I apologized to her and told her that I wasn't trying to replace Satoshi. Rika said she was dangerous, which means that I was in danger if I hung around her. I was always nice to Shion, even when she teased me, so how could I be in any danger? What was there for me to be afraid of?

I was overreacting to this. I was getting scared over nothing. Rika was probably just worried about me spending too much time around her. Maybe she was afraid that I was trying to replace Satoshi, and that Shion wouldn't like that very much. But I wasn't trying to get rid of him, that's the thing. Rika was just paranoid. She tried to scare me into staying away from Shion, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave her be. If she was hurting, couldn't I do something to ease her pain?

The last thing she said bothered me as well. She said not to tell Shion that we talked that night. I shook my head at this. I would honor Rika's wish, even though it made absolutely no sense to me. I don't know, maybe she didn't want me to flat out acknowledge Shion's supposed state in public, in fear that Shion might yell at her or something. I really didn't know. I slept on it. I would worry about it when the time came.

I woke up the next morning around my usual time. I brushed my teeth, got changes, packed my lunch, which were some of the leftovers from last night, and left my house. I met up with Rena at the waiting spot. Soon after that, we found Mion and walked to school together. We raced each other to school.

When we arrived in the classroom, we were met by Rika and Satoko. Satoko didn't pull a prank on me this time, surprisingly enough. Rika gave me her classic smile, but I could see the message behind her adorable face. She was reminding me of what she said last night without saying a word. She was communicating to me through her eyes. I could still see the presence of that other Rika I saw last night.

Lunchtime soon came. Everybody pulled their desks together and we whipped out our lunchboxes. I dazzled Rena and Mion with my lunch. I saw their jealous eyes glide over my food. It filled me with such joy to see them envy me.

"Hauuu!" Rena snatched a piece from my lunchbox and nibbled at it. "This is so delicious! Did Satoko-chan make this?"

Satoko beamed now. "That's right! I cooked Keiichi-san a gorgeous dinner! Not bad, huh?"

Mion stole a piece now. She gobbled it up and shot Satoko a thumbs up. "Perfection! This old man approves!"

" It's good!" Rika smiled at her best friend.

Satoko laughed heartily.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you like this punishment that Kei-chan gave you!" Mion raised her brow.

"It's not all that good!" Satoko raised a finger for each complaint she had. "I had to reorganize Keiichi-san's refrigerator, I had to go out and buy the ingredients because he doesn't have anything useful, I had to clean up after him, and I had to make sure to keep him out of the kitchen! He would burn his house again if I let him come in!"

I frowned at her.

"You know it's true, Keiichi-san! Oh ho ho ho ho!"

Rika was still wearing the cat ears for me. She wiggled them for me. "Don't be sad, Master! Meow!"

That suddenly made it all better. Rika had that charm that no man could resist. She was so innocent.

Rena blushed at Rika. "Rika-chan's wiggling her cat ears so adowable! I-I-I want to take her home with me!"

"Kidnapping's a crime, Rena!" I reminded her, as I held her by the collar of her shirt.

"B-B-But I want to take her home!"

Rika hid behind Mion, who busted out laughing. "Suppose you did take Rika home, Rena, how would you take care of her?"

She blushed even more. "I would take her home, wash her, feed her, make her a little house, and take her for walks-"

"She's not a dog or a cat!" I said.

"But those ears ! Hauuuuuuu!"

"Mii~ " Rika was still behind Mion. She was holding onto her for dear life.

"You can't have her! She's mine for the week!" I was holding Rena under her arms now. She was desperately trying to fight me off to get to Rika. "That's her punishment!"

"I-I-I want Rika to be mine for the week! Mii-chan! Let's have a club activity right now! Winner takes Rika-chan home for all of next week!"

"She's not a bargaining chip!"

"Ahaha!" Mion crossed her legs. "Maybe. I'll think about it!"

Rika seemed genuinely frightened. I would be too if I was in her shoes. I'm sorry Rika, I'm sorry you had to become her target!

"Maebara-kun!" Chie-sensei was calling me from the hallway. "When you're done with your lunch, please water the plants outside! It's your turn today!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I had what I wanted of my lunch and let the others finish it for me. I picked up the watering can from the closet and went outside. The bright sun was very refreshing. It cast it himself on my body. I enjoyed feeling the warmth from it. It was another beautiful day.

I filled the watering can from the fountain and quickly got to work on the plants. It didn't take me long to water them. Once I finished, I took a seat near the fountain. I was looking up into the sky again.

Rika was on my mind again. Her words and that stern voice crept back into my head. What did she mean? What was the big deal with Shion? Maybe Satoko knew something about it. Maybe she knew something and didn't say anything so I wouldn't worry. I was planning on asking her, but I had to ask her in a different way because I didn't want to reveal Rika as the one who told me everything.

I was getting a headache. I turned to face the fountain. I splashed water on my face to wash away the concerns that were plaguing me.

I felt a towel on my shoulder. I took it and wiped my face. "Hey, thanks for that!"

"No problem!"

I turned around. I saw Shion standing before me with her arms folded behind her back.

"Sh-Shion!"

"Hi, Kei-chan! Why do you look so scared to see me? Did I frighten you? Heehee! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Calm down, Maebara Keiichi, I told myself. Shion's a friend, don't be afraid of her.

"Why are you here? Aren't you working today?"

"I took the day off! I wanted to say hi to Satoko while I was in the area! And since I found you here, I could say hello to you too!"

I gulped silently. Rika's words were fluttering through my head.

"Are you okay, Kei-chan? You're not sick or anything?"

"No, I'm fine. You just surprised me, that's all."

"Ahaha! You don't see many pretty girls come up and talk to you, do you?"

I didn't know about that. I had all the prettiest girls in my class!

"Well, you're a special kind of pretty! Of course I'd be caught off guard!"

Shion was speechless for a moment. I saw a light shade of red across her face.

"Stop teasing me," she said.

"Hey, you tease me all the time! I'm entitled to some witty remarks!"

Shion smiled at me. Her jade eyes glistened in the sunlight. Rika didn't know what she was talking about. Shion was happy. I could sense it. I could tell just by looking into her eyes. She was as happy as she could be.

"So uh, how's work?"

"It's fine, kinda boring today actually. I had to get away!" Shion stood at the fountain. She was standing right next to me. "Did you like your dinner last night?"

"Of course I did! I loved every bite of it! It tasted even more delicious because I got to have it with you and Satoko!" I grinned at her.

"Dinner always tastes better when you're with your friends or family." She glanced at me. "Satoko had a wonderful time last night. She wouldn't stop talking about how much fun she had!"

"She really had a lot of fun? That's good!"

"Hey, Kei-chan. I feel guilty. You've been so good to her and I haven't repaid you for your kindness."

"We've been over this! I love hanging out with her!"

"I know, but, I want to pay you back somehow." She twiddled her thumbs. Something struck her. She gave me this really weird look. Her eyes fluttered and her voice sounded very seductive. "Kei-chan ?"

Oh man, I thought. I didn't think I could resist that voice! Shion always had power over me just by speaking like that!

"Y-Yes?"

She traced her finger down my arm. Her nail gently scratched me as she drew it along my skin. "Are you free tomorrow night? I want to repay you for being so wonderful to Satoko."

"I-I dunno I have school the next day and Satoko has to do her punishment and "

"Kei-chan." Shion looked me square in the eye. "A girl is asking you out. Shouldn't you be saying 'yes' to that? Ahaha!"

I was thinking about it. Shion sounded like she really wanted to do something. If I declined, she would probably be hurt. Making an excuse wouldn't work either, she could see through my emotions just like everybody else could. Going out with her just once couldn't do any harm.

"Y-Yeah, sure. I'll go with you!"

"Good!" Shion clapped her hands together and smiled sweetly at me. "I'll call you tonight with the details! I can't come over with Satoko tonight because I have some work to do, so it'll be just you and her tonight. You be a good boy to her now!" Shion waved goodbye and skipped away from me.

I looked down at the ground and smiled like a miner who just struck gold. I was going on a date with Shion. No, it wasn't a date. She liked Satoshi. She was just doing something nice for me as a thank you.

"Kei-chan! I forgot to ask you something!" She looked back at me.

"What is it?"

"Did you see Rika last night?"

My eye twitched. "Did I see Rika?"

"Yeah. Did you?" She walked back over to me. She was still smiling.

What should have I said? Do I lie to her? No, she would know if I was lying, right? But Rika said not to say anything that we talked about Shion being hurt. What if I just tell the truth but leave that part out?

"Yeah, she did come see me last night."

"I thought she did! She was gone from the house when I took Satoko home! She's in school today?"

"Yes, she is."

"Good! She really shouldn't have been out so late last night without somebody to protect her! What was she doing at your place though?" Her face got closer to mine.

I backed away. "She-She wanted to borrow some soy sauce."

"Soy sauce? That late? Why would she do that?" Her face kept getting closer to mine. She was pushing me back into the fountain. Her smile was still on her face. "Your house is so far away from hers, right?"

"Y-Yeah it is. She just wanted to borrow some soy sauce."

"Did you guys get to talk at all?" Why was she interrogating me like this? Did did she know what Rika said to me last night? That's impossible! She was long gone by the time Rika came.

"We did."

"About what?" She stopped her advance. She saw my back resting against the edge of the fountain.

"Nothing really."

"Were you two gossiping?"

My heart rate increased. She was getting too specific. She had to have known something! She wouldn't be like this if she didn't know! She had me up against a wall. I couldn't run from her.

"What am I saying?" She laughed. "Rika just wanted some sauce or did she want something else ?" Her face was getting closer to mine. Her cold breath was upon my face.

She could see right through me. She knew the secret I was keeping. She had to have known, she just had to!

"I know what you're hiding from me, Kei-chan and I don't like it I don't like it one bit " Her voice became very stern.

"I'm I'm not hiding anything "

"Yes, you are. I know you are! Don't lie to me!"

I was done. She caught me. She was going to lash at me. I could see her fangs and her claws sinking into my flesh.

"I know! I know what you're hiding from me "

I was stuttering. My sweat fell from my face. I heard it splash against the ground. I heard it loud and clear. My whole body felt cold, but my brain felt like it was on fire.

"Rika-chan likes you!"

"Eh?" My heart rate decreased. "What?"

"Ahahaha!" Shion backed away. "I got you! You should see the look on your face!"

She was joking with me?

"Rika-chan likes you! That's why she went all the way to your house just to borrow soy sauce! What a sneaky move!" She laughed again. "You're a lucky guy, Kei-chan! I hope you were polite to her! And she was wearing those cute cat ears? I bet you really enjoyed that!"

I was still trying to calm myself down.

"You see, there's nothing that I don't know about! You can't hide anything from your Shion! Heehee!"

I was hiding something though. Thank God she didn't know about it! I thought she was going to murder me! She looked so demonic when she was grilling me.

"Calm down, Kei-chan!" She punched my shoulder lightly. "I was only kidding! No need to be afraid! Well, I should visit Satoko before your class starts. I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

She blew me a friendly kiss. She was teasing me again. The way she acted around me I was scared for my life. I thought I saw another Shion taking her place, like how another Rika took Rika's place. Who were these creatures that appeared before me? Why were they haunting me?

Part B

I couldn't focus on Chie-sensei's lecture when I returned. Shion's interrogation was still in my mind. I thought for sure that she knew what I was hiding. I got lucky that she thought something differently. That made me feel a little better, but the way she came at me really frightened me.

Was it a mistake for me to agree to go with her? Was I walking into a trap? Would she reveal to me what she really knew? I prayed that she didn't, I prayed that I was just being crazy. I needed to take it one step at a time.

School ended sooner than I thought. The kids all started to pack their things and leave. I was doing the same, but Mion had other plans for me.

"Kei-chan! Where do you think you're going?"

"It's time to go home, isn't it?"

"Silly, Kei-chan!" Mion shook her head at me. "You mean to tell me that you forgot? It's club activity time!"

I forgot all about that. Rika and Shion were on my mind all day. I guess I wasn't thinking straight.

"Now what game shall we all play today?" Mion went over to her locker and rifled through it. "Hmm. We haven't played Rich Man Poor Man in a while. You guys wanna do that?"

My eyes sparked. That was arguably the best game I played. I had the devil's luck when it came to that one. One time I got everybody to dress in different outfits and treat me like a king! I wanted to repeat that!

"Keiichi-kun's getting excited! I think he wants to play that game!" Rena was getting pretty pumped as well.

"Yeah, let's play that!" Satoko punched her palm. "I'll wipe the floor with all of you!"

Rika only smiled. "...Let's do it!"

"Okay then, you all asked for it!" Mion pulled out the deck of cards from her locker. She shuffled them twice and passed out each player their cards.

"Here we go!"

I was walking down the dusty road with Rika and Satoko. I was kicking at the ground as I walked. I felt great shame upon me. I talked a big game and looked forward to dominating everyone like I had done before. I instead lost miserably. I didn't get a single win. It seemed as though Lady Luck was in love with someone else.

The punishment was for me to wear bunny ears, a sailor fuku shirt, and the school swimsuit. I had to wear it until I got home. That wouldn't be much of a problem if I was going straight home, but Satoko forced me to take her and Rika to the local store, Seventh Mart, to buy some supplies for supper. The punishment I gave Satoko became part of mine.

I was surprised that Rika was joining us this time. I think Satoko wanted her to come since she didn't the last time. She didn't want her to be left out. I was happy that Rika was going to be with us, but the image of the other Rika was still fresh in my mind. Those dark and blank eyes, the tone in her voice, and the words she used haunted me. I was wary around her. I tried to act normal, but I think she could tell that there was a hint of fear in the way I presented myself.

When we arrived at the store, I was already greeted by the looks I became accustomed to when I first joined the club. Some people, however, looked at me and then shrugged. I knew what they were thinking. "Oh, it's that Maebara kid," I could hear them say mentally. I was known all over Hinamizawa as the cross dressing son of Maebara, the famous artist. It stung, of course, but if anything, it helped me play better in the next club activity. I know I'm not the best at these games, but I think I was off that day. Shion and Rika got the better of me. I had to stop thinking about them so much!

I had a basket in my hand. I was following Satoko all around the store. She was barking orders, reading prices, and compared the way certain food felt, weighed, and smelled. She was a real pro at all this!

"We'll need some chicken here," he said, throwing a packet of chicken breasts into my basket. "We'll need some of this too. And maybe some of these will do the trick "

"Do we really need all this stuff?" The basket was getting heavier. Did she this crap to make one lousy supper?

"Of course we do!" Satoko threw a box of rice at my face. It bounced off of my face and landed into the basket. "It's good quality! What, you want to eat garbage?"

"No, but-"

"Shut up and follow me!"

Rika was giggling at me. What did I do to deserve this abuse?

Satoko now picked up some broccoli and cauliflower. She was staring at the both of them. I saw her fidget about. She even scratched at her head.

"Which one is green? Is it the cauliflower? No wait, it's the broccoli! No it's cauliflower! Wait!"

"It's the broccoli. In your right hand."

"I know that!" She threw it at my face. "I told you to shut up!"

She must have been having fun. Normally, I would fight back, but I knew nothing when it came to cooking. Satoko was the master here. I should have just kept my mouth shut the whole time.

We were in the canned food section. Satoko picked out some of the food that was on sale, with the help of Rika, as I hung back. I let them take the basket while I followed behind. I sighed, but I smiled. I was actually having fun, believe it or not. I wonder if she was like this around Satoshi?

"Maebara-san!"

I looked behind me. Dr. Irie stood before me with a similar basket I was carrying. He was in his casual attire.

"Irie-sensei? You have the day off today?"

"Yep!" Irie smiled goofily at me. "I wanted to take one day and relax for a bit! I'm just taking care of a little shopping!"

"Same here, actually!"

Irie examined me for a moment. "Say, Maebara-san, you're not sick are you? Your skin doesn't seem to shine as much as I remember!" He spotted my swimsuit and bunny ears. "You lost the club game, huh? I have to admit though, that outfit does compliment that lovely skin of yours, even though it's rather dim today!"

"H-Huh? What ?" I took a quick step back.

He laughed hard. "Just kidding! My, you're so tense! You need a massage or something!"

I think I knew where he was going with this. "I'm fine, really! You don't have to do that!"

"Aw man, but I'm pretty good at it!" He adjusted his glasses.

I took another step backward. He responded with a chuckle. This guy loved to pull my leg.

"Manager!" Satoko and Rika appeared at my side with our basket.

"Ah! Rika-chan! Satoko-chan! Are you here with Maebara-san?"

"Uh-huh! We're getting stuff for dinner!"

Rika giggled. " We're making Keiichi dinner."

Irie's glasses flashed in the store's light. His mouth was agape. He dropped the basket he was carrying. "Y-You are? You're making .him dinner?"

"Yeah we are " Satoko looked at him with her brow raised.

Irie suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder. He looked at me. He was crying! He was legitimately crying!

"Maebara-san I'm I'm so jealous!" He squeezed my shoulder hard.

"Um-"

"Do-Do they wear maid's outfits for you? Tell me! Tell me!"

I took his hand from my shoulder slowly. "No, sorry "

"Ohhh!" He hugged himself. "You don't know what you're missing! Imagine it: these two beautiful girls, wearing maid's outfits, calling you master all day long I'm so jealous!"

" I get to call Keiichi master all week anyway!" Rika moved her hands like a cat's paws. Irie was going to go nuts when he noticed her cat ears. "Meow!"

Irie was having a heart attack. He gripped his chest and stumbled to a shelf in the aisle we were in. He couldn't pull his eye off of Rika's cat ears. "Maebara-san you lucky bastard !"

"Well, it's been great talking with you, Sensei," I said as I dragged Satoko and Rika down the aisle to escape from him. "But we gotta go! You know, gotta make dinner and stuff! See ya later, bye!"

"Wait a sec!"

We stopped and turned to face him one more time.

"Rika-chan," Irie said as he knelt down to her. He wasn't goofing around this time, thank God. "You're close with Akasaka-san, aren't you?"

Rika nodded her head swiftly. Three times to be exact.

"He's going to be visiting Hinamizawa tomorrow to see how things are holding up. I heard he's transferred to the Okinomiya Precinct to take Ooishi-san's place, since he retired. You should find him tomorrow when you're able!"

Rika nodded again. I saw the look in her eyes when she heard that he was coming. She looked overjoyed.

"I should get going too. It was great seeing you all again! Take it easy now!" Irie waved goodbye and traveled to another part of the store.

"I don't think I'll ever understand that guy," I said when he left my line of sight.

Satoko rubbed her chin. "I don't think anyone ever will."

We paid for our groceries and walked home. Rika and Satoko talked the whole time we walked home. I ended up carrying all of the bags. Lady Luck really hated me today. I lost the game and had to wear these clothes, Irie was more goofy than usual, and I was stuck carrying these things. They weighed at least seventy pounds, I swear. I know they're young, but you'd think they would try and help me. Nope.

When we got home, I changed into my own clothes as Rika and Satoko went to work preparing the meal. I tried to sit in the kitchen, but Satoko forced me out. I sat in my room, like last time, and waited as patiently as I could. I folded my arms and crossed my legs as I sat on the floor. I was looking out of the window, watching the sun go down.

The door to my room opened. Rika stood in the threshold. She meowed again and pawed at the air.

"Weren't you helping Satoko?" I asked.

"She said she could take care of it. She asked me to keep you busy until supper was ready!" Her cat ears wiggled.

I turned away from the window. She sat down next to me. She folded her arms on her knees and rested her chin on them. She looked at me and smiled adorably.

"Satoko had fun in the store, huh?" I said, returning the smile.

" She's so happy." Rika was quiet for a minute. "I think she likes cooking for you!"

"I think so too. I guess she and I both win in the end! I don't have to worry about cooking for the week, and I get to hang out with my friends!"

" We should invite Rena and Mion!"

"Maybe!" I laughed. "Although, I'm sure Mion would go through my stuff and Rena might steal something if she thinks it's cute!"

Rika laughed too. "Mii would be so embarrassed to do anything."

"Why is that?"

"Haha Keiichi's clueless!"

What was that all about? What does she mean?

I was about to ask, but she only purred at me. I shrugged it off.

"Keiichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you see Shion today?" She was smiling at me, just like Shion was.

The air suddenly felt acrid to me. Did she know I talked with her today? She had to; why else would she bring it up? It was best to come clean.

"I did."

"What did she say to you?" Rika turned her body to face me.

"Nothing really. She was actually kind of worried about you. She took Satoko home last night, but didn't see you home."

"And what did you say to her?" Rika moved closer to me.

"I did like you asked me to. I didn't tell her that we talked."

Rika was standing on her knees. Her hands were at her sides. Her face was blank. I couldn't find any emotion in her eyes. "She touched your arm before."

How did she ?

"I saw from the window. She dragged her finger up and down your arm. I know."

Her voice was different again. I started to tremble.

"Why did she do that?" She asked me calmly, but I could feel that there was something hiding behind her façade.

"She wanted to thank me for being so nice to Satoko! She wanted to take me out tomorrow to thank me!"

Rika grabbed my wrist. She squeezed it tightly.

"Don't do it," she said sternly. "Stay away from her."

"Why? What's so wrong with Shion? She seems fine to me!" I blurted out. "Why are you so cryptic about her?"

"Stay away from her."

"Why? Tell me, Rika!"

"Stay away from her !"

"Dammit! Why are you worried? She's alright! She's perfectly normal!"

"NO, SHE'S NOT!"

Rika squeezed my wrist tighter. Her brow furrowed and she was shouting at me. Her eyes were glowing.

"I told you to stay away from her! Don't you understand that?" She took hold of my shoulders and shook them violently. "The closer you get the more in danger you'll be in! She'll kill you! Can't you see that? She'll kill you and everything will be lost! Why can't I make you understand? Why aren't you listening to me?"

This small monster was hurting me. Her grip was so strong; I thought she was going to dislocate my shoulders if she kept shaking me.

"She's vulnerable and unstable! She'll hurt anybody that gets near her! Leave her alone, do you hear me?"

I was trying to catch my breath. She was slowly killing me as she did this. That horrible glare, those piercing eyes, that malicious aura that surrounded her; this power that came from her was demonic! What the hell happened to Rika?

"How many more times? How many more times do I have to watch you die until you get it right? YOU DAMN IDIOT!" She slapped me hard. She pounded her fists on me now, but I blocked her with my arms.

"Wake up! You're getting too close! Leave her alone! Do you want to die? You know what, just go ahead! Just go and be with her, and see what happens! I dare you to try it! It's all going to be the same until you get it right!"

She was bruising my arms now.

"Rika! Cut it out!"

"I DARE YOU! Just go and die, you fool! Die! Die! DIE!"

She stopped hitting me. She was breathing heavily and she turned away from me. She went against the wall and buried her face into her arms. I heard her sobbing. I was too frightened to move from where I was. My shoulders ached, my face burned from her slap, and my arms had bruises on them. My eyes were attached to her small body. They were as wide as they could be. The air was so disgusting now. It was toxic that it was making me nauseous.

"Why ?" She muttered. "Why does it keep happening? We were done with this but why? Why do we keep coming back to these cycles of sorrow? It's a new thing each time with the same people why ? Why, damn you !"

"Rika " I whispered. "What happened to you?"

Satoko didn't hear a thing. It was like some sort of presence blocked her hearing of the whole argument. The door to my room was nothing. There was no reason why she didn't hear us.

When she called us down for supper, Rika was normal. Her eyes weren't puffy from crying and she acted like nothing happened again. What an actress. How did she pull that one off? I tried to act normal, but I was petrified at Rika now.

I tried to disguise my fears by always stuffing my mouth full of food, so I couldn't talk. When I did, I just said to Satoko how great the supper was and that she did a tremendous job, to which she would insult me playfully. She didn't seem to notice anything, so that was fortunate. Was it really fortunate though? Should Satoko know about this? Rika is her best friend and she's not acting like herself. Satoko had to know.

I couldn't tell her now though; Rika might deny what she said and what she did to me. I'd have to tell Satoko when we were alone. But would she really believe me? She had to! Her best friend wasn't herself at all! This monster took Rika's form and tried to kill me! What was she ranting about? Shion was going to kill me? Why would she do that? She didn't hate me or anything! What would Shion have to gain by killing me?

Dinner was finally over after what seem to be eons. We helped Satoko clean up and stack the dishes again. When we were done with that, it was time for them to go. Satoko wished me a goodnight and ran out of the house, happy as could be. Rika didn't say a word to me. She just looked at me with that blank look in her eyes. She shook her head and walked out.

I was at my kitchen table. I looked down at the wood and rubbed my finger against it. I couldn't believe this Rika appeared to me again. I was trying to figure out if this was my true Rika or if it was some other being altogether. She never behaved like this before. She never used language like that before. She never sounded like that.

Rika was an absolute mystery. She was kind around me one minute, and the next, she was beating me. What did I do or say to make her so angry? Was it my opinion on Shion? It had to be, but Shion was happy. She was normal. What did Rika know that I didn't, or was she just paranoid about her? What right did she have to call a friend of hers dangerous? She had no evidence. It was just speculation. I know Shion had moments of anger and depression when Satoshi was brought up, but I couldn't blame her for that. She loved him. Is love such a terrible thing?

I had no idea what was happening anymore. I didn't know what summoned the demon within Rika or how she got that demon to begin with. Maybe Rena or Mion knew something, or maybe Satoko did. I'd have to ask one of them discretely. I certainly didn't want Rika finding out I was talking about her behavior. I didn't think anybody would believe me though. They would probably tell Rika that I asked about her. I didn't want to imagine what she would do to me if she found that out. I was on my own for this one. I couldn't really ask anybody for help.

My phone was ringing. I took it from the hook and sat back at my table.

"Hello?" I answered lowly.

_"Hi there! It's Shion!"_

Shion! She was going to call me later tonight! I totally forgot!

"Oh, hey! What's up?"

_"Nothing really. Just another boring day at the office! Ahaha!"_

I chuckled a little.

_"How was your dinner tonight, Kei-chan? Did Satoko do a good job?"_

Rika

"Yeah, she did! She's an excellent cook!"

_"Ahaha! I'll be sure to tell her you said that! She'll be overjoyed! So was it just you two or did someone else join you?"_

Rika Rika

"There were three of us tonight "

_"Oh yeah? Who came?"_

Rika ! Rika ! Rika !

"Rika did," I spat out. Her name kept attacking me. It was torturing me. My brain burned whenever I heard or thought of her name.

_"How was she doing tonight? Was she all wubby dubby around you?" _She giggled.

"She doesn't like me like that!" I raised my voice.

_"Huh? Kei-chan, what's wrong? I was only kidding around don't take it so personally "_

"I'm sorry, Shion." I wiped my head. "I don't know what came over me. I think I'm tired or something "

_"Well,"_ she clucked her tongue, _"I suppose I can forgive you this time. But you have to make it up to me! You have to take me out tomorrow night!"_

"Hey, wait! You're the one who was going to take me, remember?"

_"It's the man's job to take the woman out! Jeez, you're clueless!" _She was laughing at me again.

"So, in reality, when you said you wanted to take me out, you were actually just giving me permission to take you out?"

_"What? C'mon, Kei-chan! I'm not like that at all! Ahaha!"_

"Ugh I'm getting a headache!" I sighed hard and leaned back in my chair.

_"Keep that up and you're not gonna get a kiss!"_

My headache vanished. "What? W-What did you say?"

_"I was thinking about giving you a nice little kiss, but now I don't think I will! Good boys get treats while bad boys don't get anything!"_

"You sound like Mion " I grunted.

_"We are twins after all! Ahaha!" _I heard Shion fall on her bed. I heard the springs squeak when she landed on it. _"Are you okay, Kei-chan?"_

"I'm fine, really."

_"You don't sound fine. Talk to me! I'm all ears!"_ I could feel her smiling on the other line.

"Um well, I don't know if I should tell you this "

She was quiet. She was waiting for me speak.

" It's nothing. I'm sorry. I'm just really beat from today, haha." I totally faked that laugh. She knew I faked it too. Who was I trying to kid? She could see right through me because of my tone.

_"Kei-chan? You don't have to hide anything from me."_ Her voice was so sweet and comforting. _"I can help you. We're friends aren't we? I'd do just about anything for Sis' best friend."_

"Would you save me from falling off of a cliff?"

_"Of course I would!"_

"Would you save me from some bikers who would try to beat me up?"

_"I already did that, but I can do it again!"_

"Haha. You're too much." I rubbed the table with my finger again. "So, Shion. Did you have any place in particular you wanted to go to?"

_"Not really. I just thought we could walk around until we found something to do."_

"You're an easy date!"

_"Ahaha! I'm pretty plain."_

"I don't think that! You're pretty sophisticated if you ask me!"

Shion was silent. _"Y-You think that? Thanks "_

"Is there anything else you'd like to do?"

_"Umm, let's just play it by ear, okay? I can assure you though: you will NOT be disappointed! I got something planned especially for you!"_

Bizarre fantasies were running amuck through my mind. "I can't wait!"

_"Just don't tell anybody! Especially Rika!"_

Her again.

"Why Rika?"

_"I see how she looks at you! It's a girl's intuition! I know what she's after!"_

Yeah, my hide.

_"She's a cat wanting to take a bite out of the fish!"_

"What the hell does that mean?" I shouted.

Shion cackled. _"It's just a joke! Wow, you get excited so easily, don't you? Well, I'm gonna have to get going. Meet me in front of my apartment tomorrow after school okay? I'll let Satoko know so she won't worry about you not eating!"_

I thought about Rika. Satoko would tell Rika that I would be with Shion. Rika couldn't find out! She would lose it again! She might really hurt me bad this time!

"Shion? If you're gonna do that, can you tell Satoko not to tell Rika?"

_"Eh? Why?" _She thought about what I said and the way I was acting. _"Oh. Is Rika making you feel bad? Is that what's bothering you?"_

"I'll tell you later." I said quickly.

_"Oh! Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow then. Get a good night's sleep! You'll need your energy!"_

She hung up.

I put the phone back on the cradle. I went up to my room now. I threw myself down on my bed face first. I buried my face in the pillows. Rika's voice and her horrible glare still plagued me. Why wouldn't she leave me alone? Why was she tormenting me so much?

The pillow felt so comfortable then. I was so tired. I desperately needed rest. My physical and mental states were fragile now. I had to get some sleep to repair my broken body and mind.

_Tat tat tat tat _

I heard a footstep outside my room. I lay still on my bed. I didn't move at all. The door to my room opened slowly. Something crept inside. I heard the small wind blowing into my room, even though the windows were all shut tight. I saw a dark miasma coming from the window. It drifted over behind me. I didn't turn around. I didn't want to turn around.

I heard it breathing. I felt the cold air against my flesh. It made my skin crawl. It felt like insects were running up and down my arm, and I felt that some were under my skin. I looked into the window, trying to see my reflection, as well as whatever was looking over me, and watching me lie there.

I fearfully glanced at the window. I saw my reflection. I saw what stood over mist formed a humanoid body. It was a small person. I saw flowing hair, terrible sharp horns on the side of its head, and these eyes. These eyes were balls of fire. The eyes of the Diablo were gazing upon me. This creature was the manifestation of evil. It was going to kill me I knew it was.

I noticed there was a baseball bat near me. It was metal and a familiar name was written in faded black ink on the bottom of the handle. I carefully reached out to it, as slow as a tortoise.

That's when the devil screamed at me!

I grabbed the bat and swung at the demon wildly. I kept swinging at swinging at it, with each attack stronger than the last. I was slicing the mist before me with each swing and my cry was that of a rabid beast.

The figure vanished from my sight. I heard it walk away from me. When I could no longer hear the footsteps, I collapsed to the floor. I was on my bed. I held the bat in front of me. It started to disintegrate from the top to the bottom. The baseball bat disappeared from my hand. I was with no weapon and the demon was gone. My eyes grew heavy.

"What " I mumbled. "What...was that thing ?"