Hinamizawa Hell
Ch. 2: Return & Realizations: Part 2
Shion and the others were able to manage a nice lunch at the residence of Satoko, Rika, and Hanyuu for the afternoon. Satoko, who had cooked up a wonderful assortment of foods for the group, was happy to have impressed her older brother. He sat at the table, admiring her skills that she seemed to have developed while he had been comatose.
"Satoko, you've really become a lot stronger since last I saw you." Satoshi stated. Satoko turned around, smiled and scratched her head.
"Well, I needed to become stronger…since…well"
It was apparent to the others that both Satoko and Satoshi had been stabbed with the bitter memories of their past: from their parents' deaths to the terror of their aunt and uncle. They looked downcast, and didn't say much more after that thought.
However, Shion and Rena tried to change the subject to lighten the mood. They pulled out a game for them to play while Satoko cooked. It had been a game of Old Maid, but even so Satoshi and Rika were able to defeat the others, but thankfully no penalty game came into play.
After their meal and chat, Shion had helped Satoko clean the dishes while Hanyuu, Satoshi, Rika and Rena all went into the other room to watch t.v. During the washing, Shion looked down to Satoko, and smiled.
"It's what we finally got Satoko. Satoshi is back again, and everything can be normal for once. You and Satoshi can live in peace finally." Shion stated.
"You're wrong Shion, things won't ever go back to normal, but they will change for the better. Its true, Nii-Nii and I can live together again, but something has changed," replied Satoko.
"Satoko, what do you mean? What has changed?"
"Shion, isn't it obvious? You and Nii-Nii share a bond, and I'm going to accept that…" Satoko smiled at Shion, to her amazement. "…I look up to you kinda like my own Nee-Nee, but at the same time Satoshi looks at you differently. I'm happy for you…that my Nii-Nii is able to be with someone like you."
What Satoko said had brought tears to Shion's eyes. She didn't reply, but merely pulled Satoko into a loving hug. No words were needed to be said for that special moment between them. After the hug, Shion wiped away her tears, and looked back down to Satoko.
"At least, I'm not gonna be selfish about all of it. What won't change between the three of us are the memories we'll make together, right?" Shion stated. Satoko agreed, and went back to finishing the dishes.
It was a nice afternoon for everyone, but before the snow storm had gotton worse beyond the point of travel, Satoshi announced to Satoko in private that he and Shion had agreed to spend some time with each other. Satoko made no protest, but had made Satoshi promise that all three of them could spend time together to catch up. Satoshi merely smiled, and patted Satoko on her head, something that she would never get tired of.
Rika watched how much had changed around her, from her friends to the passing days and their newly made memories. She sat near the windowsill, as Satoko and Rena had said their goodbyes to Shion and Satoshi. Rena would apparently stay the night at the home, to their pleasure.
In private, Hanyuu spoke with Rika as Satoshi and Shion just left, while Rena and Satoko were occupied in the kitchen.
"It seems everything is finally…-achoo-…set in stone. You've found your happiness at last Rika," said Hanyuu. Rika merely looked outside as Shion and Satoshi trudged through the snow on their short way to the Sonozaki residence.
"Yes, it seems so. And I'm glad that it is. The power and bonds of our friendships have gotten us through the nightmare and solved the mystery of Hinamizawa. We can all live a normal life again, one that is happy and filled with many good memories in this village we cherish so dearly…"
The trudge through the snow wasn't an easy one, but the two travelers managed to reach the Sonozaki residence with little problems. However, by the time they got inside the large estate, the snow storm had made it impossible to travel by foot anywhere. Once inside, Shion and Satoshi stripped themselves of their winter wear and went inside.
"My parents are away on their second honeymoon, and my grandmother is off shopping up north for a few days." Shion suddenly stated as Satoshi was taking off his shoes. She seemed very ecstatic as she hopped down the hallway to put away their wet clothes. Satoshi chuckled and soon followed, sitting in the kitchen while Shion did some quick chores. It was his first time in the estate and to his relief was glad that no one else but Shion was around. His family's history with the village, especially the Sonozaki family, hadn't been one of the best ones, but he was even happier when he found out that it was a thing of the past. Hearing how the village came together to protect his little sister from their uncle really impressed him.
After some time of staring around and observing the home, Shion came in, now in some comfortable clothing, and began to set up the table. It was nearly dinner time, and Shion had intended to prepare a nice dinner just for them. However, just as it seemed like her plan would be put into motion, Satoshi surprised Shion.
"Well, as it seems like I won the game today, I guess I have to subject you to a penalty, huh Shi-chan?" The last syllables of her name made Shion blush profusely. She turned around slowly, dying to know what he was thinking of.
"Um…yeah, about that…umm…what are you gonna do?" She seemed very flustered in her state, which made Satoshi laugh a bit.
"Well, your sister's idea of playing dress up was quite convincing, and from what Keiichi told me about confusing you that one time at that maid café…what was it called, Angel Morte', I'm actually very interested in seeing you in that maid outfit of yours." Satoshi had a noticeable grin slowly form, and Shion was dumbfounded to his devious suggestion.
"W..wait…you can't be serious, right?" Even though Shion played like she wanted it, it now felt harder to accept that she might have to do it.
"Nah, I was just kidding! Your expression is priceless though, I'll give you that, heheheh." Satoshi laughed a little, to Shion's small relief. She went up to him, and basically slapped him over the head with a newspaper.
Just as she was about to go back to cooking, Satoshi came up behind her and helped, extending his arms past her waist and holding her hands.
"You wouldn't mind if I helped, do you?" he whispered into her ear. Shion felt a shiver of pleasure go up her spine at the touch of his hand, and just as she was about to react, Satoshi stepped away and began gathering ingredients. It seemed that just as things were about to get interesting, Satoshi merely teased her and began to do some of the cooking. Shion looked at him, flustered and confused as to how he was acting, but merely passed it off. It was then that Shion remembered that she was going to call Keiichi and see how Mion was doing in her own scheme.
Shion let Satoshi continue with the cooking, since to her amazement he was doing well, and went over to a nearby phone. She dialed Keiichi's number, and waited for the other end to pick up. After 3 rings, someone responded.
"Hello, Maebara residence," replied Keiichi.
"Keiichi, its Shion. Is Mion still there or did she leave for home already?"
"No, she's still here. Hold a sec…" Shion listened to Keiichi give the phone to Mion, to which she was glad. Had Keiichi let her go home, even now, there would have been scorn for Keiichi to suffer for. Also, it would have really depressed Mion if she couldn't be with Keiichi, especially when she had decided to admit her feelings for him that night. And most importantly, had Mion had to come back to their home would have meant Satoshi and she couldn't progress anywhere.
"Hey Sis, what's up?" Mion responded.
"Mion, its crazy outside. Why didn't you leave for home already?" joked Shion. She heard Mion hesitate for a minute, probably thinking out her next move.
"Sis, I don't think I'll get home tonight," replied Mion. After another hesitated moment, Shion heard Mion speak to Keiichi. "…Kei-chan wouldn't mind, right?" She heard Mion chuckle a little.
"Ye…yeah…*gulp* sure!" replied Keiichi.
Shion giggled on the inside. She loved how cute Keiichi and Mion could be sometimes, and accepted that even though the two were thick headed, they would be fine that night together. Shion knew Mion would get what she wanted in the end, and for that, Shion decided to focus her efforts into getting what she wanted.
"Well Sis, it looks like I'll be staying the night. Have fun without me, and tell me how everything went with Satoshi," replied Mion. Shion agreed, hung up the phone, and made her way back to the kitchen towards Satoshi.
Satoshi was cooking up some simple dishes of meats and noodles for them, doing quite well over the stove. Shion watched him for a bit, and suddenly began to daydream near the doorway of the kitchen, unnoticed to Satoshi.
Daydream:
"S…Satoshi…I hope I don't offend you with what I'm wearing." Shion wore her maid outfit for Satoshi, almost feeling like his eyes were stripping her naked. All the while, it felt pleasurable for her to be seen like that by him.
"Shion, you look stunningly beautiful in that! I can't contain myself…" Satoshi immediately strides forward towards her, and pulls her into a warm kiss, as his hands guided her to the ground slowly and softly.
"Will…it be ok Shion?" Satoshi looked at Shion, his eyes full of eagerness and wanting of her supple flesh. Shion pulled him close to her, and whispered in his ear.
"Please…be gentle…" From that point, Satoshi and Shion would start letting out all their pent up sexual frustration…
End Daydream.
Shion stood there, drooling at her daydream's ending, however, before she could enjoy it fully Satoshi noticed her just standing in the doorway, acting loopy.
"Shion, you ok?" asked Satoshi a bit worried. He noticed how much she was drooling, and just believed she was hungry. Shion, embarrassed, shook her head and wiped the drool off her lips. She seemed flustered to Satoshi, and he merely chuckled at her state. "Dinner will be ready soon," he stated.
Shion went into one of the cabinets to occupy herself, and more importantly, regain her composure. She started to plan her next moves as to regain control of her master plan.
*I need to gain the upper hand. I wanted to cook dinner for Satoshi, hell, I would even suggest that he could eat it off of my body, or that I could feed it to him playfully, but if I'm gonna be that flustered at my day dreams, then how am I going to stand up to that?* Shion continued to ponder what she would do…
Meanwhile, Satoshi focused on the cooking, and soon after finished with ease. He began to set the table with Shion, and portioned out the food. The extras he saved for Shion for tomorrow. He sat down, said a quick prayer, and began to scoop food into his hungry mouth.
Shion watched him savor the food, and began to eat as well, however, Satoshi didn't let one bit of food get into her mouth before flustering her again.
"Hmm…maybe for a penalty game I could have you spoon feed me like the Romans did with grapes?" Shion spit out her food, coughing a bit, to which Satoshi merely laughed hard.
"Th..Th…That's not funny Satoshi-kun!" Shion pouted a bit at his remark, but blushed all the while. In her head, Shion was wondering how all this was what she thought previously.
"I'm just joking Shion, hehehehe." Satoshi grinned evilly. Shion noticed this trait very similar to Satoko, and was beginning to believe just how much they were related. Satoshi merely continued to eat his meal.
"Geez, after all I do for you and Satoko, this is how you repay me, hmph!" Shion pouted again, redness coming to her face. Satoshi looked at her, seriously for once, and put down his chopsticks.
"Heh, sorry Shion, but it's been awhile since I've had this much fun. While I was comatose, the only real thing I could remember…was your visits really…" Satoshi trailed off, his eyes closed for a bit.
Shion looked at Satoshi, now ceasing her pouting.
"Satoshi…how do you remember that? I mean, you were completely asleep when I came to visit you every time, and I doubt you remember me. Maybe you were dreaming…"
"Then how do I remember the stories you read to me, or when you told me about your day and the others? Even how Mion was trying to get with Keiichi today…" Satoshi looked at Shion's eyes, very deeply, and saw a blush come over her face.
"…You really do remember. I hope…I wasn't a bore to you…" Shion slowly continued to eat her food, avoiding Satoshi's eyes. She soon finished her food, and began to clean up. Satoshi, however, just watched her, finished his food, and then helped as well.
It was almost 7 o'clock when Shion and Satoshi started to prepare for bed. Shion hadn't said a lot to Satoshi since their dinner conversation, which started to worry Satoshi a bit. It was true, he merely teased her before, and he was serious about how much she did for him, even when he was comatose, but now it seemed like he did something wrong.
Shion took a shower while Satoshi sat in one of the living rooms, watching t.v. She let the warmth of the water wash away some of the worries on her mind. Her long, green hair merely fell down to her legs, dripping with warm water. She rested her body against a wall, as the steam from the shower fogged the sliding door.
*Satoshi remembers even my visits. If he knows all about that…then…does he also know…about the times I kissed him on the lips? Or that other time I…*
Shion merely flustered at that last thought. It wasn't bad, well, not that bad, but she hoped in all regards that Satoshi Definitely didn't remember that. She sighed, and wondered if anything would really happen to her that night.
That's when she heard the door slide open. She knew it was Satoshi, and it sounded like he was setting up the bath and some of the sitting stools. She became beet red, and almost fainted from the thought of Satoshi in the bathroom with her while she was naked.
"S…SATOSHI!?" she managed a small yell. Satoshi stopped what he was doing, and looked at the area where Shion took her shower.
"Heheheh…" was all Satoshi managed to let out. Shion grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around her body. She opened the door to the shower, and looked out. She was surprised to see Satoshi in a towel, but even more surprised as to how he just stood there, acting like nothing was wrong.
"Satoshi! What are you doing!?" she said, flustered. Satoshi put a hand to his head, and smiled in an embarrassing state.
"Well…if you're ok with it…I'd like this to be the penalty game?" he said. Shion looked at him, blushing more than ever. She seemed like she was about to faint from all the heat and Satoshi being there, seeing her in nothing more than a towel, but as she was about to fall, Satoshi opened a window for the steam to let outside, and went to her, holding her up gently by the arms.
"Shion, I would like for you to take a bath with me, in towels of course. Consider it your penalty for losing to me today, heheheh."
Whether it was Shion's inner desire for Satoshi, or just her own perverted imagination, Shion suddenly found herself on the stool, while Satoshi washed her long, green hair with shampoo. Satoshi smiled, happy that Shion had allowed them to do this. Though he always wanted to take a bath with someone he cared for, however, it wasn't just for his own pleasure. He wanted to make sure Shion was alright, and didn't have any weird feelings about their conversation earlier. Once Shion seemed relaxed, Satoshi decided to pick off from their earlier conversation, but Shion managed to speak up first.
"Satoshi…so you remember everything about my visits, huh?" she whispered. Satoshi, surprised, merely nodded his answer. "Shion continued to look forward, not daring to see his eyes. "…and you remember…even what I did just before our visits ended?" she weakly murmured out. Satoshi looked at her, now embarrassed and blushing himself, and nodded.
"Y…yeah…I remember that…actually…every one of them…" he blushed. Shion then turned to him, and looked deeply into his eyes. However, what Shion did next completely caught Satoshi off guard.
Shion threw her arms around Satoshi, and pushed him to the ground. Her body was on top of him, now nearly towel-less, and was on all fours looking down at him. She seemed like her mind struggled on the inside, wondering if she should try something.
"Sh…Shion…" Satoshi blinked, looking up at her. He began to wonder if teasing her had made her go insane. Shion looked at him, and began to speak.
"S…Satoshi…I'm sorry for defiling…you like that…" Shion was huffing a lot, almost hard enough to seem like she had trouble forming words "…but my feelings for you…are real. I meant…every one of those kisses. And…I'm sorry…for looking down…"there", but…I was just curious…that one time…I'm so sorry. But Satoshi…not knowing where you were…all that time…I was so distraught…I wanted to even die to be with you…but I made that promise…to take care of Satoko…and I lived to keep that. But…I wanted you…and only you…so badly…" Shion got closer to Satoshi now, her face mere inches from his. He blushed profusely, unable to respond. However, Satoshi merely blurted out the only thing on his mind.
"You…k…k…kissed me? I thought you were talking about how you just patted my head like I do to Satoko…" he stated hastily. Shion went wide eyed, blushed again, and suddenly succumbed to a mixture of too much heat and embarrassment.
"Wh..Wha…" Shion awoke in her room, with a cold washcloth over her forehead. She noticed Satoshi sat next to her, watching t.v., but once she awoke he turned to her and smiled like always.
"Finally awake?" he asked. He stroked her hair, keeping her calm.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Well, I think all that talk and too much hot water caused you to faint…" he rubbed his cheek. Shion sat up slowly, and removed the wet cloth. She looked over herself, and noticed that she was dressed.
"You…dressed me?" she said, embarrassed.
"Well, if I left you wet like that, you'd catch a cold. Besides…" Satoshi looked away "…you can say we're even…" he blushed. Shion looked at him, and blushed.
They didn't say much for a few minutes, but Satoshi turned to her soon, and wanted to finish things.
"Shion…I'm glad…" She looked at Satoshi, and watched. "…I'm happy really, to have someone like you so special and caring. You stood by my side while I was in a coma, even when I barely even knew the real you. But from all the conversations you've had with my sleeping body, I realize I know more than enough to say I've known you for years…"
She looked at him, smiling to herself. Satoshi was being true to everything, and wasn't acting in an unreceptive way. In a few moments, however, Satoshi moved closer to Shion.
"Shion…you once told me at the toy store that normal people who want something put it on reserve, right?" he asked Shion, dead serious and looking deep into her very soul. Shion felt a little light headed, and started to move closer.
"Yeah, I remember. Why do you…mention that?" she stated.
"Because…I want to put you on reserve…Shion…" he replied. Shion's heart jumped at his comment, and began to pulse rapidly.
"Satoshi…I was yours from the moment you patted me on my head…because…I've fallen in love with you…" Shion moved in for a kiss with Satoshi, and just before she met his lips, Satoshi gave the answer that she always wanted to hear.
"And I've fallen in love with you Shion…"
Their lips pressed gently against each others with mutual feeling. Shion was glad that it was their special moment, and not one of her silly fantasies of lust and yearning. It was perfect for her, as Satoshi and she both held each other in loving care. Satoshi guided her back onto the floor, and explored with his hands over her body. Shion enjoyed every touch and sensation from him, and moaned during their kissing.
Whatever happened to them afterwards was only ever known between Satoshi and Shion. And like Mion and Keiichi, Shion and Satoshi would be found sleeping in each other's arms, facing each other in soundless sleep. Their love for another was as true as their lives, one worth fighting…and killing for.
For others that snowy night, things weren't so peaceful for sleep, namely that of Satoko, Rika, Hanyuu, and Rena's slumber party, as they witnessed the newest arrival to the village of Hinamizawa, one that could very well protect or destroy Rika's newfound happiness…