Hinamizawa Hell
Arc 1: "Stained Souls Chapter"
Ch. 11: Spirited Away
"…I feel sometimes that fate has decided a similar purpose for me in life. I have some meaning here, even though I feel like I'm out of sorts with it all. What I'm getting at is that when I'm gone, I'm still here, and when I'm here, I'm not. You get what I'm saying Rika?".
"So you feel like you're playing in a game of fate then? Why, then, do you seem like you've given up hope?"
"…its not hope of winning or losing, but hope of knowing what lies ahead. My eyes let me see the past, but I want to know and live in a future of peace, not one where…"
"Then lay your cards down, Komoto-sempai, and so shall I. We'll see what fate has for a hand, if you so say that this really is another game. I'm prepared…"
"I already have been…"
"GAH!"
In a time unlike any before her, the young Rika had awoken from a lucid and vivid dream. Her body was covered from head to toe in sweat, chilling her to the bone once she got out of the covers from her warm bed and, from there, journeyed to the bathroom. Careful in not waking Hanyuu, she moved down the dark, cold hallways of the Irie Clinic to the bathroom, turning the light on quickly and locking the door behind her. She turned the hot water on in the sink, and began to wash her face a bit, relaxing her stressed mind.
Her dream from before was that of Rika's last night together with Komoto at the scenic site of Hinamizawa. It was so vivid, almost surreal, that made Rika think she was actually reliving the entire event. It was then after remembering this that she remembered the promise in the diary.
"Komoto-senpai…you said you promised to tell me someday…buy how can you keep a promise to me if you're dead?"
She splashed her face again with warm water, trying her best to douse her worries. She was safe for now in the Irie Clinic, under Akasaka's closetful eye. Her friends were well protected enough for now, and the police were already on high alert for the Dark Spector. However, it all still seemed too good to be true. Her reliance on other's in the past didn't work so well until the end when all the missing cards were together, but even now with all but Komoto present the whole situation presented a daunting feeling to her.
She returned to her bed once more, and laid her head down on the soft pillow. Hanyuu was sleeping peacefully next to her, not even alerted once to Rika's awakening. She sighed, and covered herself up with the warm covers once more. Try as she might, though, falling back asleep proved vain for the time being.
"Komoto-senpai…"
Whispering his name to herself brought to mind the dream again. Why of all dreams would she have that particular one? She thought long and hard for awhile, until something came to thought.
"What I'm getting at is that when I'm gone, I'm still here, and when I'm here, I'm not. You get what I'm saying Rika?"
"…I already have been…"
Her eyes grew wide at this statement. She sprung up in bed; sweat beading in profusion down her forehead. It meant something; everything so far meant something in a way that just needed to be connected.
*Komoto-senpai…you were already playing the game even when you came here to Hinamizawa! You were looking for Mizuho all this time, but when you found out that she may have become the Dark Spector you tried to accomplish something by yourself! This explains how she was a master of disguise and how everyone thought the Dark Spector was a man. Furthermore, that explains why you couldn't kill Mizuho. You didn't bring your guns because you didn't want to kill her; you wanted to try and subdue her. But you couldn't bring yourself to stop her that way, even though she did such horrible things to you, because you loved her…*
This sudden realization began to piece everything together right now, but at the same time it didn't answer most of the questions. Things weren't fitting in the right places still.
Before she could go on, Rika's tired mind and stressed body gave out to the warmth of her bed finally. She laid back down, wishing she could stay awake somewhat longer, however, it never came. She ultimately decided to discuss this with her friends the next day, to try and figure out all of this.
School came and went the next day without a hitch. All the children, this time escorted home with their parents, left their separate ways. For the game club and its members, however, Rika urged Mion throughout the day that it would be important for them to stay behind. Kansai and Akasaka, together, were told to show up to the meeting on behalf of the Sonozaki family and the Okinawa Police Department. Rika finally decided to reveal her theory on the situation to the others at last.
The members of the group sat awaiting Rika to talk about what was on her mind. Akasaka listened on intently as Rika went to a nearby chalkboard to discuss her theory. She seemed almost teacher-like to Rena, which was cute but none the less not appropriate in this serious time. She, like the others and especially Keiichi, watched as Rika drew something on the board.
"Everyone, I've kept something from you all that belonged to Komoto-senpai. It was in his attic amongst the books on his desk. It's a diary that I believe may entail the existence of the Dark Spector and Komoto's relation to her…"
Akasaka walked forward and looked down at the girl, with some worry and confusion.
"Rika, if you had evidence then you should have handed it over to us to determine…"
"Akasaka-san, please, I needed to confirm this myself. Just hear me out and trust me for now…"
Her earnest eyes quelled Akasaka for the time being. She was wiser than him, so he decided to let her speak her mind in front of the others, and then talk with her after about the diary.
"…now, in this diary, Komoto-senpai entailed a good portion of his life as a mercenary and…his sins. Most importantly though, Komoto-senpai fell in love with a women by the name of Mizuho Otome over the course of his work. She went missing some time during a mission, and Komoto-senpai was dead set on finding out what was going on. His goal since that point was to find her and figure out the real truth at hand, but he believed that a connection lied in her to the Dark Spector. I believe that Komoto-senpai was killed by the one he loved, which explains why he never fought back at all. I think…Mizuho killed Komoto-senpai…"
Everyone's eyes in the room went as wide as ever. The story was key to Akasaka's investigation with Oishi, but for Rika to find out who the Dark Spector really was was sheer amazing.
"Rika, we believe the Dark Spector was a man though. The description doesn't…"
"You remember that document intel you found? A woman who was a master of disguise? She was also from Hinamizawa, as Komoto-senpai wrote in his diary. It fits perfectly together here. It also implies why Mizuho is doing all this…"
"The syndrome…"
Keiichi spoke out from the back whilst he sat in a desk near Mion and Rena. Everyone looked at him as he looked outside a window, watching as a storm began to loom over Hinamizawa, probably because of the freezing rain coming during the winter months again. Rika looked at him with confirmation in her eyes.
"Exactly…Mizuho was away from Hinamizwa for too long. The syndrome elevated in her and I can only believe that she's succumbing to its effect. She's come to Hinamizawa because it is her home and last place to accomplish any of her goals…"
"But Rika, it still doesn't fit together…"
Satoko sat at another desk to the right of Hanyuu. Akasaka was also agreeing with Satoko, noting her keen insight into details.
"If this is all true, then Mizuho couldn't kill Komoto-san like that by herself, unless, she really was that strong. And it still doesn't answer why she found Komoto-san so easily. Some things just aren't making sense here." she responded.
Akasaka looked down at the floor, trying to ponder something. He then looked back at the others, trying to give an answer.
"…I'm going to report this to detective Oishi. I'll need the diary too Rika-chan. Kasai, can I trust that you'll bring back the others to the Clinic in the meantime?" he asked. Rika gladly handed the diary to him, hoping he could find out something she may have overlooked.
"Hmm…no problem. Just call me if you have anything else. Oryu is becoming more anxious with each passing day to resolve this problem." He stated, in a cool attitude. However, he kept looking at his watch, as if waiting for something.
"Hey, Kasai, what's wrong? You seem worried," asked Mion
"If you remember, Shion wasn't feeling well, so Houjou-san escorted her back to the manor. She called me around noon, and I offered to take her, but she was so adamant about Satoshi helping her for some reason…"
At this point, Mion blushed profusely, and began to shake her hands in the air, trying to get Kasai off the idea.
"Kasai…she must have not been feeling so well. She feels safer around Satoshi-kun anyway…"
"…That's why I let Houjou-san escort her home, but he never called me to make sure they returned to the estate. It is worrying me…" he said. He decided to leave the kids for a minute to make a phone call in the main school office so that he could check up on Shion.
Once he left, Mion let out a sigh of relief.
"Geez Sis! Even during school, keep it on the lowdown at least!" she said. Keiichi just looked at her with a confused look.
"Anyway, go on Rika…" he asked.
"That's the problem. I'm stuck here. We know now that Mizuho is most likely the Dark Spector, and why she's doing all of this, but it still doesn't explain how she accomplished the murder," she responded. She sat at the desk and tried her best to relax a bit.
"Well, Otome-san was in Komoto-san's mercenary group. She had to be at least somewhat strong to survive with the others…" stated Rena. She began to twiddle her fingers a bit, attempting her best at figuring out the puzzle.
"But Rena, if you remember correctly, Komoto-san weighed 200 pounds. Detective Oishi even said the physics behind it were impossible. To lift 200 pounds of dead weight would have been nearly impossible even for Otome-san…" replied Keiichi.
"Then other's had to have been involved. It's the most logical conclusion. If Otome-san was part of an occult, and she was the leader, then most likely her partners in this murder were the disciples," stated Mion.
"Then the question becomes the motive. Why is Otome-san killing? And if she really did accomplish killing Komoto-senpai, then what is the means to the end…"
The group was about to start another brainstorming session on this question, but even with all the evidence present there was still not enough clues at that point. While in their discussions, they suddenly stopped once they heard someone rush down the halls towards their room. Once the door opened, Kasai, out of breathe a bit, went over to the group and spoke with Mion.
"Your sister and Houjou-san never made it back to the estate. One of the Sonozaki family's attendants said that no one but Oryu and your mother were home. Your grandmother has alerted the others and we're starting a search party as we speak. Mion, we need to return immediately to the estate to discuss this matter further." Kasai regained his cool attitude, but all the while looked urgent in his speech.
Mion sat in her desk with a blank expression on her face. The look Kasai gave, from what Keiichi and the others noticed, was one of intent. Mion hung her head a bit low and rose up once more, this time, with the look of a Sonozaki family head. She got up out of her chair and followed Kasai out the door. She kept her back to the others and waited in the hallway for the young ones.
"Rika-chan, Hanyuu-chan, and Satoko-chan, you three need to come with us now. We first must return you to the Irie Clinic. We have an obligation to Akasaka-san…" spoke Mion in an unusual tone. It was almost…too different for Mion to speak in such a manner.
"But Mi-chan…"
"NO BUTS!"
Mion's tone of voice stuck fear into the others minds. She sounded so indifferent then and there, and her action to go on without questioning was almost frightening.
Rika, Hanyuu, and Satoko indefinitely obeyed her orders. Kasai led them out to the car, while Mion stayed behind for a bit. She knew Keiichi was going to protest, but for some reason it didn't happen this time. She looked back to him, with somewhat of a cold stare.
"Kei-kun, walk Rena home for me, will you? I'll call you later, ok?" she began to walk out the door without another word. Rena looked over to Keiichi, worried beyond belief now.
He got up and looked down at Rena, who nodded and did the same. She grabbed her stuff and headed home, but not before Keiichi retrieved Satoshi's bat for protection. He let him keep it and said he would buy a new one once he was on the baseball team again.
Looking back at the school was almost too eerie for Keiichi. No playful game club or any afterschool teacher was there to watch over the school grounds. Keiichi sighed and walked along the road with Rena, just as the freezing rain began to pour. Luckily, Rena brought an umbrella just big enough for the two of them. As they walked along towards the main road for their homes, Mion, as she was getting into the car, noticed the two huddled together under the umbrella. Her eye twitched a bit with jealousy, but for some reason she was more concerned with how she acted before. She mentally decided to apologize later to Keiichi for that. For now, she worried over Shion and Satoshi's whereabouts, hoping that they were elsewhere on another one of their sex-capades.
The rain didn't falter one bit as they traveled through the mushy snow along the muddy roads. It was cold enough to make anyone sick from such weather, but thankfully for their winter wear they were safe for awhile. As they walked, however, an omnipresent silence was around them, probably from Mion's strict actions back at the school still looming over them.
"Kei-chan, if Shi-chan and Satoshi-kun are gone, then it's like Watanagashi all over again…" Rena bit her thumb a bit, looking worried. Keiichi assumed that Rena thought Oyashiro-sama was behind this, causing the people of Hinamizawa more grief for some sin.
"Rena, we didn't do anything wrong this time. Watanagashi was all Takano's doing, not Oyashiro-sama. We still don't know for sure if Shion and Satoshi are even in danger. They probably went somewhere else to do their thing, as Mion said for some odd reason." Keiichi scratched his head, trying to figure out what she meant.
"Kei-chan, I know that, but still, if Shi-chan and Satoshi-kun are gone, then it's the same as being spirited away…this time, by a Dark Spector…"
By the time they reached Rena's house, she seemed to feel a bit safer. Her father was home, and even invited Keiichi to come in for awhile. However, he wanted to get home to see his own folks, so he took a rain check on the invitation for another time. Before he left, Rena gave Keiichi her umbrella, hoping that he wouldn't get too wet in the rain.
"Just return it later to me, ok? Take care Kei-chan…" she said, smiling a bit. He smiled back at her, and made his way home.
"Achoo! Damn, I can't wait till summer comes back. I hate the cold, ugh!"
Keiichi trudged along the now muddier road back towards his own house. His shoes were already covered in mud, and his clothes would need a good wash once home. On his mind, however, all he could think about besides a hot meal and sitting in front of his room's heater for a while was how Mion acted. It reminded him of another time, probably a dream of sorts, where she acted that very same way.
"Mi-chan, I know you must be worried about your sister, but that façade of yours just…isn't right…" he said to himself. He sighed again and began to quicken his pace towards home faster.
Some villagers were out even during this weather trying to get home as well from work. Keiichi wondered how bad the other's thought the weather was on Hinamizawa, given its normal warm weather climate compared to the current one. The cicadas probably hibernated in the trees for the winter or went elsewhere that was much warmer for the winter months, he assumed.
As he thought about the girl he loved and all the problems at hand, Keiichi unknowingly bumped into a tall woman as he walked. His shoulder caught her a bit, and he kept going on, dredging the coldness of the weather. He still remained, however, polite to the women in his haste.
"Oops! Sorry about that miss, my fault."
"No problem, young man…"
Keiichi traveled back towards his home, but from another perspective the tall woman, sporting a long white coat and a black scarf, looked back at the boy and smiled darkly. Her red hair was brushed away out of her eyes, so as to get a better look at Keiichi. She licked her lips as if anticipating a meal.
"Too bad…if he was with someone else he would have been a perfect sacrifice…hehehehehheHAAHAHHAAHHAAHHA!"
Author's note: Sorry I haven't been getting back to this as much as I have. I've just been thinking up some more ideas for the story.
I hashed the original ch.11 and redid it with this one. The other one seemed like it was going in the wrong direction, so I redid it and I think it came out better. I hope everyone enjoys the story thus far. So far, I've been getting positive reviews.
Thanks to all my supporters, and I hope you keep enjoying the story. The next one will be up within a week hopefully.