Hinamizawa Hell

Arc 1: "Stained Souls Chapter"

Ch. 12: Misguided Paths

*Ring*

…

*Ring*

…

"Hello? Maebarra residence, Keiichi speaking."

"…Kei-kun…"

"M…Mi-chan! Hey, umm…what's up?"

"…"

It was around 9:00 p.m. when Keiichi received the call from Mion. He had been in his room, scribbling some ideas on a notebook about the whole incident that was going on in Hinamizawa. He even had a small t.v. set nearby with the news channel on, listening to a newscaster narrate the facts on the "Komoto Murder" so far. The newscaster was making some jokes about how it all may connect to Oyashiro-sama's curse, but at that point he decided to turn it off, finding no further use for it.

However, during the time up to the call, Keiichi was trying to piece the puzzle together. He remained rather quiet throughout the club room meeting with Rika, having his own thoughts to deal with. Hearing the new evidence really sparked his motivation to determining the truth at heart. Among his scribbles on the notebook, Keiichi's theories were correlating with Rika's ideas.

For one, Keiichi remembered that Komoto always carried his guns with him. For him to not have it at the murder scene was unusual. Second, how did Komoto even know that Mizuho would be at the mill area? He didn't idly go there without protection of some sort and just find her waiting for him there. Third, what was the purpose of the adrenaline stimulators? He originally believed that the depressors would remove the effects of the syndrome, so he could only guess that the adrenaline stimulators would only increase it. Did Komoto believe that he could take Mizuho down with just that? Finally, why would Mizuho, the infamous Dark Spector, act out in a way as to go against her killing style, even more, why would she kill Komoto? There were plenty of easier targets to take down, especially with all the older couples in Hinamizawa. The goal would have easily been met, but why Komoto?

So many of these questions and more were running through his head. Keiichi couldn't understand how they fit together, and ultimately decided that he still needed another piece of the puzzle. He ultimately decided to talk with the others the next day, so as to figure it out. And just as he was about to relax a bit before bed, he received the call from Mion.

However, she sounded unusual again, and this time it was reminiscent of another time, probably from a dream or past life, that she acted this very same way. Her hesitation was worrying him, so he guessed that it was due to the earlier way she acted towards everyone.

"…Mi-chan…if this is about what happened…"

"My family still hasn't located Shion or Satoshi-kun. There are search parties out now trying to find them, but we still haven't had any word yet. Kei-kun…I…"

"Mi-chan…just tell me what's wrong. You know you don't have to hide anything from me or the others…"

Keiichi could hear Mion hesitate again, and could hear her audible whisper on the phone.

"Kei-kun…I'm sorry about showing you that side of me. It's a matter of my family, and you understand how much pull my family has in Hinamizawa, right?"

"…you're the next head of one of the Three Great Families. I know how much pressure that is on your shoulders. Mi-chan…"

"Kei-kun…I just want you to remember that even though that part of me in the classroom you saw today was cold and authorative, the real me is still the real Mion you've always known, ok?"

What happened next was something Mion unexpected, but would remember for the rest of her life.

"Hehehehehhehe….Ha ha hah…Mi-chan, do you really think I would hold that against you? Is that all you're worried about?"

"Ah..no, not that, but…Kei-kun…"

"The Mion I know will always be the Mion that's always been in my heart. The one I care for, the one I think about, and the one I admire and love the most."

If one could see Mion on the other line she would be breaking out of her cold façade and blushing profusely; as red as a tomato. She never took Keiichi to be that manly in such a time, or for that matter, so true to their shared feelings. Her heart swelled with joy when he said that, and that only made her love him that much more.

"Kei-kun…thank you." She smiled.

"Mi-chan…I love you no matter what. So do what you need to do and I'll support you the entire way. You know that I'm always there for you, right?"

"Heheh…that's my Kei-kun."

Their conversation seemingly took a turn for the better for the time being. Keiichi and Mion were glad that they were past that minor worry.

"Hey, Kei-kun, did you and Rena get home safely? The rain and cold weather was pretty bad, so I was worried a bit…" she stated.

"Yeah, Rena brought a big enough umbrella for us to get home, so we managed fine. The walk home though was pretty brutal for me though. And judging by how the weather is now, if I really took up Rena's offers to stay over for a bit, I may have not even gotten home tonight…"

Something struck a cord in Mion's mind in that last sentence. The thought of Keiichi staying over at Rena's house, for the night even, just irked the hell out of her. Mion's grip on the phone tightened, and she even grit her teeth a bit. Her anger, for once in her life, flaired a bit out of her control.

"Over…her house?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad it didn't come to that. I managed to get home at least fine, though, I hope I don't have a cold or anything."

"With Rena…overnight…"

"Um…Mi-chan, what was that?"

"Oh…nothing. Listen…Kei-kun, I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow in class…hopefully…"

"Um..ok. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night Mi-chan."

"Night…Kei-kun…"

*Click*

The ride home for Rika was none the less enjoyable. Sitting behind Mion in the car was more than wanting, given her current state. Rika could almost see something familiar in Mion, a cold and imperfect attitude in her usual calm and clear personality. It almost reminded her of the time in another past life where Keiichi gave a mere doll to Rena, causing Mion's feelings to be hurt. However, Rika was sure that Mion's attitude now was all but fine. If anything, it would be logical to assume that it was caused from worry over Satoshi and Shion's disappearances.

The same would go for Satoko's attitude. She remained eerily quiet throughout the car ride to the clinic. She was going through another phase of losing her older brother again, and from this caused her to have a blank stare. Both Hanyuu and Rika tried their best to comfort her, but all Satoko did was look out into the passing trees of Hinamizawa with no words spoken.

Back at the clinic, Dr. Irie informed Rika that Akasaka was still out with Oishi, going over some new evidence. Rika assumed they were still speculating over the diary, and from that decided to just remain in her room for the time being. After putting her things away in the room, she sat in a desk, taking no heed to her completed homework. Rika put her head in her arms to rest her tired mind.

Satoko, in the meantime, went somewhere else in the clinic to be by herself for a while. Rika guessed it would be ok for that to happen, seeing as how comfort didn't go far these days. Satoko would just need some time to think, and from that she was sure Satoko would get some strength back.

To her wandering eyes, however, Rika noticed Hanyuu idly sit on her bed, holding her legs in her arms. Rika raised her head, and looked over to her.

"Hanyuu…what's on your mind?" she asked.

Hanyuu looked over to Rika, expressing no sort of emotion but a frown.

"Auu…Rika-chan, I've got a bad feeling about all this. Some things aren't right here. If I were still in my god form, I would have been able to search for the Dark Spector with no problem. Auuu…" her voice was soft and quiet, almost in sadness.

"Hanyuu…if you were still in god form, we would have been killed off long ago by Takano. You were the missing piece to the puzzle. You were the card that completed the hand to win the game of fate. Now, though, we don't have that luxury with Komoto…hmm…"

For the second time in two days, her interest was sparked again. The mentioning of death brought to mind Komoto and what Dr. Irie had said before when she woke up after realizing the truth.

"An autopsy…it has been long enough, and there would be a full report…"

Going down the long hallways, and after some searching, Rika and Hanyuu discovered Dr. Irie speaking on a telephone in one of his offices. The light shining out into the dark hallway concealed their presence for the time being, and for that matter, Rika and Hanyuu waited near the wall till Dr. Irie was finished with the conversation.

But with this conversation, something was even odd in itself.

"…with Shion-san and Satoshi-san's disappearance, the government is going to get involved. The villagers aren't going to be happy about this, especially after the "Tokyo" incident. Akasaka-san, why is he leaving all these things apparent when…"

Dr. Irie spun on his chair towards the doorway, noticing shadows near the entranceway.

"Rika-chan? Are you there?"

"Nippah! What's up Dr. Irie?"

Rika came into view, leaving Hanyuu at the wall to listen in. Rika acted as if she didn't hear the phone call, which made her look all the more unknowing to it. Dr. Irie sighed in relief and told Akasaka-san he'd call him back. Putting the phone on the receiver, Dr. Irie turned to Rika and smiled.

"Sorry about that. I was talking to Akasaka-san about the diary and what happened to Shion-san and Satoshi-san. I just hope they're found soon. It's not looking too good right now with the government being called in…" he sighed. Rika went over and sat down in a chair nearby. "…so Rika-chan, is there something you need?"

"Actually, yes. Dr. Irie…I remember you said that Komoto-san's body had an autopsy done…umm..what were the results?"

Rika noticed a bit of hesitation in Dr. Irie's stature, however, he quickly recovered and gave an answer.

"About that…well, in the report I was given the coroner found, besides the high levels of AS in his system, just a lot of blood loss from cuts to major arteries and stab wounds. Besides some bruises on his body, he as well suffered from some asphyxiation from being tied to the wheel. Why do you need to know that?"

"I was just hoping that something else was found. At least, now, we can have a funeral for him…"

"Um, Rika-chan, about that. Komoto-san had a will, like most mercenaries do in the field of combat. He specifically requested that there would be no funeral, sadly. His body was already sent in for cremation yesterday, from what Akasaka-san just told me. I'm sorry that you weren't told, but it was his final wishes. I may even think at one time during our conversations that…Komoto-san felt so stained with blood that he didn't deserve a funeral. He had no one really to call family, so he felt that his body would return to where it belonged without worry…I suppose…"

What Rika could see now changed her opinion of Dr. Irie and his strange actions before. He was crying now, some small tears, probably dwelling on a better memory. Dr. Irie, from Rika's perspective, must have been a bit closer than herself to Komoto in previous months, probably from his hospital visits during Komoto's treatments.

She patted him on the back and cheered him up a bit.

"I'm sorry Rika-chan, I don't mean to be like this. It's nothing. But you know, if you really want to cheer me up, then I happen to have some nice maid outfits here…"

"Umm…wow, look at the time, I really need to get my homework done. Nippah!"

With that, Rika left the room in a hurry, hoping to avoid another one of Dr. Irie's attempts of getting her into another maid outfit. After she left the room, Dr. Irie sighed in a bigger relief than before, dodging a bullet for the time being.

"Sorry, Rika-chan…" he audibly whispered.

Back in her room, Rika sat on her chair next to Hanyuu. She looked her dead in the eye, and conveyed her thoughts to Hanyuu.

"If the government is being called in, then we can safely assume that Hinamizawa is going to be closed off. If Shi-chan and Satoshi-kun were really taken by the Dark Spector, then the government will capitalize on this opportunity. They will close off Hinamizawa and look for Mizuho Otome on foot, and given the description in the diary, they are going to look for someone of that stature. However, she's a master of disguise, so she'll obviously change her look," stated Rika.

"Then what about the others? We can't lose Shi-chan or Satoshi-kun or we lose this game! And I can't bring you back like before if you were to die! Auuuu!"

"Hanyuu, I don't think they're dead. If it was true, then we would have found their bodies by now, but something tells me there's a third party lurking in the shadows. I'm not sure, but something still isn't right here."

*The next day*

"No school? Mi-chan was right I guess…"

"…and Shi-chan and Satoshi-kun still haven't been found yet. I heard that Mi-chan is still at her family's estate trying to sort this out. I just hope it's over soon, I hope…"

Rena and Keiichi stood outside of their school looking at a sign that said "School Cancelled till further notice!" tapered to the door. They looked down casted, hoping that they could be with the others that day. For now, they gave up on the matter and went back on their way home.

"Rena, I'm not sure how this is all going to turn out. It doesn't seem right, you know?"

"I agree. The puzzle pieces don't fit here. I wonder…hmm?"

Along their path home, they saw a large gathering of people from the town huddled close around a large white van with a military figure standing on top. He looked stern and strong, a burly man of sorts, wearing some high rank pins on his collar. The people around gathered about, young and old, parents and children alike, near the van. The man on top, surrounded with an armed guard at the bottom, spoke to everyone below at the van level.

Rena and Keiichi moved in to get a closer look, noticing the military man begin to pull out a megaphone speaker. Keiichi pushed through the crowd members, unknowingly bumping into Detective Oishi.

"Ah, Maebarra-san. Fancy seeing you here. I guess you found out that school was put off, huh?" he asked, pulling out a cigarette. Oishi seemed like he hadn't had any coffee yet, so Keiichi didn't bother to hamper on whatever was going on. He looked on with Rena, and with his wandering eyes scouring over the crowd, eventually seeing Mion standing near her grandmother Oryu.

"People of Hinamizawa, I need your full attention. As many of you may already know, it is believed that two teenagers disappeared around mid-afternoon yesterday, and the cause of such disappearance to be that of the Dark Spector's work. The government is taking full precautions here, and has planned to monitor Hinamizawa in the form of road blockades and manned units covering key points of entrance and exit into and out of the village. This will be done until further notice. If anyone has any information, you are urged to contact the Okinawa police department. They are the liazon between you and the government…"

"You damn ingrates! You've done little for this village in the past! We can handle this well on our own! Besides, the government hasn't even determined if my granddaughter and her boyfriend have been kidnapped by this Dark Spector yet! You can't do this…"

Oryu was blasting away along with the support of the other villagers at the military figures. They pushed back some of the angry villagers from their perimeter in the meantime, protecting the ranking official. He sighed, knowing he did his duty, and went into the van with the other men. They drove the van off without so much as a discussion with the village heads, and returned to their main HQ at the outskirts of Hinamizawa.

Oryu and the villagers were conversing amongst themselves, not standing for this outrage. Keiichi, meanwhile, looked over to Rena who seemed very worried. He patted her on the back, trying to cheer her up.

"If the military is here, then it should be over soon. Don't worry Rena, I'm sure things are under control."

"I'm not so sure young man. The military is useless these days…"

Keiichi looked to his right to see a tall, red haired woman in a white fur coat sporting a black scarf. Her bored and almost sadistic-like voice caused Keiichi to look at her awkwardly. Her eyes were covered with black sunglasses, probably shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun on the snow. She smiled, looking into the crowd and Keiichi realized he hadn't ever seen her in Hinamizawa before.

"To each their own I suppose, Miss…?"

"Ah, my name. I'm new here. My name is Kima Suzumi. I've just happen to begin hearing something on this 'Dark Spector' woman." She stated. Kima smiled down to Keiichi and Rena, almost too sickly sweet to them.

Keiichi's hand was still on Rena's backside, from what Mion noticed while they were talking with the strange, red haired woman. She narrowed her eyes a bit, and with a bit of jealousy envied Rena at that moment, however, she was too busy trying to restrain her grandmother from having a heart attack. Once she knew that her grandmother would be fine on her own, she traveled through the crowd, bumping through Rena and Keiichi, and separating them for the moment.

"Sorry about that. May I ask who this is, Keiichi?" she said, unknowingly with a hint of anger in her voice. She looked at Rena with some distaste, for a moment, causing Rena to back up a bit.

"Ah, Mi-chan, this woman is…Kima Suzumi. She's new to Hinamizawa…eh, where did she…go?"

The woman disappeared on Keiichi and Rena, causing Mion to look around a bit to find her. To no avail, the red haired woman just left without notice. Keiichi remained stupefied as to how the woman even slipped out without him knowing.

"Anyway, Mi-chan, what's going on right now?" asked Rena. Mion put up an odd front to hide some of the jealousy she felt before.

"The government is closing the village access points to find the Dark Spector. After word got out that my sister and Satoshi-kun were gone, they took the opportunity to capitalize on the situation. They want the Dark Spector caught as soon as possible to end the killings. My family is advising everyone to stay indoors until this is all over. Over the next few days will be home searches and seizures I guess…" she looked as dismayed as everyone else, and sighed.

"I guess my parents won't be too thrilled. Better tell my dad to hide his "echi" collection at home, hehehehe…"

"Kei-chan, don't you mean Your collection?" Mion looked at Keiichi with a dark shadow over her face. Keiichi looked at her awkwardly, laughing at the idea.

"Like I would have any such collection. Please, Mion, I'm not a pervert!" he stuck his tongue out at her, causing Mion to smile.

The three teenagers stood huddled around the other villagers, who now openly discussed their own plans to find the Dark Spector. Keiichi was at Mion's side, from which caused Oryu to look at them from time to time. Keiichi could only guess that she was worried in her own way for her granddaughter and her lover.

Oryu openly spoke out to the others, causing a wave of support to come out for her ideals.

"Our village time and again has withstood trials and tribulations unlike any other. We won't bow to our government's methods this time. I am urging everyone, for now, to keep their children indoors. I want parents to stay with their children, and even now, remain armed to their best. Any information on this Dark Spector will be brought before the village heads first. No questions asked. Anyone else who holds no responsibilities to protecting the children will come with my family members today at 4 p.m. We will begin our own search for this murderer, and if possible recover my granddaughter and her boyfriend. If they are alive, we'll spare this murderer's life. If dead…"

Oryu looked down to the ground, her eyes closed. She pondered and chose her next words carefully, inciting the crowd in ways Keiichi and Rena have never seen before.

"…if dead, then this murderer will answer to Oyashiro-sama! The price will be torture and death!"

Keiichi finally understood at that moment what Komoto had meant during their zombie game. Their eyes, the eyes of the people around him, showed hatred and anger like none other. These eyes were awesomely cruel, and so much so that they frightened Keiichi. He even noticed Mion, out the side of his eye, smiling at her grandmother's words. Her own eyes in their unique way frightening and sickly devilish.

Even his friend beside him spoke words of terror. From Rena's own transparent state, she murmured words audible enough for him to hear.

"Oyashiro-sama will judge and befall with utmost terror on those who deserve punishment…"