Hinamizawa Hell
"The Truth of Fate" Arc: 3
Ch. 10: Secrets
/
*Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…*
Lines. They were nothing more than lines going up and down on a monitor to her. Thinking well on their yellow and green digitized motions, the numbers and medical purposes not really well known to her, she dwelled on how many times she saw these machines. For the most part, she knew how well they had ironically grown attached to the man she loved, the same man in the hospital bed with an IV bag directly linked to his arms and breathing tubes connected to his nose.
As he softly breathed in the bed, Komoto knew nothing of the world around him; not even his fiancée Mizuho sitting in a chair by his side. He had not woken up in almost a day, never even knowing what had happened to him the night before. He was just getting ready for bed, brushing his teeth in the bathroom when Mizuho found him lying on the floor in a pool of vomit and blood. For Mizuho, these past hours since that time had been long and worrisome. Sitting there as the day passed on in the world outside, she replayed over and over again in her mind how she managed to keep his heart beating via CPR, how the doctors took his shirt and clothing off with surgical scissors, and how they managed to stabilize him after an agonizing hour and a half of hell. However, one thing remained on her mind, the very thing that Dr. Irie told her once he was able to talk with her at around 1 a.m.
"He's stabilized for now, Mizuho-san. However…" Dr. Irie hesitated, pushing his glasses up with one finger.
"However what? Just spill it and tell me what happened!" Mizuho looked from Komoto to the doctor, becoming increasingly angry with how he wasn't getting to the point. After all she had been through; Mizuho just wanted answers and solutions to fix this nightmare.
"That's the problem. We don't know what happened. His heart…is showing normal signs, and everything else checks out fine. I could have guessed it was due to an illness Komoto-san didn't even know he had, but in order to get more answers I will need to send a good portion of blood samples out to the labs in Tokyo. We will have a battery of tests completed until we figure out what exactly is causing this…"
"Then do all you can, Doc. Just…don't let the idiot die on me…I can't…have that! Not now…" Mizuho put a hand to her stomach, tears falling down her cheeks in warm paths. Dr. Irie said no more on the matter and only left Mizuho to stay by Komoto's side for support.
*We don't even know what's wrong with you, so how are we to help you? Komoto-kun…don't die on me…on us! Don't…leave our child without ever knowing you…*
As much as she wanted to cry, knowing if Komoto were to wake up any moment and see her like that, Mizuho's strength prevented any of that. She wanted him to wake up seeing her angry and pouting at him, not in such sadness over him. Holding his hand now and feeling how much of his strength left him; Mizuho contemplated just how serious his condition was.
"I…said I was going to take someone else to the festival on Saturday…but…you know I was only joking, right? You know…I wanted it to be you! So…keep your damn promise and get better!"
Casting her eyes away, Mizuho sighed and looked outside towards the daytime world. Suddenly, hearing a loud commotion in the hallway, she could only guess who had finally shown up. As the clamor of footsteps came around the corner, her friends and students were met with an unwanted spectacle.
"I see…you all finally made it…" stated Mizuho. Rika was the first one in the room, looking on with a horrified expression. She couldn't believe one of her strongest allies was now laying in a hospital bed, his condition unknown to her. As if almost in a trance, Rika went up to his bedside slowly and viewed the machines which either kept or monitored Komoto's life status.
"What…what happened?" Rika choked. The others came around the corner as well, sharing similar expressions of sorrow and worry. Satoko went up to Rika's side, putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"He just fell down last night and was vomiting. We rushed him over here as quickly as we could, but…all they could do was stabilize him. They don't even know what's wrong with him…" stated Mizuho, sounding very quiet all of a sudden. Mion and the others noticed just how hard this had taken a toll on him, but in all honesty didn't know how to comfort her. Just when they felt left without any answers, Takano came into the room; catching up to the others after they barged into the clinic.
"I know this must be hard on all of you, but Dr. Irie and I want to let you know we're doing all we can to figure out what is causing this illness. Please, I'm not trying to be rude, but this is still a clinic and we do have other patients here. I can't have you all worrying around here while Hagara-san needs his rest. I'm afraid I'll need most of you to visit one by one instead of crowding the room and all this equipment…" Takano sighed and looked over the group of friends sternly, making sure not to bend to any of their whims. She had to look out for the interests of everyone, even if that meant keeping them at bay for the moment.
"We're his friends, Takano-san. We're worried about him!" stated Keiichi. He gritted his teeth hard, as did the others in the room giving Takano a death glare. She took a step back from them, ready to counter assault with the hard truth to them, but this time was beaten to the punch by the person of much discussion at the moment.
"God…I hate this place…ugh…"
As all eyes turned from Takano to the man lying in the hospital bed, Komoto groaned and slowly opened his eyes; the brightness of the ceiling lights above causing him to blink until he adjusted to the room. As his heart monitor beeped faster with him now awake, Komoto scanned the room and noticed those gathered around him; everyone looking stunned to his awakening.
Mizuho quickly rose from her seat and clasped Komoto's cheek gently with her hand. She was on the brink of tears again, but instead of showing that to the others she embraced Komoto in a hug; happy to see him awake once more. Patting her back weakly, he sighed and looked at everyone else in the group, listening to Mizuho whisper into his ear.
"Please…don't scare me like that again…just stay with me…and don't leave me…"
"If you consider leaving some food for me to eat in the house…and lay off the beatings…then I might just stick around…heheheh…"
"You…dummy…"
A small amount of cheer was brought to the room with Komoto's jokes, despite not seeing Mizuho comically hit him over the head. With everyone forgetting Takano's request, they crowded Komoto's bed to see how he was feeling.
"I guess even death doesn't want you, huh?" stated Keiichi, managing to put a weak grin on Komoto's face.
"I don't want death either…so I guess I'm staying for now. Oh, what, don't…look so sad everyone. I'm in this hospital so much that I'm usually overdue for a visit now and then…" he stated, smiling. He readjusted his nose tubes, enjoying the pure flow of oxygen to his body. Scanning over everyone's smiling faces, Komoto's eyes fell on Rika; her stare showing concern and worry.
"Mii…"
"Heh…I'm not out of the fight yet…Rika-chan. I'm…still with you…" he murmured to her. Rika nodded, though still, had questions as to why of all times Komoto was to be the one suffering.
*I wish you could see this, Bernkastel. This is what I was trying to tell you before…* she thought.
"Well, it seems our patient is awake now. You gave us quite the scare last night, Komoto-san…"
Everyone looked over to the doorway, noticing Dr. Irie was present with a notepad and clipboard in hand. He smiled at everyone, glad to know that Komoto was finally awake at last. Walking over to the medical equipment and looking over his heart rate and other various numbers, he kept nodding his head and made some notes. He quickly turned his attention over to Komoto, taking a flashlight over his eyes and mentally noting his pupil dilation and other traits.
"So Doc, mind explaining what happened? Also, am I getting any grand prize for being a valued customer here?" Komoto, for some odd reason, felt like humor was the best medicine for everything right now, though he could see Mizuho being irked at how he wasn't taking this seriously enough.
"Well, I sent out blood samples to a lab in Tokyo to do a sink test. Basically, we're going to see if any of your blood samples match with specific diseases or viruses. Based on you vomiting last night with a small amount of blood, and with your heart and other vital organs remaining in a normal state, I can only conclude its some sort of attack from a germ or nasty illness…"
"So, Komoto-san can be treated then?" asked Ryuu, sitting in a corner chair while Rena sat on his knee.
"Yes, theoretically. We just need to determine what is causing it. I already looked over your medical history, and there seems to be nothing indicating the cause. Are you allergic to anything, Komoto-san? You may have had a nasty reaction to something at home or in your food for all we know. It would likely fit the symptoms of vomiting and blacking out…"
"Not that I know, but remember Doc, I don't even remember my family's medical history. I'm an orphan, so that may be where the key lies…"
"Then I'll have someone begin pulling medical records on possible candidates in Hinamizawa. They shouldn't be too difficult to find, seeing as how every villager in Hinamizawa has the basest level of the syndrome. If your parents left the village when you were a baby, they would have died in some horrific fashion outside the village. I'll have Takano-san look into that with Tomitake-san later…but for now…"
"Yes, like I was saying before: everyone except Mizuho-san has to exit to the lobby and visit one by one. Now!" Takano looked somewhat befuddled, getting grunts and sighs from the others for just doing her job. Leaving to go make some phone calls and to begin on researching Komoto's parents, Takano returned to her desk at the lobby for the time being. The others, though, lingered a few more moments, hoping to wish Komoto a speedy recovery. As everyone left to the lobby and returned one by one to visit him individually, eventually Rika was the last one to go up and have some time with him.
Taking a seat by his side and allowing Keiichi to pass out of the room after his turn, looking somewhat different than when he had come in before with a look of newfound worry on his face, Rika looked over Komoto with deep contemplation. Mizuho left for a time to go get some much needed coffee and a bite to eat, seeing as she hadn't had anything at all since the whole ordeal unfolded to them.
Remaining silent for a few minutes, Rika spoke up to Komoto with sorrow in her voice.
"Komoto-senpai…I think I know what caused you to end up here again…"
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember our conversations about our inner selves?"
"Yes. Bernkastel to you and Reimei apparently to me. Why do you ask?"
"Bernkastel…visited me last night to warn me about what was to come. She told me she attacked Reimei Ryuu in the other world, and I can only guess that by him getting hurt it somehow impacted you here physically in this world. But since you don't seem like you're dying, I can safely assume that this was just a small reaction to their bigger picture. I know you will recover in no time at all…"
"So our counterparts are beating us before we fight this Evil in Hinamizawa, huh? God…I don't understand all-powerful beings sometimes…" he sighed, smiling. However, his mentioning of power brought up to mind the next thing Rika wanted to discuss with him.
"Komoto-senpai…she also offered to me a gift…a Fate that I'm destined to eventually meld with. She wanted me to become a witch earlier than expected, so that I may defeat the Evil on a mere whim in our village. If I accepted the offer, I could also ensure that you would not have to suffer this dilemma of medical troubles…" she stated, feeling some regret for not taking the gift before. However, her resolve stood its ground and would not bend; Rika's previous decision being absolute and justified in the end. Yet, she wondered if Komoto hated her for choosing otherwise now.
"You have your reasons…just like I have mine…so don't dwell on it Rika-chan. We all make our own choices, so why not stick by them, right? I'm sure I'll get out of here soon and be able to attend the festival with everyone this Saturday too! Just…make sure no one tries to rough me up, ok?" Komoto smiled down to Rika again, grinning like he always does.
"Our club is rough, but not cruel, Komoto-senpai. We'll be nice, I promise! Just get better and come have fun with us Saturday. Nipah!"
Rika could only smile back and get up from her chair, noticing that it was getting late. Waving goodbye once more to Komoto, and feeling more confidence behind her previous decision, she left him alone in the room to return back to her friends; happy to know Komoto would be fine.
As Rika disappeared around a corner, Dr. Irie came in quickly and closed the door behind him. Sitting quickly by his bedside with a look of anger, Dr. Irie stared at Komoto carefully; concern and questioning in his voice.
"Komoto-san…I'm beyond pissed off with you, you know that?"
Dr. Irie eyed Komoto as he remained motionless in the bed. Sighing very deeply and looking back at the doctor, he nodded his head and could only look at Mizuho's empty seat in thought. Knowing exactly what Dr. Irie was referring to, Komoto addressed him once more with complete seriousness.
"It won't matter anymore. I fucked up big time, Doc, but I can't change that. You and I both knew very well when I was having those heart problems back then that they wouldn't just go away and give me a happy ending damn it!" Komoto gripped the sheets of his bed tightly, not daring to look the other in the eyes. Komoto's thoughts were focused on something more important; two people who meant everything in his life at that moment.
"…There are options, Komoto-san. We still have a chance to get you help…"
"My heart is shot to shit right now. Last night…there was something more behind it at that exact moment…" Komoto thought back on what Rika said, and truly wondered if having Reimei hurt in the Meta-world exacted his own problems with his heart somehow. "Doc…I made you promise to me you wouldn't let the others know. Not even Mizuho…it would break her in more ways than one. They can't know about this…until…at least…"
"Komoto-san, if we don't act quickly…then I fear you won't have much time left. We can…still opt for a heart transplant…medication…even just working with your heart and replacing some of the worn tissue even…you just need to give it a chance…"
"Doc…there are things beyond your own understanding here. For your sake, just prescribe me with some meds and go on with this charade for now…for the sake of the others…please…"
Knowing there wasn't much more to go on here, Dr. Irie sighed again and got up from his seat, shaking his head in dismay. Before leaving the room, he turned his glare once more to Komoto, asking something which he already knew well enough by now.
"This isn't fair to Mizuho-san at all. She doesn't deserve to have her unborn child go fatherless in life. And she most of all doesn't deserve to be left in the dark about things…"
"Doc…get my meds, and let me go home with my fiancée for fuck sake…I don't need any more guilt on my heart right now than what I'm putting on it already. Just…let things happen as they need to be and…when the time comes…I'll make sure my affairs are in order. Doc…if I have to ask one last thing of you…let me choose how I want to die at least…"
With that said and done and having no more to discuss, Dr. Irie left Komoto to his thoughts as he now casted his eyes to the horizon outside. Sighing again, he spoke to himself once more and, at the very least, hoped that when he dreamed again that this would have been a horrible nightmare, and that he would wake up in his world again without so much as a worry about heart problems.
"Sorry…everyone…but I'm a useless piece in this final game…"
/
"So…I guess he's going to be alright then…right?" asked Shion, her hands behind her head as the group walked back to the crossroads. The sky was turning to dusk, and it was dinner time soon for everyone, so they all decided to call it quits for the day and just head home.
"He has gone through worse…don't worry about it. If Dr. Irie says he can be treated, he'll be fine." Satoko shuffled her feet ahead of the group, walking backwards as she looked at the others. Their spirits seemed higher for the moment, however, each of them remembered going into the room individually and speaking with him. Whatever was said during those moments, it was probably only done on Komoto's part to ensure that he didn't cause any more worry for anyone.
As the light of the sky dimmed again, all the group members came to their respective roads; turning to one another and saying goodbye. Rena and Ryuu went their separate ways, whereas Satoshi and Shion went back to their home for the night. However, Mion and Keiichi escorted Rika and Satoko back up to their homes until they themselves took their own paths back to the Sonozaki estate. As they walked silently for some time, everyone noticed something unusually different about Keiichi; as if he were in deeper thought than what he should have been.
"Hmm…I'm getting really hungry. What do you want to eat tonight Kei-kun?" Mion held her stomach, letting some small growl sounds escape to notify the others that she was in need of a good dinner. However, Keiichi didn't give a normal response to her; causing Mion to eye him a little in study.
"Umm…whatever I guess…"
"Whatever? That doesn't help narrow it down a lot. Can you give me any specifics?"
"Hmm…the normal I guess…"
"…"
As they kept walking higher and higher up the hill together, Mion moved up to Keiichi's side, taking his arm in hers, and silently walked closer with him. He noticed Mion pull his gaze her way, and from that understood why he was causing her to question him a little. Sighing, he shook his head and merely smiled at Mion to reassure her from his previous thoughts.
"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind now. I'm sure whatever you cook up will be good for tonight. If I can have dessert too, it would be nice!" Keiichi winked at Mion, causing her to blush deeply. She understood by what he meant in the word 'dessert', and from that became really excited for later that night. Managing to take Mion's focus from him, Keiichi continued holding her arm in silence as they walked up the hill till they reached their own home and parted ways with Rika and Satoko.
For Keiichi, though, Rika could still see something unusual in his thoughts. Knowing very well it had to do with something Komoto told him in the room before, she began to question what exactly Komoto was having issues with; whether they be his medical problems, something else or the whole situation entirely. Just when she thought she had a better answer, Rika realized that her home's lights were on as they passed through the main gate.
"Oh, Hanyuu-chan must be back! I bet she's either fat from creampuffs and desserts or she's too exhausted from helping the elders today." Satoko ran to the door and opened it quickly, letting her presence known to Hanyuu inside the house.
"Hanyuu…" Rika hesitated for a moment, thought over a few things, and then quickly went inside to find the others. Taking her shoes off, she lightly tiptoed down the hallway into the living room, finding Hanyuu sitting in a chair reading one of her poem books. As their eyes met, Hanyuu smiled and put her book aside.
"Rika-chan! How was your day?" she asked. Hanyuu still didn't know about Komoto's sudden illness and clinic stay.
"Not good. Komoto-senpai's in at the clinic undergoing tests for his health. He…wasn't feeling too good last night…" For some odd reason, Rika wanted to keep the whole story from Hanyuu, feeling like she only needed to know the small details and not the whole picture. Oddly enough, Hanyuu's reaction was just like Rika expected.
"I'm sure Komoto-san will be fine. Dr. Irie will do everything he can for him. There's nothing to worry about…"
*She did it again. That confidence…it's completely unlike her…* Rika only nodded in response to Hanyuu, watching as she lazily stretched and got up from her chair. She went over to the kitchen to help Satoko with dinner.
Following closely behind her, Rika sat down at the table and wondered how Hanyuu's day went.
"Mii…did you get your lifetime supply of creampuffs?"
"Well, I was hoping for that much, but they only offered me a couple dozen of them. It's ok though, if I eat too many like that I'll get fat in no time."
"So what did you have to do for them?" asked Satoko, cleaning some pans to cook with.
"Hau…I helped set up a lot of tents and cleaned off the stage for the grand ceremony at the Crimson Lotus Festival. I also had to help the older ladies with getting some of the ceremony dresses made up. It's definitely a lot of work for one festival…" Hanyuu sighed in exhaustion, holding her head on the counter in defeat. Rika could only smile at her, however; still felt some anger towards Hanyuu for going off like she did.
"You really worried us last night, though. I didn't see you in bed when I work up…" Rika frowned to Hanyuu, causing her to embarrassingly cower away.
"Hau hau hau! I didn't mean to! The offer was so tempting! Hau!" Hanyuu pouted in place, wondering if Rika was truly mad at her. Seeing Rika smile, though, gave her some relief from that thought. Momentarily, though, Rika went into a nearby cupboard and pulled out a bottle of sour wine; a look of darkness on her face.
"Oh Haaaaanyuuuu! Guess what your punishment is for not telling me sooner?"
"*gulp* Hau…Rika-chan, please! Not the sour wine!"
*Crash*
Suddenly, Rika was on top of Hanyuu, forcing the bottle of wine into her mouth comically. Satoko could only sigh on the sidelines, holding a ladle in her hands and acting like intervening would do nothing of helping the situation.
"My…you two…" Satoko sighed again, returning to her work while Hanyuu was forced to consume the bitter and vile wine.
/
As night grew on and Satoko slept peacefully in bed, Rika resumed her usual nighttime spot near a window. With a glass of her favorite wine on hand, she peered out into the dark while listening to the cicadas softly murmur away. Hanyuu dozed on and off in her drunken stupor in the corner, hiccupping from time to time with a look of heavy blushing apparent on her cheeks. Rika felt satisfied by punishing her that way, however; still wondered why Hanyuu acted uncaringly about Komoto's health. Sighing, she looked into her glass and swirled the dark liquid around; enjoying its fragrance and sipping it occasionally.
As the clouds parted and the moon half shown in the sky, Rika could only dwell again on the events of the previous day. She had found half her answer in Reimei's riddle, but still, could not figure it out entirely. Was she supposed to understand something or was she meant to find something in those places? Narrowing it all down, Rika could only surmise what these places were and what they meant to one another.
*Somehow, each of us has a place that we all either cherish in some way or have had the worst of sins experienced. If they were places, then for Keiichi it would be his home, for Mi-chan and Shi-chan it would be the dungeon, for Satoko it would be the cliff, for Satoshi the forest path, for Rena-chan the school, for Ryuu the asylum, and for me…it would be…the place I was murdered at time and again. But even so, we've been to these places before and found nothing! Reimei…I need another clue to figure this out in time. I think…I'll need another miracle for that to be achieved…*
Finishing up her glass of wine and setting it aside, Rika lowered her head onto her arms while she still watched the night outside. Suddenly, unaware of the person standing next to her, Rika felt two warm arms slowly hug her from behind. Looking sideways, she found Hanyuu drunkenly holding her and smiling.
"Eh? Hanyuu…"
"Ri…ka…why are you…*hiccup*…so down?" As comical as it was to see Hanyuu drunk, Rika couldn't understand how she could even still walk at this point.
"I've…just got the weight of the world on my shoulders. Don't worry about me, nipah!"
"*Hiccup* I…told yoooou…everything…will be fine! Just…*hiccup*…trust me!" If Rika didn't know any better, she could say Hanyuu might likely pass out by this point. Sighing again, Rika took her friend back to her bed and softly laid her down into the pillow. Hanyuu seemed more content with that than hugging her; giving into the need to sleep and probably wake up the next morning with a hangover.
"What am I going to do with you, Hanyuu?" asked Rika to no one in particular.
As Hanyuu drifted into sleep and passed out at last, Rika stood up and attempted to snuggle into bed on her own futon. However, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Moving over to its location, Rika bent down and picked the item up.
"Hanyuu's…poem book. Now that I look at it, she has a lot of these lying around. It's not the one Komoto lent her though…its older…leather bound even…"
Peering back to make sure Hanyuu was still asleep, Rika opened the book and discovered it wasn't a print type, but a handwritten book of poems. Moving into another room and sitting down to read it, Rika found hundreds of small verses written in a very old style of Japanese. Managing to make most of the content out, she became really impressed with the quality and underlying meanings behind it all. As time passed and as Rika scanned every page, she noticed the poems becoming longer in detail, but at some points extremely sad.
*Odd…it's like the writer's heart is detailing some unknown tragedy…"
At some points, the author of the poems described a woman with beauty and power. However, at more of the heart wrenching verses the woman was said to have held a terrible sin on her heart that the gods cursed her for. The oddest part about this sin was that the woman did it as a child, when no one of that age had any sense to begin with anyway. Whatever she did as a child scorned her for the rest of her life to remain tainted with some unknown mark. That woman longed to return to her daughter, but unfortunately was never meant to be reunited; an ultimate punishment for a loving mother.
"This woman…I feel so sorry for her. I feel like she was trapped in a never-ending cycle of death like I was. Would an eternity of youth and power be better than death? Maybe this women was Bernkastel in some ways, but even so I would want to go on into the afterlife. I guess…my own problems pale in comparison to others sometimes…"
Putting the book down, Rika set aside the item to its former spot so as to not cause Hanyuu any alarm. Once done, she returned to her bed and let the comforts of sleep fill her weary body with warmth and relief. However, as the cicadas continued to sing outside and night slowly turned into morning, unexpectedly two things would occur.
First, Rika returned to her dreams of where a little girl was playing with a mystical ball, and as fate would have it that little girl would lose the ball and be scorned for her faults. This was a dream Rika hadn't experienced in almost a year, and now coming back to her of all days, the next morning she would remember it as if it were not a dream, but a memory.
The second thing was that the diary bound in leather and bearing a blue shard in the center, the very one Rika found in the shrine under the Oyashiro statue, was glowing with a remarkable blue light; idly sitting in Rika's desk without anyone around to bear witness to its power.
As destiny would have it, Rika was about to have her answers, and yet again, more riddles requiring answers.
/
Groggily rising from her bed, Hanyuu yawned deeply and slowly opened her eyes. Trying her best to steady herself, Hanyuu trudged her feet and used a nearby wall for support. Having drunk so much of the bitter wine yesterday, as much as she hated the beverage, she felt rather satisfied with having done so. For Hanyuu, she felt almost like needing to escape from that point in time, if not, to at least prepare herself for the coming days. Unbeknownst to the others, even to Rika, Hanyuu knew what would happen indefinitely in time. Nothing could change her path now, and nothing could defeat the one wish she and her friends had shared for so many long years. To achieve happiness, Hanyuu would have to give up everything and in return gain everything she could ever hope for.
However, to do so would require leaving. To leave the state of the game as is, Hanyuu would inherently allow the others to go on happily before the final game was put into motion. By doing so, she would strike at the right time and win the game overall. To let her plans be known, though, would either devastate Rika entirely or be counterproductive to anything she attempted to achieve.
*If Rika fails, I will have no one else to turn to…she is the most important one above everyone else!* she thought.
As the early morning continued on for everyone else in the world, Hanyuu slowly tiptoed over Rika's motionless body and managed to walk into the bathroom alone. She felt sick to her stomach, but after splashing some cold water on her face, Hanyuu was able to sober up a little. Just enough to keep her wits about her, Hanyuu looked into the mirror at her own image, detailing the horns of her head and her deep colored eyes. Sighing, she played over the next coming days in her head; hoping that her plan would aid the others and successfully put an end to their nightmares once and for all.
*Am I…ready to do this? Am I…truly ready to go through with it all?*
Hanyuu frowned in the mirror, a tear going down the side of her left cheek. Wiping it away, she sighed and once more just perceived her inner turmoil into thoughts and images. She thought over her reasons, over the poems in her favorite books; one in particular written long ago by a dear person to her. However, shaking her head and feeling more resolved than ever, she looked at herself in the mirror with more determination.
"I can do this…I will do this! I will…fix this game once and for all! For the others…and for myself…it won't be long now…before the players meet each other once and for all!"
Understanding that her decision was final, Hanyuu returned to the futons where the others slept; turning the lights off to the bathroom before. Standing over Rika and Satoko, she watched them much like she did in the past when she wasn't human. At times, she remembered how much she may have scared the others by doing that, but all in all she was observing their human natures as if to remember the time she herself was human. In this instance, though, Hanyuu would not cause fear to build up in her friend's hearts and minds; not letting the syndrome get the better of them.
"Rika…I'm with you in this, but if we are going to succeed I will need to separate myself from you entirely. I will distance myself, and you will see then how much I will need to sacrifice. Don't ever hate me for that…" she whispered to Rika as she slept peacefully.
Sighing again, she bent down and turned in the direction towards where her favorite book lied; noticing as she slowly closed her eyes that the book was turned in a different direction than when she had last placed it.
If something ever angered Hanyuu; an anger that she would bottle up for the sake of the others, it was touching the one book that she cherished.
/
"So…I'll be off again you guys. Have a good day!"
"Bye Hanyuu. Don't overdo it, ok?"
Rika waved goodbye to Hanyuu, watching as she went off to another day of hard work at the festival grounds. Hanyuu continued to do her best at the festival's preparations, despite her weak health as of late. As hard as Rika tried to ensure that her friend would take into account her own health, there was no stopping Hanyuu when a mountain of creampuffs and desserts lied in her path as a reward for work. Sighing as Hanyuu went out of eyesight, Rika decided to spend that Friday before the festival preparing her priestess robes for the summer festival as well as shining and oiling up her traditional hoe for the occasion. Thinking back on the item, she realized just how much dirt and grime has accumulated on it over the years. After managing to retrieve some items from a local shop, Rika spent most of the morning shining up her ritual tool; eventually, succeeding in making it look brand new some time after.
"Phew! All done, nipah!" Rika happily inspected her handiwork, setting the item on a nearby stand for the time between now and the next day. Satoko came into the room with some snacks for the two to share, setting the plate down and marveling at Rika's item.
"Wow, you really cleaned it up, huh Rika?" she asked. Satoko began eating away at a small morsel, watching as Rika lightly set the hoe on its stand with a gentle touch.
"Mii…who never said effort pays off? I've got to put in some work ethnic too, otherwise, Hanyuu will make us all look lazy."
"Speaking of Hanyuu-chan, why don't we go bring her some lunch at the festival grounds today?" stated Satoko. Rika could only reply with a nod, agreeing on the good idea. As Satoko went into a nearby kitchen to go prepare the lunches, Rika began to massage her sore arm. After a few minutes of this, suddenly the nearby hallway phone rang. Quickly rising from her seat, Rika went over to the receiver and picked it up.
*Ring*
"Hello. Furude residence. Rika speaking."
"Muu…Rika-chan…"
"Hmm? Satoshi-kun, is that you?"
"Yes…"
As Rika listened on, she could hear crying on Satoshi's end of the line. Distinguishing it as Shion's voice, Rika somewhat became worried about their situation. Part of her wondered if it had to do with the dreams, whereas the other part feared something worse may have happened.
"Satoshi-kun, is everything alright? I hear crying…" she asked, cautiously.
"Muu…Rika-chan…can you come down to our house? Shi-chan…I can't explain it over the phone. I…need you down here to help me, ok?"
"Sis…calm down! It's ok; it's me, Mion…."
Rika could hear Mion's voice as well on the other end of the line. Wondering with extreme interest what occurred, Rika looked over to Satoko in the kitchen and yelled out loud enough for her to hear.
"Satoko, can you bring the lunch to Hanyuu while I go down to Shi-chan and Satoshi-kun's home. I think they need my help with something…"
"Ok, that's fine. Is Nii-Nii ok though?" asked Satoko, peering around the corner of the kitchen to see Rika with a hand to the receiver.
"I think so. I'll tell you when I get back." As Satoko nodded and went back around the corner, somewhat worried with her own curiosity of what was happening, Rika focused back on the receiver; listening to Shion wailing in tears and angry cries.
*Did…Satoshi-kun do something to her? Why else would she be crying?* Rika thought. However, the mere thought of Satoshi and Shion fighting or even breaking up for that matter was completely out of the question.
"Mii…Satoshi-kun, I'm coming right down now. Who else is there with you?"
"Mi-chan and Rena-chan are here. Keiichi and Ryuu are outside, per the orders of the other girls."
"Ok, I'm on my way."
*15 minutes later*
She peddled as fast as her young body could take her, managing to quickly arrive at the old, small house which now belonged to Satoshi and Shion. Given the heat of the day, Rika felt drenched with sweat from how fast she was traveling on the bike; though the wind did cool her off a bit. As she came into view of the home, she found Keiichi and Ryuu sitting on the steps outside as if on guard duty, though worry filled their faces upon seeing Rika.
"Is everything alright?" asked Rika. She panted a little as she looked up to the two men; their expressions just as confusing as her thoughts.
"We don't know. Satoshi-kun called us over earlier saying that Shi-chan was acting really weird. I don't know what happened, but she's locked in the bathroom right now crying hysterically. She won't even come out for Mi-chan…" As Keiichi sighed and looked up to the house, Rika nodded and went inside, however; Ryuu attempted to warn her just as she took a step into the doorway.
"Rika-chan, if you want, we can come up and help too. I don't know why, but I got a really bad feeling about this…"
"How so? What gives you that idea Ryuu-kun?" asked Rika, eying him with curiosity. He shrugged in response, not having a clue.
"Well, if Satoshi-kun got Shion-san pregnant, maybe that's why she's acting like this. Otherwise…"
"Oh please…if Shi-chan got knocked up she would be all too thrilled to have the child. There has to be something else…"
Speaking with wisdom again, Rika sighed and gathered her strength to walk into the old home and meet with the others upstairs. As she walked up the steps and into the back hallway, she found that Mion was trying her best to open the door to the bathroom, but was unable to do so. Rena stood nearby with Satoshi, looking on helplessly. Before Rika made any rash moves, she beckoned Satoshi aside and asked what happened.
"Why is Shi-chan locking herself up like that?"
"Muu…Rika-chan, I'm not sure. I left early this morning to get some groceries while Shi-chan was still sleeping, and when I returned I…I noticed the bed disheveled and Shi-chan locking herself in the bathroom. She kept murmuring something…but she spoke with such anger in her voice…" Satoshi sat in a nearby chair, exhausted from the worry that plagued his mind. For all he knew, Shion could have been on her period and experiencing some bad mood swings. On the other hand, something must have been apparent for her to act the way she did; even in an angry state like that. For Rika, she had an inkling as to what that may be.
"Is it…the dreams? Is she feeling remorse for what happened?" To think Shion wasn't able to let go of her sin was possible, but to this degree even, Rika could not surmise as to the how or the why.
"Sis said she was over it once Satoko-chan forgave…"
"Satoko-chan…"
The room became eerily silent, even with Shion's cries. As the others looked on at the door separating them from Shion in the bathroom, they had distinctly heard what appeared to be Shion's own voice, though somewhat different. It was darker, twisted even with some respite in tone. Mion and Keiichi stepped back, noticing that from personal experience what that voice was linked to.
That voice, was something Evil…something demonic.
"Ryuu-kun…Keiichi…" spoke Rika, with some determination in her voice.
"Hmm?"
"Kick the door down. Rena-chan…Mi-chan…when it opens, rush inside and grab Shi-chan. Satoshi-kun…stay by my side." Rika narrowed her focus to the door, her heart racing with each passing moment. Whatever was happening in there, Rika did not want to take any chances.
"But Rika-chan…why so drastic?" asked Mion, however; she knew the answer well enough already.
"If my fears are confirmed, then…I don't want to take a single chance here. Just do as I say, ok?"
Without another word, Keiichi and Ryuu stood up in front of the door, whereas Mion and Rena stood at the side. As they all nodded to one another, Ryuu and Keiichi immediately lifted up their opposite foot. In quick succession and with enough strength, they managed to break open the door with force. Not sparing a single moment, Rena and Mion rushed into the bathroom; finding Shion kneeling with her hair casted to the ground.
As Rena and Mion quickly grabbed Shion's arms, surprisingly without much effort, they made sure that she didn't make any rash motions. Shion remained limp in their grasps, not even lifting her face up to the others. She was in a disheveled mess; her nightwear still on her in wrinkles. As Rika waltzed into the room and noticed that glass was all over the floor, the nearby mirror destroyed for some unknown reason, she looked down to her friend and spoke carefully.
"Yes…you heard me Shi-chan. Satoko-chan…"
"Sa…tako…chan…" Shion's voice was eerily similar to Mion's inner Oni, the same twisted tone with such malice as to one filled with hatred. Mion's grip intensified on her sister, though no response was seen even in that. Shion murmured to herself, barely moving or even resisting at all.
"Shi-chan…what's the matter with…"
As Satoshi tried to reach out for her, Rika snatched his hand instantly. She looked at him and shook her head, telling Satoshi mentally to hold off on doing anything. Whatever was going on with Shion, the mentioning of Satoko enraged her.
"Yes, that's right. Does that bother you, Shi-chan?" asked Rika, suspiciously connecting the puzzle together.
"The…little brat…taking him away…from me…"
Shion continued to murmur like this, still not leveling her gaze with theirs. Rika looked at Shion's neckside, wondering if she, too, was succumbing to the syndrome. However, no mark or even indication of a scratch could be found on her throat or wrists, causing Rika to truly wonder what was happening.
"Taking who away from you? Why do you hate Satoko-chan so much?" she asked. This time, Shion became silent, the only movement in the room the swaying of her hair on the floor.
Deciding to step up and intervene, Satoshi bent down to the floor and stared at Shion in her state. He knew by now what she meant by the phrase "taking him away", so he could only guess what was happening now. If it had anything to do with her dreams, then maybe Shion didn't know she was awake here and now.
"Shi-chan…"
"Sa…toshi-kun?"
Pulling her arms to the ground, without so much as an effort from Mion or Rena, Shion became free of their grasp and silently held her own hands together. As Rika motioned for the others to not intervene, she watched on as Satoshi tried to break through to her.
"Muu…it's me Shi-chan. I'm right here for you…"
"Satoshi-kun…you came…back to me. Why…did you leave me?" asked Shion, her voice still dark.
"I went to get groceries, you know that. Why are you acting like this?"
"Acting…like what? I've always…been like this…waiting for you…hoping for you to return. You left me that day…after you bought the stuffed bear…for that brat…"
It was clear to everyone by this point that something beyond their understanding was occurring. Shion seemed like she knew she was in the home, yet she acted as though she were living in a world where Satoshi hadn't existed up until then. Still not showing her face, Shion quickly embraced Satoshi in a loving hug; though however coldly it felt, he did his best to console her. Shaking as she did, Shion's grip tightened on his clothing; like a child clutching to a parent in fear. Patting her hair like he always did, Satoshi tried speaking with Shion once more.
"Shi-chan…you know I was in the clinic for all those years sick with the syndrome. Please, Shi-chan, I'm here now, and we're living happily together. We live each day in our own home, your grandmother…passed away a few months ago, and Satoko-chan lives with Rika-chan now. Our uncle is even in jail!" As much as Satoshi tried, Shion still acted strange. Listening to her murmurs, Satoshi noticed that just mentioning Satoko's name again made her angry.
"Satoko-chan…always afraid…always taking you away…causing you pain…I've got to…take her out…stop her…forget about her…"
With his eyes widening in fear, Satoshi pushed Shion slightly back, and with all his bravery he lifted his hand to her face. Taking the strands of hair away from her cheeks, Satoshi lightly brushed Shion's messy hair; attempting to get a better look of who he was really talking to. As the light of the bathroom revealed to everyone else in the room, Rika's fears were confirmed.
Smiling with a look of contorted pleasure, Shion seemed to be possessed by some being; her eyes tainted with insane-looking pupils. She began laughing as the others perceived her face; her eye contact only remaining on Satoshi for the time being. It seemed as if Shion was being taken over by some demon, but yet, Shion seemed like she was fighting back in her mind. She sweated profusely, shivering at times as she breathed heavily between laughs. She kept murmuring death wishes upon Satoko like she were a priest performing a long chant. And all the while, Shion seemed like a different Shion from long ago; one that was thought of to have repented for her sins in a devastated tragedy of a far away world.
"Sis…stop this. Wake up!"
"I'll…kill her…and everyone else who took Satoshi-kun away…I'll make them pay, I swear it my love! I'll do what it takes…to keep you safe and happy…so that we can…live together again… AHAHAHA!"
"Shi-chan…her inner Oni?" asked Mion, stupefied as to what to do. At any moment, she thought Shion may go insane or a demon would sprout from her body, but nothing of the sort occurred.
Suddenly, Satoshi went up to Shion and held her lovingly in his arms again, his hand brushing her head in comfort. As she stopped her incessant laughing and was at a loss for words, Satoshi began speaking into her ear, slowly causing the others to wonder how he was managing to bring the Shion they all cared for back to their world.
"Shi-chan…if you will do anything to make me happy…then stay with me, love me, and be by my side. Don't leave me, and don't become whatever hate you left to die in the other worlds. Satoko-chan looks up to you like a sister, and will never want to hurt either of us. Shi-chan….come back to me, and wake up from your nightmare that you forgave yourself for. Come back to us…and be the Shion Sonozaki I fell in love with!"
As if coming out of a dream, Shion's mouth slowly dimmed as her eyes returned to normal. Blinking several times, she looked around the room to discover the others crowded around her and Satoshi. Feeling his warm embrace, Shion was at a loss as to what to do except to hug Satoshi in return; confused as ever. Rika gave a sigh of relief, glad to see Shion was returning to her normal self.
"Guys? What are you all doing here?" Shion didn't grasp the entirety of the situation, or for that matter, what had just possessed her before.
"That doesn't matter now, we're just glad you're ok Shi-chan…" Satoshi pulled slightly away and smiled again, causing Shion to blush deeply. She sat there without a clue as to what occurred; unable to understand how she got in the bathroom and how the mirror was broken and laying in pieces around her.
"What…what happened? How did I get here?" she asked, putting a hand to her forehead.
"For a second, we thought you were also going to sprout a demon Sis." Mion sighed in complete relief, happy that she didn't have to face the demon of her sister. Falling back into the wall and sitting on the floor in exhaustion, Mion could only help but smile at Shion.
"A demon? What are you guys talking about?"
Over the next several minutes, Rika explained to Shion how they found her crying in the bathroom and acting strangely. Shion remained silent for all this time, but it wasn't until Rika asked a very important question that her theory was confirmed.
"What did you dream about as you slept, Shi-chan? Satoshi-kun said you were still sleeping when he left earlier, so what was it that you dreamt of?" Rika watched as Shion moved a hand to her head, trying her hardest to remember what exactly happened.
"I…just remember the same dream I've been having. I was reliving my worst nightmare…but…it seemed so real! I felt all those old feelings and memories from way back then, and…I didn't remember anything from this world! It was as if I became the Shion that hated everyone for taking Satoshi-kun away…" Shion seemed as if her energy were completely drained, from which she let her body fall into Satoshi's chest to rest. Sighing deeply, Shion just wanted to feel his warmth comfort her, while Rika sat down in a nearby chair to contemplate all that happened.
"Have any of you guys also had the dreams again?" Rika asked after some thought.
"Yeah, but…not to this degree. What could it all mean?" Keiichi sat on the floor next to Mion, just as the others nodded in agreement to his response.
"And why am I suddenly being…taken over like that? What purpose does it serve that all of us are going through such hell, and all over our pasts!" If it weren't for Satoshi, Shion would have broken into tears again, her mind in a haze as to why she was getting the worst of it all. Just when Shion was going to give up on the thought of it all, Rika spoke her mind to the others once more.
"Is it possible…that those other worlds are warning us of something? For that matter, is it possible that the worlds we left in the past are becoming restless?"
Everyone looked on at Rika as she stated her theory, though were confused as to what she meant. In some sense, everyone except Rika and Hanyuu had known their past lives as just the other "worlds" that existed before this one. However, to Rika, they were the shards of Kakera that drifted through time and space in the Meta-world; the failed lifetimes which encompassed her being.
"What kind of warning could it be, I wonder?" worried Rena.
"Restlessness? You act like those worlds are living things…" stated Ryuu, unable to believe such a thing.
"Did you think that once we died and moved on to another world, that those feelings, thoughts, and memories found solace in such tragic endings? If I had to place a bet here, I'd say that as time passes in this world, we will be feeling more and more of these old memories and experiences…maybe to the extent of something worse than what Shi-chan just went through."
"But…that would mean…my own inner Oni would come back!" Mion shivered at the thought, grasping her head and shaking it in dismay. She had dealt with her demon once already, and she would be all to glad to never feel it possess her body like that ever again.
"So what do we do? How do we fix this problem?" Satoshi thought long and hard about the solution, but it seemed like Rika was the one with the best grasp on the situation.
"Mii…Mi-chan, did you say that a majority of the Crimson Lotus Festival was to cleanse the village of any bad luck or misfortune?" she suddenly asked.
"Eh? Well, yeah; our grandmother wanted to do that to promote relationships in and out of the village, and to get rid of all the bad things that have been happening lately."
"Maybe tomorrow at the festival, everything will be resolved for us. I don't have a definite answer for now, but till we do figure this out I suggest we stay on our guard and be cautious. If any of you have another dream like this, come find me. It's starting to seem like Evil can only be fought with love…" Rika delved back on prior situations; from where Keiichi confronted Mion and her inner Oni to the point of defeating it, and where Satoshi had just broken Shion out of a possible demonic possession. Love, if it were true and righteous, seemed to be the key to stopping Evil.
With that said Rika suddenly exited the house with the others; glad that they didn't have to fend off one of their friends through some unknown plight. As everyone began to move away from the home, Rika noticed something strange on the floor amongst the shards of glass everywhere.
"Hmm? That's odd…"
Bending down and picking it up, she found a blue shard that didn't fit in with the other shards of glass. Just as she studied it, the texture and color somewhat different but similar to something else she had seen before, someone from outside called to her.
"Rika-chan, are you coming?"
"Mii…be right there!"
Pocketing the item, Rika turned away from her old home and focused next on her next task; finding Hanyuu and asking for her opinion on the dreams, and the shard.
/
"Hey guys, I'm over here!"
"Hey Satoko-chan! Have you been waiting long?"
"Auauau! Thanks for bringing me lunch everyone!"
Satoko and Hanyuu had been sitting down at a nearby table as everyone else worked about the festival grounds. It had been another long day for the workers, especially Hanyuu, but it seemed like in no time at all the preparations would be finished before tomorrow. The statue of Oyashiro, centered in main festival grounds and near the front stage, had been adorned with holy rites and offerings for the time being. Crimson lotuses, still in their buds and ready to be seen blossoming the next day by the masses, encircled the giant statue. Along many of the rows of paths and steps, even many on the hillsides, booths and small food shops were being set up and prepared. Amongst the chaos and loud chattering of workers, it seemed like many people from outside of the village had come to help out and join in the festivities.
As the others came into view, they found Hanyuu and Satoko idly chatting nearby, and immediately regrouped with them. Satoko had already brought plenty of bento boxed lunches for everyone, and Hanyuu seemed on the verge of snatching one out of her hand had her stomach not been under more control than she had at that time. Happily finding everyone there to accompany her, Hanyuu sat down next to Rika as everyone began to eat their shares.
"Auau! This is wonderful Satoko-chan! You're the best!" exclaimed Hanyuu, eating many assortments of prepared dishes in the wooden container. Satoko merely blushed in response and gave her thanks.
"O ho ho ho! I am truly a master of my crafts!" prided Satoko. In style, she brought up her hand to her mouth, giving off a toothed grin.
"So how long have you been working today Hanyuu-chan? It seems like the preparations are almost done here." asked Keiichi. He and Satoko dueled over some balls of meat in the meantime, earning another attack from her end in the form of a barrage of punches to his head. The others laughed in response, though Hanyuu managed to answer his question despite the bits of rice left on her cheeks.
"Well, it's been two days now, but I've mostly been helping decorate the statue and setting up the booths. They have plenty of people around to help, but the elders were so insistent on me helping that I couldn't refuse."
"You mean you couldn't refuse the mountain of promised desserts and creampuffs from Angel Morte'?" countered Rika. They all laughed at Hanyuu's apparent bargain, thinking on how that would affect her later on.
"If you eat any more of those things, you will definitely swell up like a balloon!" stated Ryuu. Rena imagined Hanyuu in that fashion, from which she seemed like she would go into "take it home mode" at any moment.
"HAU HAU HAU! A GIANT BALLOON? HANYUU WOULD LOOK SOOOOO CUTE! I"LL TAKE YOU HOME WITH ME!"
As Hanyuu cowered behind Rika and as Rena tried to snatch away the young girl, two unexpected guests showed up behind the group; one taking a picture and the other dressed in a beautiful summer dress. As their heads turned, the group found themselves staring at Tomitake and Takano. Eerily as this scenario seemed familiar to them, their friends assured them that they weren't there to pose any problem.
"Tomitake-san and Takano-san! What brings you two here?" asked Keiichi, eying Tomitake's camera. It seemed brand new, with an even larger lens than the previous one.
"Oh, we just came by to take pictures for everyone. I got hired for the event tomorrow to provide security and to take pictures on the side whereas Takano-san is going to be the assisting physician if anyone needs medical attention." Tomitake took a picture of the group, from which they requested they receive a print of later.
"That's understandable. For a second, we thought you guys were here to forewarn us of some ill tidings like at the Watanagashi Festival. For instance, the Crimson Lotus Festival is a festival where demons eat humans and yada yada yada…" Shion, feeling more like herself now, mentioned this to the couple, though when Takano's eyes shined with some dark foretelling did everyone realize the irony of it all.
"I'm glad you brought that up, Shi-chan! In fact, the Crimson Lotus Festival is very usual for a village cleansing actually. Did you even know the real name of the Crimson Lotus has another title in Japanese lore?"
"Another name?" asked Rika, looking to Hanyuu with confusion. Hanyuu merely shrugged in response, though kept very quiet during this time.
"Oh yes. The Crimson Lotus actually goes by the name of "Naraku No Hana", otherwise known as…"
"The Flower from Hell…" stated Mion, casting her glance to the table. She had a dark look over her eyes, causing everyone's fear to slightly rise. She tensed up slightly at Takano's mentioning of the ironic name, though wondered where she would take this.
"Correct Mi-chan. Crimson Lotuses, though they bloom once every so many years, are synonymous with Hell in the sense that they represent the demon within beauty. I did some research on this old festival, and from what records state it has only been performed once long ago. Though, at that time it seemed like something went amiss in the ritual, from what I could tell."
"Amiss in the ritual? How is the ritual supposed to be performed, now that you mention it?"
"Eh?"
Casting a sideways glance, everyone found Mizuho standing nearby, nibbling on some sweet bean cakes with Chie-sensei. They noticed that their students were sitting all around the table, so they decided to say hello; however, it seems like they came in at the most mysterious part of the conversation.
"Mizuho-san, how is Komoto doing?" asked Keiichi suddenly, his focus redirected onto Mizuho intensely. To the others, he seemed very worried about his friend, a fact Mion instantly picked up. In all the time Mion knew him, Keiichi wouldn't have such a small look of fear in his eyes over someone's health condition, even if that person was said to recover. Keeping this quiet to herself, she interjected with hopes of lessening the worry for the others.
"I think you said earlier that he's going home tomorrow, right?" asked Mion.
Mizuho looked at Keiichi and sighed, shaking her head with a pout. It seemed like she was mad for some reason, though Chie-sensei put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"Yeah, that's correct. He would have been home earlier had Dr. Irie not been so insistent on performing some odd tests on Komoto-kun. He's doing much better, even seems like he never had a medical condition at all, but if he's going to get down to the problem that caused this whole mess then Dr. Irie needs to do what he's best at. And yet…"
As Mizuho softly cried now, the others felt for a moment that maybe something wasn't being said by her. Enough so, that Mizuho felt guilt and even a feeling of loss that Komoto was still in the hospital. Just when it seemed like Komoto's condition may have been more serious than they thought, another strike of awkwardness and dumbfounding had hit the group of friends. In another one of her sudden mood swings, Mizuho flipped the tables on the others; sending them literally onto the floor.
"HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY DATE FOR TOMORROW! HE PROMISED ME THIS ONE TIME THAT I COULD ENJOY A NORMAL FESTIVAL IN HINAMIZAWA, AND HE STILL MANAGES TO WEASEL HIS WAY OUT OF IT!"
As Mizuho cried into Chie-sensei's shoulder, the others recovered from the ground and back onto their seats. Though Mion casted her glance away from Mizuho, feeling some guilt again for causing Komoto to miss the first Watanagashi Festival, everyone else refocused on Takano's prior comments on this current festival.
"So as you were saying Takano-san?" stated Satoko. Takano coughed for a moment, if only to regain her own focus after her mind wondered how she would ever go through mood swings during pregnancy, and then readdressed everyone.
"Erhem…yes, like I was saying, the ritual went amiss somehow. It required some object at the time, some mystical item that would separate any misfortune from a person's soul or even an area that was plagued by Evil. However, when it came time to use the item it suddenly disappeared. No one knows what happened to it. But don't worry, this festival's ritual will not require such an item, though were it here I could probably study it and become a successful scholar with a lifetime of funds for whatever research projects I wish to perform!" Takano suddenly had a glassy look in her eyes, thinking back on all the things she could do with a vast amount of funds for research. Tomitake noticed this feature of his love and sweated; wondering how much of a book-smart woman she could be sometimes.
Rika heard all of this and thought back on something; a dream perhaps or something she may have read about. Unable to remember, and with a growing headache on the rise for her, she sighed and looked to Hanyuu, whispering to her.
"That's brings to mind a few things, Hanyuu. Can you and I talk later alone?"
"Sure Rika-chan, but I'm not sure when I'll be done tonight. I may be too tired. Can it wait till tomorrow?" Hanyuu seemed sincere in her expression, and with all the hard work she was putting into this festival, Rika contemplated whether or not holding off on talking was such a good idea. She looked again at Hanyuu with a pleading glance, wishing her friend would talk to her, if not, console her.
"But Hanyuu, I think what Takano-san is referring to is my…"
"Hey Hanyuu-chan, if you can, we could really use your help with getting the gowns prepared inside. Would you mind?" A local woman working with the elder ladies waved to Hanyuu from a distance, calling for her aid. Hanyuu sighed again and looked back at Rika, giving her another reassuring glance.
"Don't worry about the ritual Rika. The one being performed is just a simple cleansing ritual by a priestess from outside Hinamizawa, or that's what Kimiyoshi-san said. Just relax and have fun tomorrow, ok? Nipah!"
With that said, Rika solemnly nodded and allowed Hanyuu to quickly finish up her meal and rush back to the woman requiring her attention. Takano and Tomitake also left the group, having to attend to their own duties that day. Whereas Mizuho and Chie-sensei sat absentmindedly at a nearby curry stand, eating away at rice and their favorite curry flavors, the group of friends turned to one another and began to clean their messes up.
"I guess Hanyuu-chan really is giving her all. Makes me kind of jealous…jealous…" Rena picked up her trash and threw it into a nearby container, then quickly went to Ryuu's side and grabbed his hand, making him blush. "Ryuu-kun, let's go walk around the festival grounds for awhile, ok?" she proposed.
"Satoshi-kun, would you like to go as well?" asked Shion. Satoshi nodded, from which he looked over to Satoko.
"Muu, sounds like fun. Satoko-chan, will you come with us too?"
"Sure thing! But, what about everyone else?" Satoko turned to the remainder of their group, wondering what their plans were.
"Well, this old man and my slave have already walked around yesterday, so we're going to save the festivities for tomorrow with everyone else. Besides, it's too nice a day to be crowded around so many people. We're going to Okinomiya to go pick up some groceries anyway." Mion pulled Keiichi by the collar of his neck, making sure she still made her claim on him as her slave apparent. Keiichi just sighed and waved goodbye, knowing full well what Mion had on her mind for the day.
"Yeah, we'll be seeing you guys later. Bye!"
"And Rika-chan. Are you going to come along?" asked Satoko. She smiled again at Rika, but it turned to a frown after Rika remained silent for a few moments.
"Mii…not…today I think. I'm just going to head home and take the day off. Nipah!" Rika feigned a smile to Satoko, from which she merely nodded and went off with Shion and Satoshi.
As everyone else parted ways and took their own paths for the day, Rika stood by the empty table and, for once in her life, felt truly alone. Everyone else had their lives to attend to, whereas she had nothing but worry and plaguing demons on her mind. Was she truly destined to be living in constant fear for everything around the next corner? Or did Rika really take things for granted as they were, forgetting to see that happiness was already in the palm of her hand, and that her life would not wait for her to catch up to? Such thoughts made her headache worse, and giving up in the end, Rika decided to head back home.
/
As the cicadas sang with another odd tune in the heat of the evening that day, Rika idly strolled through the forest paths back to her home. Feeling like her head would crack open from the pressure of her headache, she sat down for a few moments on a nearby rock; focusing on her breathing for a few moments to steady herself. In the serenity of the forest, she was able to push away some of her worries and at least lessen the stress on her mind. With the coolness of the shade from the treetops above relieving her from the heat, she put her head into her arms and tried to figure out her current situation.
"So here I am, caught in one last game that will determine the end of things here in Hinamizawa for me and my friends. In all the time I've fought Fate, I've had someone or everyone by my side, the final games requiring that I have all the cards in my hand to beat Fate. This time, my opponent is Evil, and my hand is, sadly, feeling light right now. I have my friends by my side; however, one of them is in the hospital because of my other half's hasty action, and the other, my greatest ally of them all, distants herself from me as if nothing will go wrong. Though I wonder how everything will play out, she keeps telling me that everything is as it should be…"
Sighing again, Rika stared up to the treetops, searching for but unable to find the elusive cicadas in the trees. Alone in this dense forest, she continued to speak her mind, if only for the cicadas to hear.
"Furthermore, why are my friends and I constantly being tormented by our past? Are the other worlds growing restless with each passing day? Is that why we are experiencing these lucid dreams of our worst sins? Reimei-san stated that we need to look to the places which defined ourselves, but he is a man of riddles. I've been to these places, and they there is nothing there. I know…somehow I know, that those places are our pasts. Still, how do we return to the past to find what we need to beat Evil? So many questions…my head will really explode at this rate…" Rika remained silent for some time, not even speaking a word. She wanted to become in tune with the forest, and to let her mind unlock itself and find the answers she so desperately needed.
As everything began to play over in her mind, Rika looked to the clues which defined her livelihood at that very moment. As a rush of memories played up and came into her head, Rika's eyes suddenly went into a frenzy as her answer that lied in wait came into her grasp. Her inner wisdom, the voice which defined the culmination of her life, now spoke as her heart and soul.
"What is it that you seek, and what is the question you bear, Rika Furude?"
"How do I find out my final opponent and defeat Evil once and for all, to eliminate it from the equation of life and to restore the balance to my world?"
As quickly as she asked this, images of immense proportions flooded her mind. She began shivering from the rush of power, focus and memory that channeled itself into her brain's pathways, making everything appear to be a giant puzzle in front of her. All that remained was to decipher this puzzle and make it into her answer. Thinking on this more as numerous memories of her life passed before her mind's eye, the puzzle began to speak for itself before her very existence.
"Twilight…Evil…"the day Rika met Komoto Hagara in the thick of a tremendous snow storm.
"There's this dream I always have, Hanyuu, where a little girl is walking through the woods one day…she was idly playing at the base of a great stair case, overshadowed with many gateways. She played with an unusual ball, and once done with her follies she pocketed the unique ball. However, as she left, she did not realize that the ball fell out of a small hole in her pocket, and the ball remained behind at the base of the stairs. This child returned after realizing that she lost the ball, and in panic, never found the ball. She was scorned somehow for losing this ball, and from that day all happiness in her life was shadowed by some evil entity, causing every painful emotion and sorrow to befall her life…" her own dreams, relayed to Hanyuu in the Irie Clinic one day.
"…in ancient times, this village had committed such acts in fear, but like some dying traditions so did the sacrificial offerings after the village underwent a cleansing…" Oryu Sonozaki, revealing such a part of the village on the day the Dark Spector lost her battle.
"…this village's dirtiest secret of them all: the demons were quite real. This village fought the demons long ago, sealing them into a gateway using magic so ancient that only Witches can decipher." The strange and mysterious foretelling form the Dark Spector on some unusual part of Hinamizawa's past.
"Then, you need to have more faith in your fate, Rika. This isn't the dead end of this world. Another time is coming soon…where…we will be tested again. Rika…if you want to save Mion and the others, you need to believe in yourself and let the miracle occur. Don't give up!...Rika…the power is in your hands. Remember…you need to gather all the cards again and play your hand against Fate. Only then will you know how to defeat the evil that exists in Hinamizawa!" Hanyuu, reassuring Rika that she can change fate no matter what.
"A demon born ages ago…" a murmur from Komoto after realizing that things were not as they were thought to be in this quiet village.
"…Once the girl dies, I'll take my rightful place as heir to the Sonozaki family and open the portal to hell. Only then, I'll reign in the chaos and despair of you humans. Oh, how lovely it will be to dance under the dark clouds and soak in the crimson blood of a never ending nightmare on this earth…" Opening some gate, another attempt by something evil; such was that of Mion Sonozaki's Inner Oni.
"Mion, this necklace has been in our family for generations. We believed it to be a rare heirloom belonging to Oyashiro-sama, and our family has kept it safe over these years." An item, a crystal more specifically, tied to the deity of the village somehow.
"Why does it matter, Rika-chan? Mion is free at last from that demon and everyone is fine.Everything is as it should be right now…" The reassurance from her friend Hanyuu, something Rika was growing tired of hearing.
"A perfect Earth…" a small wish from Komoto after years of fighting and killing.
"The final fight is near, Rika-chan…" A warning from a man called Reimei Ryuu; connected to Komoto Hagara through some unseen bond.
"The past will collide, and so will every life feel this impact of worlds. You already know the answer, so find the pieces to the puzzle…" Reimei's suggestion to Rika, and also another warning. Maybe this was the impact the dreams were foreshadowing somehow now.
"Look to the places which defined who you all are…" The places where Rika could beat Evil in this game.
"Rika-chan…you are meddling in things you can not understand. I will only warn you once: stop worrying so much…it will only shred away whatever happiness you have attained so far. Things are to be as they should be…stay content with that for now and everything will be fine in the end…" Hanyuu's determined warning to a friend, only to be forsaken by that same person in the end.
"I…don't hate you at all. I could never hate someone I care for so much. You're my best friend Hanyuu…you and I have been through everything together since the cycle of Fate began. You never left my side, nor did you ever give up with our ambitions to break the cycle. If it wasn't for you…I would have lost this game a long time ago and resigned to Takano's dead end. You mean everything to me Hanyuu…" An undying bond to a friend no matter what the costs.
"I just…felt like somethingovercame me…an anger I've never felt before…" Even anger and hatred can be felt by one who has lived so many years.
"You're going to assume a lot of things about me Rika-chan…some things you wouldn't ever believe.You even said so yourself that you're questioning whether or not I'm on your side…" Can you be on someone's side even when you're not there for aid?
"Are you on our side, Hanyuu?" A question never wanted to be asked.
"Rika…I have been and always will be on your side. That will never change.However, you and I are meant for different paths in the future. One of us will go on, whereas the other will remain…" Paths, though separate, can still cross at a time.
"This is the last world…our last world together…and somehow I know you will make me proud in the end. Nipah!" Proud by doing nothing, or proud by achieving the impossible?
"…You have to…my fate is already decided. I give unto you this sin, like the many I shall…" Another dream, another place, and another tragedy.
"…unearthed a massive dome said to have dated back hundreds of years ago." A dome, and perhaps, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"If you die, Rika-chan, then I will cease to exist. Without you as a part to my consciousness, I will be nothing more than a broken player. I will not be able to live. You are not the only one placing everything they have on this final game. Remember that…and remember this: Whether you like it or not, you will become the Witch of Miracles and you will accept the role you were always meant for, despite your fears. So Rika-chan, before I leave you must hear me: solve this final mystery and defeat Evil by your own hands and that of your friends. If you cannot defeat Evil, I WILL step in and I WILL force this destiny upon you…that is all I will say." A gamble and a risk that must be taken, even if the gamble involves another's life.
"Would you say that you learned from these past sins…that these were the places and times that "defined you"?" A question to an answer.
"Sins…" A thing which connects everyone and anyone together.
"Evil…" The third element.
"The shards…" the answer.
"RIKA-CHAN!"
As her eyes shot open, Rika realized just how long she had been sitting on the rock for. It was already dusk, and the sky had casted a hue of colors over the horizon. As Rika looked around the forest, she could have sworn she heard a voice, something or someone that was yelling out to her, telling her that she had found her answers. Thinking back on how her memories had tied together things said in her past, Rika began to believe she was on the right course for now. However, it came down to the same thing: the pieces of what a puzzle could be, however; alone their meanings unknown.
It came down to the crystal shards. For Rika, she knew of only three. First, it was Mion's necklace that Keiichi retrieved from the mountain; the same necklace that he had to recover in order to take her hand in marriage in the future. Second, it was the shard she found from where Shion had sat; a shard with the same, distinct blue color and hue as that of Mion's necklace. Finally, it was the jewel positioned on an old, leather bound book Rika had found in the shrine.
"The diary…"
Rika had a possible lead, and from that she just needed to return to her home and try to figure it out. As she hopped off the rock, Rika brushed herself off and began to hurry down the road towards her home. However, as her foot hit the first branch of the dirt path, she stopped midway to listen to a strange sound near her.
This sound, like many sounds before it, sounded like footsteps.
*Tap*
*Tap*
*Tap*
*Tap*
Looking back, Rika found no one there. Shaking her head, she denied the feeling and fear that rose in her heart.
"No one is there. Must be my imagination."
However, were it Rika's imagination, would she truly feel a presence there; the same presence that was with her in the shrine when they took out the Oyashiro-sama statue?
"Maybe…I am the one going crazy this time…"
Laughing as she ran back home and on to her next clue, excited to at least find another chance to find her answers, Rika hurried along the dirt path; forgetting she felt the presence and blaming it on her deep meditative state she had experienced before.
And yet, as she ran down the footpath, there was a set of tracks following her as well; the dust neither shifting into the air nor leaving any hard sound in its imprinting…
/
Follow in what you will, for I will be with you.
Even if you sacrifice everything, I will stay at your side.
Do what you must to protect others.
And I will continue to support you, no matter my pains.
Live on and remember what you did,
So that you may show others their Sins.
Hate me all you want, for I have cursed you.
Yet, I will always cherish and love you.
Bear this burden, and atone for what you did.
If you deny this duty, and follow Evil's misgivings,
You will find true despair worse than your current fate.
Though you may do this eventually,
There will be another to take your own Sins,
And that person will show you the Will to beat Evil…
Next time on Hinamizawa Hell: "Truth of Fate" Arc 3, ch. 11: Crescent of the Crimson Moon
Can you see behind the curtain?