Hinamizawa Hell

"The Truth of Fate" Arc: 3

Ch. 13: Needle in a Hay Stack

/

What once held the immaculate and terrifying statue of Oyashiro-sama, now remained as only a storage area for the Furude family. Though it was forbidden for anyone else outside the blessed family to enter it, on this unholy crimson night such a rule did not matter. Tonight, the crimson night would not only be filled with an evil presence, but that of bloodshed and suffering through the use of what now remained in the Saiguden. As the floorboards creaked from an unusual amount of weight being applied and the shattering noise of old steel was heard, the front entrance to the Saiguden slowly opened; the room filling with a crimson light as the surroundings were illuminated. Standing in the doorway, the woman with crimson glowing eyes and a look of hell upon her face smiled eerily as she found her weapons of destruction. Pushing away the heavy doors as if they were nothing, Hanyuu strided to the middle of the storage area, scanning the walls for the various torture tools and spiked/bladed weapons. Closing her eyes, Hanyuu was soon surrounded by her possessed minions; their zombie-like motions soon filling the room up. As she opened up her eyes again and sighed in laughter, Hanyuu spoke her mind to no one in particular; if only, to the crimson flower she lightly caressed near her right ear.

"Rika-chan, it's time we put these tools to use, right? I tried to make this easy before, but you left me with no other options when your allies were brought into this game. Oh well…I'll make sure that this night remains within my grasp. I won't let you try to commit suicide again…I NEED TO KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!" she screamed, kicking the floor in anger. Hanyuu's hands were balled into fists, her rage slowly quelling in her being. Managing to control her inner thoughts for now, Hanyuu merely smiled and laughed, pointing to her devices and machinations for the upcoming battle against her former friends. Yelling to her controlled subjects now, Hanyuu turned around, gripping her holy weapon in her hand; for the time being, the weapon of the Onigari no Ryou remaining dull in its former glory.

"Everyone…pick and choose! Hunt them down! I want them to suffer. Do as you like…but for Rika-chan…she is mine! Bring her to me unharmed and let me deal the final blow! NOW GO!"

Hanyuu stepped out of the Saiguden, whilst the possessed villagers present began grabbing weapons and tools of unspeakable machinations; armed to the teeth for the never ending night ahead. Laughing into the sky so that she was heard throughout all of Hinamizawa, Hanyuu screamed till her throat was raw and dry.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME RIKA-CHAN? RUN ALL YOU LIKE! IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE! RUN…RUN MY PREY, ALL OF YOU! I WILL KILL YOU ALL AND RETURN TO THE PAST AT LAST! I WILL BE THE ONE TO UNDO GOD'S FATE UPON ME AND I WILL FIX THIS BROKEN REALITY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

/

"Hey, Rika-chan…are you ok?"

"Y-yeah…just…I thought I heard something…"

Rika shuddered at the mere thought of what she believed she had heard. Her dearest friend looked on worryingly; Satoko nearby moving over to comfort her while putting a hand to Rika's shoulder. Rika grabbed it tightly and cringed, unable to accept a small part of this nightmare. Sighing and returning to her surroundings, Rika looked on at her well armed group of friends.

No one had said a word as they drove off into the crimson night, speeding towards the dump where Rena habitually went in search of her "treasure". At the same time, no one made eye contact either; their minds too occupied with the thought of Hanyuu's betrayal and the shattering of their once thought happiness. In Rika's eyes, looking on at her friends seemed like a page torn out of a war story. They each looked like armed soldiers ready to take on a suicide mission. Ironically, their situation wasn't that much different in theory.

It had been relatively quiet speeding toward the dump area in search for one of the needed blue shards. No matter what their purpose was for their upcoming battle, for the meantime Rika was just glad they had not run into any possessed villagers; much less, Hanyuu herself. She feared the moment that they would confront one another again, and from there, what she would do to her friend and enemy. Could Rika truly kill her own friend if it came down to protecting her other friends and her own life? And what about the possessed villagers? Rika could never take another's life, but for the most part, it seemed like Ryuu, Shion and both Komoto and Mizuho were set on committing such an act.

*I can't let it go that far. We need to find these shards fast and figure out what to do from there. I just wish…I just wish there was some clue…some answer as to what to do with them. Hanyuu…I don't know…anything anymore…*

Suddenly, Rika was pulled from her thoughts as the truck came to a slow halt. Quickly getting out of the car seats and setting up a defensive perimeter, Komoto and Mizuho both raised their weapons to the ready and looked around the expansive dump site. When the area seemed quiet and clear of any enemies, Mizuho gave the go ahead for the others to hop out.

"Ok guys, we're in business! Keep your guard up. Rena-chan, Ryuu-kun…go locate that shard quickly and let's get the heck out of here. Satoko-chan, keep a lookout on the top of the truck with Mizu-chan for us. If you see any enemies, give us a yell. Satoshi-kun, Mi-chan, Keiichi…guard Rika-chan. I'll go in with Rena-chan and Ryuu-kun and help them get the item. Everyone got it?" asked Komoto. He was sweating a bit from his surroundings; his adrenaline slowly rising with each intense moment. Mizuho went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder; surprised to see just how much he was sweating. Concerned, she questioned what was wrong with him.

"Komoto-kun…are you…it's not your…"

"Don't worry…I'm fine. It's just…so hot out…not only that…I'm just alert right now. I'll be quick. Stand by, alright?" Komoto looked deeply into Mizuho's eyes and quickly turned around to take the lead into the heaps and piles of trash that filled the dump area. Looking on and lowering her hand, Mizuho sighed and turned around; jumping on the truck and joining Satoko for the lookout. Luckily, Mizuho held a high powered scope and had much more of a distance on the horizon than her little friend did. She just hoped that her trained eyes would not fail her that day.

/

*5 Minutes Later*

As the group separated, Komoto, Rena and Ryuu quickly moved down the hillside and over to the dirt path leading to the entrance of the dump site. Rena took the front point with Ryuu in-between her companions. Following through with their guns raised up, they quietly made their way down the dirt path; their only steps lightly kicking up dust with every stride. In a few moments, the group of three managed to make it down to the entrance without any problems. Turning to her friends, Rena took a deep breath and elaborated on their plan of action.

"You guys…my van is directly in the center of the dump behind the second spire of old sheet metal and cars over there. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes in and out…" Rena narrowed her eyes and held her head in pain, as if she had a headache stemming from the last few hours. From Ryuu's point of view, the headache seemed pretty sudden to her.

"Rena-chan…are you alright?" asked Ryuu concerned. As he attempted to go up to Rena, she smiled and shook her head. Sweating a little bit probably from the humidity, Rena shook it off and turned her back; wearing a darker expression over her face.

"You guys, just in case…the shard is on the shelf next to one of my stuffed bears. Don't forget that, ok?" Without another word, Rena moved forward and jumped down onto the structure of an old, rusted dryer. Leaving behind both Komoto and Ryuu for a moment, they exchanged a confused look and, likewise, followed Rena close behind. Doing their best to make as minimal noise as possible, Rena hopped from one area to another; careful to avoid any sharp pieces of steel or broken glass in the area.

As they traversed through the dangerous jagged mounds of rusted steal and various pieces of garbage, Ryuu and Komoto kept a lookout while they escorted Rena over to the nearby van. It didn't take long for them to reach the area, but at the same time their fears surmounted with every moment they spent there. Hoping off an old pile of magazine and onto more stable ground, Rena looked around her area to find her van in the same place it always had been.

"Good…it seems clear…I think…" she spoke. Ryuu followed up closely behind and, with Komoto parallel to him, circled around the van to check the other side and the points of view around more spires of piled trash and garbage. When the coast was clear, they lowered their weapons and moved back to Rena as she tried to open the old rusty door to the van. With some effort, Rena managed to open the door with a loud creak.

"Let's see…I hope I didn't misplace it like last time…I hope…" murmured Rena. As she was about to go in, Ryuu grabbed her arm and held her back. Rena looked up to his eyes, noticing that his focus was over towards the corner of garbage again.

"You guys, what's…" Rena stuttered, worried for what was to come. However, quickly Ryuu put his hand over her mouth and kept his readily available hand up with the gun aimed in a particular direction. Komoto did the same and moved forward, looking reading to pounce on any enemy coming their way. Again, they heard the same clattering of metal around the corner. Something, or someone, was there.

Without saying another word, both Komoto and Ryuu braced for what they thought was a possessed villager coming into view. With their pistol and shotgun raised, the shadow of their enemy came into view. Lightly pulling down on their triggers, they almost let the rounds go off early. However, as ironic as it was, what came into view was something they did not expect.

"A…rat?" stuttered Ryuu, a blank expression on his face.

"Not the first time…I think…" stated Komoto, sighing and lowering his weapon. They all let out a sigh of relief; however, when Ryuu turned to Rena he saw just what he was expecting.

"A…cute little rat? I WANNA TAKE IT…."

"NO! Rena-chan, you can not take it home!" spoke Ryuu, putting a palm to his face. Rena drooled over the rat, thinking somehow it was still cute, but otherwise, she shook off her "take it home" mode for a moment and refocused on why they were there. Sighing, she went back into the van and scavenged around for the needed item.

"Hmm…where was it? AHA! I have it guys!"

Carefully making sure not to touch it with her hands, Rena found the shard exactly on the shelf she had left it on. Using a nearby cloth with various animal designs on it, Rena grasped onto the shard and wrapped it tightly. Pocketing the item, she smiled and attempted to back up away from the inner part of the van.

"I'm so glad I found it! Now we can…"

As Rena looked up in her moment of joy, she realized something outside the opposite side of the van's window glowed a dull crimson red. Unable to even breathe that moment, Rena came to the quick conclusion she had been looking into the blank face of a possessed villager. Without even a second to scream, Rena quickly attempted to get out of the van and alert the others.

It was too late…

"ARG! GET OFF, GET OFF!" she screamed. Rena was quickly pulled back into the van, as glass shattered and flew out in many directions.

To Komoto and Ryuu's horror, they had been taken by surprise only to find Rena on the verge of death with a possessed villager. Ryuu quickly scrambled to grab Rena's fleeting legs, while finding that their enemy managed to smash through the window and grab onto Rena's hair. She was slowly being pulled back into the van and through the broken window; right into a shard that was held by the possessed villager's hand. In moments, Rena would be facing a fate of having her throat cut open by the sharp piece of glass.

"DAMNIT! GET OFF OF HER! RENA!" screamed Ryuu, managing to keep Rena from meeting a dead end. Ryuu could hear the ripping of Rena's hair being pulled from her scalp; the sickening sound causing Ryuu to pull harder to save the one he loved.

As they raised their heads and found that the possessed villager was arching his arm back to deliver a deadly strike into Rena's head, they suddenly heard another sickening sound occur. In moments Ryuu and Rena saw blood spurt onto the van and into their faces in small specs of crimson red. The villager's grip on Rena's hair was gone, and Rena fell back into Ryuu; scurrying into the security of his loving arms. In their view, they found Komoto standing behind the now incapacitated victim with a bloodied gravity baton in his hand.

"K…Komoto…did you…" Rena cried, tears brimming on the edges of her eyes. Ryuu pulled her out from the van and hugged her tightly; trying his best to soothe her for the moment. Komoto came back from around the van, waving the blood off of his baton and putting it back into his waist side holster.

"I don't think so. He'll have one wicked headache after he wakes up from this nightmare…if we ever get out of this mess…" Komoto turned to Rena and desperately searched her eyes, wanting to know if she found the shard or not. "Did you get it?" he asked.

"Y…Yeah…I've got it…but, I don't want to touch it…not yet at least…." She squeaked. Komoto smiled and was just about to say something when another loud sound was heard.

*Crack*

They all looked to one another with wide eyes full of fear. They knew what that sound was, and in moments looked from the way they came. Soon after they could hear more gun shots in the distance; their worst fears realized.

"MIZU-CHAN!" spoke Komoto. He took out his pistol again and looked to the others, who quickly nodded in response. Going faster than the way they came, they quickly rushed back to the hillside, praying that their friends were still alive.

/

"SHIT! They're coming from the main road! You guys, get back in the car!" screamed Mizuho, aiming her scoped rifle down the road and calculating just how far their opponents were in the distance. From what she could tell, they were at least a good 6 football fields away from them. That would give them just enough time to escape. Plus, given that they were slow moving, they would only walk to reach them when the time came. As slow moving as they were, that wasn't their biggest concern.

"There's too many of them! How did they find us so quickly?" Shion moved to the rear of the car with a pistol, dead set on protecting both Satoshi and Satoko from their enemy at hand. Squinting her eyes and narrowing her focus, Shion kept her weapon's sights aimed in their opposite direction.

The others rushed forward to the front of the car and the truck's bed. Without hesitation, Keiichi rushed forward and got into the driver's seat; having some experience driving his father's car a few times before. In quick succession, Mion jumped onto the flatbed of the truck and aimed her own pistol down the line of fire; hoping that her friends were not about to be overrun with the hundreds of villagers heading their way. Behind her, Satoko and Rika were protected by Satoshi wielding a shotgun. As armed to the teeth as they were, the lingering feeling of killing wasn't wanted for the most part; especially in Rika's mind.

"How long do we have Mizuho-sensei?" asked Rika. She held the shards in her pocket; holding them with her index finger and thumb in worry. Their enemy was in plain sight and they had no chance to escape until the others returned. Her worst fear, though, was not how many possessed villagers were on their sights, but who was controlling them and if she was with them.

That person, Hanyuu Furude, was indeed walking in front of her possessed army. With glowing crimson eyes and a sickly sweet smile on her face, Hanyuu seemed confident that she and her minions would take the others easily. Not only that, but from what Rika could see in her focused view, Hanyuu had clearly broken into the Saiguden and armed her possessed villagers with various tools of destruction and torture.

"Damnit! Komoto…where are you?" murmured Mizuho. She threw a loaded magazine of ammunition into her rifle and prepared to take aim. Wondering for a moment if she should aim at Hanyuu, Mizuho's trigger finger slowly reached forward and hesitated about taking such a shot.

"Rika-chan…I could…"

"NO! Don't hurt Hanyuu-chan! I don't want any deaths!" Rika pleaded to the older adult, hoping that her friend wouldn't fall to the temptation of taking an easy way out. Rika knew she was asking for an impossible thing, but somehow Mizuho listened and heeded. Instead, Mizuho banked onto a theory and aimed at Hanyuu's legs.

"If not killing, then I will cripple her!" Mizuho held her breathe, focused down the scope, and set the crosshairs on Hanyuu's legs. Pulling the trigger with intense precision, Mizuho sent a thundering shot down on her target without flaw. The sound of the rifle blasting away at Mizuho's target almost deafened her friends around. Despite Rika's sudden worry of losing Hanyuu, once the dust cleared did Rika realize just what exactly Mizuho was trying to test.

*Crack*

Looking down the road, the oncoming enemy suddenly stopped as one of their own possessed villagers quickly fell to the ground as blood and bone flew in many directions. His right knee was blown off, sending the poor man to the dirt floor. Without feeling any emotion or pain, the villager just lied on the ground and ceased to move; the impact of the shot incapacitating the villager with ease. Just like Mizuho expected, her original shot would have easily landed on Hanyuu's own right knee; had that poor unfortunate villager not interceded and acted as a human shield.

"Hanyuu's playing dirty it seems…" smirked Mizuho.

"She's…using them as human shields?" questioned Mion, rubbing her ear from the impact of the sound on her hearing.

Hanyuu looked up from the possessed villager and back to her opponents, smiling with an eerily glow in her eyes. Raising up her sword, the Onigari no Ryou, its dull glow reflected in the crimson shine of the night and clashed with the colors. Hanyuu seemed to be having a hard time wielding the item, but none the less still used it for its purpose. In moments, Hanyuu smiled her sickly sweet expression in her friend's direction, and in the next did the unthinkable.

As the sword came crashing down onto the unfortunate victim of Mizuho, the others shielded their eyes from seeing such a deed done. Hanyuu, without emotion, slashed at her victim with one quick strike and sent the man's head rolling down the hillside and over a cliff. His body remained on all fours for a mere moment and in the next fell down with a soft thud. Blood soaked the ground around them and pooled under the body in all directions. To Hanyuu, it was as if this was a mercy killing, if not, one for pleasure.

To the others, it was proof that death was possible again in this world. It was undeniable evidence that Hanyuu wasn't going to stop at nothing to kill them and take Rika's own life by her hands. It was through this one act that Rika realized that this night would have all of Hinamizawa run red with crimson blood in Hanyuu's wake of destruction and death.

*You…actually did it Hanyuu…you committed a sin…* thought Rika in shock.

Cleaning her blade of the blood now dripping to the earth floor, Hanyuu sheathed her weapon and looked up to her opponents. Raising her hand forward, she commanded the villagers to move on and attack.

"Go…kill all except for the one I desire…" she hissed.

With that said all of the possessed villagers began picking up the pace and charging on towards their opponents. With Rika and the others stunned from Hanyuu's act, all they could do was be prepared for what was to come ahead. The oncoming horde of possessed villagers would soon be on them, and they only had two options:

Fight or flee…

"Mizuho-sensei! We have to go now!" screamed Keiichi from the driver's seat. Rika and Satoko both shot him angered glances; knowing full well what Keiichi was suggesting of them.

"We can't! The others are not back yet! We can't leave them behind…" argued Satoko, whilst making some quick concoctions of devices for what may lay ahead. Again, she was multitasking and focusing on preparing for a quick getaway once the others had turned up. However, were they to leave without Rena, Ryuu and Komoto, she wouldn't know what to do from there.

"Don't you think I know that? They're with Komoto! They'll make it out. We have to go now!" Keiichi turned on the ignition and gave life to the truck once more. The horde was now about 4 lengths away from them and closing.

"I say we wait and fight!" cheered Mion. She was ready for anything in their path, and armed to the teeth she was sure as hell going to go down fighting. Shion stood by her side, ready to take on the world like it was child's play.

As they all weighed their options, out of the corner of Mizuho's scope, she noticed in the distance to their right three people rushing headfirst in their direction. It was their friends returning from their successful search of the shard; panting and hopping from one garbage heap to the next. It would be a small matter of time for them to get back up the hill to their position before they could finally leave.

"They're almost here!" yelled Rika. Her hopes had risen again with the coming of the others. They needed just a few more minutes and they would be out of there in no time at all.

Mizuho could hear the others in the distance calling to them, and likewise noticed that the horde of possessed villagers suddenly found the ability to run faster towards them. Hanyuu was luring them into some kind of sick game: stay for the others and take on her army or leave behind their friends to move on with their mission. Hanyuu had played them for fools, and now they were paying for it. Tightening her grip on her rifle, Mizuho took aim and began sending down a volley of shots into her enemy targets.

*Crack Crack Crack Crack*

With four well placed shots, Mizuho took down exactly four possessed villagers in the same fashion as her first victim. This time, instead of aiming for Hanyuu, Mizuho intended a different strategy. Those who fell to her rifle's attack were sent crashing into the dirt path and, in quick succession, managed to make the oncoming horde fall in the onslaught. One by one many of the possessed fell over each other; causing a ragtag dog pile to occur. Though this attempt only slowed their enemy down, it only infuriated Hanyuu.

"Don't get in my way!" Hanyuu narrowed her focus and commanded a nearby possessed villager and his sortie to launch a volley of their own. Coming forward with what appeared to be bows and arrows, at least twenty possessed villagers took aim and launched into the air a deadly assault. Watching in the sky as a volley came whistling down upon them, everyone jumped and took cover wherever they could.

The impact was enough to penetrate the steel of the car hood slightly, but not enough to fully go through. Inside, Keiichi heard the thuds of many arrows impact all around him. Luckily, the others managed to get back down under the car in time to shield themselves. Mizuho herself quickly but carefully rolled off of the roof of the car whilst Rika and Satoko jumped sideways and hid. Mion ran forward off of the truck bed with Shion, knowing that their only chance to survive the attack was to gain distance from it by moving forward into their enemy's direction. However, one of their members wasn't so lucky.

"ARGH!" screamed Satoshi in pain and writhing agony.

Shion had heard it herself, turning her head back in fear at the truck as she heard the deadly arrow fly from the sky into her beloved. She found Satoshi on the ground with an arrow in his backside right shoulder; blood seeping through his clothing quickly. Without thinking twice, Shion ran back to Satoshi's side and tried her best to stop the bleeding.

"SATOSHI-KUN!" Shion cried, stunned and awed at what had happened. Deep down, she felt like she failed at protecting the one's she loved, not even sure that moment if Satoshi was alive. Reaching out to him, she found Satoshi still breathing but in severe pain. Looking over the wound, she and now Mion attempted to get him to safety and stop the bleeding.

"I'm…fine…just…" Satoshi tried to speak, but cringed at feeling his body get pulled up by Mion. Falling with his only good arm, Satoshi soon rose up and moved to the front of the car for safety. Mion attempted to address his wound, but Shion could only look on in worry and with a much darker expression.

Looking back at her enemy, something inside Shion snapped entirely. Feeling rage and anger unlike anything she ever felt before, Shion grabbed her pistol and Satoshi's own and began walking forward into the enemy down the road. Aiming her pistols into the air, Shion began taking aim and sending her own attack back at her foes.

"SIS! GET BACK HERE! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" screamed Mion in fear.

The others screamed for Shion to return, but their pleas went unheard. It was as if Shion only saw crimson blood in her path, and with that the deaths she was about to inflict on her enemy. Screaming in her rage, Shion wanted only to cause suffering to those who had hurt Satoshi.

"TAKE THIS YOU BASTARDS! DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIE!" she screamed, not thinking about anything but revenge.

Shot after shot, Shion began unloading the magazines in her firearms at the enemy. She didn't care where the shots landed; she just wanted her enemy to suffer. If anything, she wanted Hanyuu dead; aiming all her shots in her direction. If Shion could manage to aim only at Hanyuu, then the possessed would surely shield her with their bodies. It was a perfect plan; the only way to make every shot count. In moments of initiating this plan and emptying her weapons, more possessed villagers came into view and fell to her attack. Some were shot in various places of their legs when the shots were low, but others took impacts from chest shots. Only one villager in the entirety of the melee was shot dead in the head upon impact.

Shion had said it herself: what was one more sin on her soul going to do? Killing at this point was fair game, and she herself made good on her word to kill in order to protect her friends.

Seeing Shion's defiance and close range to her army, Hanyuu again ordered her archers to send another volley at her; their bows raised on high with deadly aim. Shion realized this flaw in her plan, and suddenly came to a halt in her charge; looking down at many possessed villagers either charging at her or taking aim with their bows. In that one moment when Hanyuu's hand flew down for the order to fire, Shion thought she breathed her last breathe on this earth.

*I…can't dodge this…* she thought, eyes wide with fear. Too shocked with fear, Shion played out the perfect dummy target to any amateur bowman. It was only a matter of seconds as the arrows flew from their bows and soared through the air at Shion with tremendous speed.

Thinking that this was her moment to die, Shion cried tears of sadness and closed her eyes, ready to accept the grasp of death. She would have no regrets if it meant that she would have given her friends a chance to survive that night. Sighing and accepting the arrows, what Shion thought was the impact of the attack suddenly became a feeling of a body tossing her to the dirt floor and the sound of the deadly shaft's impacts behind her body.

"GET DOWN!" screamed Satoko as the arrows flew inches above their heads. They hugged the earth floor quickly enough to dodge the attack thanks to Satoko's intervention. Looking up from the ground with disbelief, Shion found that she was alive.

"S…Satoko-chan…." Shion looked on at her friend and loved one with disbelief. She saw Satoko with an intensity unlike any before; one that was ready to test even the armies of Hell itself. Not too far from that situation, Satoko threw what appeared to be a large package into the nearby hillside of loose dirt and rock and then in the next moment took a hard hold of Shion's hand. Dragging her into a run, Satoko and Shion quickly returned to the truck with the possessed army close on their tails. As well, Komoto, Rena and Ryuu came over the ledge of the hillside and regrouped with the others by this time.

"HURRY! Everyone, get in the car!" screamed Rika, helping Mion put Satoshi into the flatbed of the truck. The others followed in pursuit, and Keiichi put the car into motion. In moments, they were speeding away from their enemy at last, managing to evade them. However, that was not all that would happen.

Just as the enemy came over Satoko's intended target area, something happened which shocked everyone around and made their area shudder with a resounding echo and force unlike any which their friends could create. Standing on the flatbed just before the truck moved forward, Satoko looked on deadest at Hanyuu with an intensive glare full of anger and hate.

"Hanyuu…" she murmured, her eyes filled with a dull void of accusation towards Hanyuu.

In the distance, Hanyuu stopped and looked on confused at her once thought friend; unable to comprehend the words she was speaking to her. It was in the next moment that Hanyuu followed Satoko's changing gaze to her side, noticing a large sack connected to a long wire attached to some device in Satoko's left hand. It didn't take rocket science for Hanyuu to figure out what exactly Satoko had just done.

Satoko, the craftiest member of the game club and master of traps, had took what appeared to be C4 blocks in Komoto and Mizuho's gear back, connected metal rods to the remote detonator and explosives, and managed to make a remote bomb. Unable to dodge this trap, Hanyuu gritted her teeth and jumped into the air towards the junkyard, just as Satoko delivered her own special surprise for the friend that betrayed her.

"Hanyuu…go to Hell…"

*Click*

The shockwave sent them far back into the flatbed of the truck just as Keiichi sped the car away. The flash of light plumed into a fire of various colors and soon a mushroom cloud of smoke. The possessed villagers who ran into the device were either sent careening over the hillside, killed on impact or even buried alive under the now toppling upper hillside of the road. Hanyuu, in her friend's sights, was there one moment and in the next gone from their view. As Satoko had devised, her plan to stop their enemy worked perfectly. The road leading to their escape was now destroyed well behind them, and half of Hanyuu's possessed army was gone with it; injured or dead otherwise. Hanyuu herself was missing, and Satoko could now focus on something more important rather than her now decimated enemy for the time being.

For Satoko, this was not only repayment for a betrayal, but vengeance for hurting her brother.

/

"STOP! DON'T TAKE IT OUT!" screamed Satoshi, unable to bear the pain of an arrow through his shoulder. He laid with his stomach to the flatbed of the truck, tears falling from his eyes in extreme pain. The arrow had clearly penetrated a good portion of his backside, but luckily had missed his vitals. However, that still did not deny the fact that the arrow was lodged deep in him and had even possibly shattered his right shoulder altogether now. Writhing in pain with each shudder of the arrow in his back, Satoshi could do nothing but be held down by his friends.

"Satoshi-kun…if we don't…" Shion couldn't finish her sentence, but could only grasp hard onto Satoshi's equally tensed grip for support. She was glad he was alive, but part of her died with each moment of seeing his pain. Whilst she and Mion both held him down, Komoto and Rika fumbled with their gear packs and began opening a small medical bag. What was held in it was something that would only cause Satoshi more pain.

"We are going to take it out, but I'm going to have to cause him more pain to do it…I'm sorry, but there's no other option. One good jolt to that arrow, and he can be in a hell of a lot more trouble…" Komoto grimaced at Satoshi with a dark look, and then refocused on finding exactly what he needed. With a few items taken out from the bag, Komoto prepared to hastily bandage Satoshi's seeping wound before he would succumb to an even worse fate.

Komoto took out what appeared to be several medical items of various natures. The first thing was a brown stick wrapped in cloth and rubber. Taking this item now, he put it in Satoshi's mouth and looked at him with a serious expression.

"Bite down…it will help…trust me on this…"

Without question, Satoshi did as he was asked and bit down on the odd thing. What would soon follow was something that would possibly cause his teeth to shatter from gritting on such pain levels.

"What do we have to do? Tell us…" asked Rena with worry. She looked back down to Satoshi and then to Komoto, unable to figure out how to get the arrow out. The answer, she would soon discover, was not to anyone else's liking.

"I can't pull the arrow out…if I do…then I may very well end of killing him. The arrow tip is teethed, so pulling it out will only cause more damage. The only thing I can do is push the arrow through the last parts of the skin layers and then break the arrow from the backside…"

"You can't! If we do that…" Shion pleaded to Komoto, but there was no use in it. She knew if Satoshi kept the arrow in any longer, he may very well be killed by it.

"There is no other choice. Now, help me put him on his side and remove his shirt…"

Weighing their options and finding no other better one, they gently made Satoshi lay onto his left side and ripped off his shirt. As his tears of pain fell and his bite down on the mouth guard grew stronger with each passing moment, Komoto looked up to the others and quickly addressed them in what to do.

"You guys…when I push the arrow through, I'll break it and remove it. I want you guys to take that powder in this bag and throw it into the wound. It will cauterize it and stop the bleeding, but he will be in a severe amount of pain. It will be like he is burning with fire on the inside of the wound. After that, I want you guys to quickly put pressure on the wounds with the bandages and we can then wrap it all up…but we have to act fast, got it?" Komoto looked from to the next and received nods in quick succession. Taking a deep sigh, Komoto took a firm grasp on the arrow and without a moment's notice to Satoshi he pushed the arrow through to the other side.

What filled the night air besides the sound of breaking wood were Satoshi's screams of utter agony and the frantic hustling of his friends in their attempts to seal his wounds. Not only that, but by the time the quick clotting powder had cauterized his front and back wounds did Satoshi's mouth guard fall limp from his mouth in a pile of saliva and some blood, and with the coming of him blacking out to the world around him.

After time had passed and Satoshi rested from his ordeal while being passed out on the flatbed truck, his arm now in a sling to prevent any more damage, Shion sat at his side and looked as if she had aged years in worry. Though everyone breathed a sigh of relief from saving Satoshi, something happened which no one else could expect.

Mion moved directly in front of her sister, and as clear as day slapped her straight across the face. Bringing Shion out of her daze and looking sideways with wide eyes, holding a hand to her throbbing cheek, the others looked on at Mion crying angrily in her sister's direction.

"You…idiot!" she murmured.

"Sis…wha…" Shion couldn't believe what brought on this sudden action from her sister, but soon learned why it was justly deserved.

"You think you can throw your life away like that? What were you thinking? It was suicide to go out running like that!" screamed Mion, her fists balled up in anger.

Shion only looked at Mion and could not say anything in her defense. She casted her eyes down low to the ground, still rubbing her now sore cheek.

"If you died…then what would Satoshi-kun and Satoko-chan think of your stupid action! If you died…how would I go on without you? We're…twins damnit…"

Mion moved forward into Shion and held her in a tight grasp, sobbing softly into Shion's shoulder. Shion awoke from her daze completely and understood her faults for her suicidal attempt of saving her friends and dying in a blaze of glory. Without thinking, Shion embraced her sister and held her close by to her chest.

"I'm…sorry Sis…" was all she could muster to say with her strength.

"Stupid…Shion…stupid…stupid…" Mion repeated over and over again. She stayed like that for awhile longer, not wanting to lose her sister to the crazy world around them.

When the twins had made up and moved to their respective sides of the truck to remain in silence, Komoto moved forward into the truck with Mizuho and took over the wheel from Keiichi. With him back to Mion's side, the question on everyone's mind was expressed with their gazes to Ryuu and Rena.

"So tell me…did you guys find it?" asked Satoko, whilst she nursed her brother and softly but gently rubbed his sweaty head. She could not fathom just how much pain Satoshi was in to have passed out from such an experience.

With nods from both companions, Rena took out the clothed shard and revealed it to Rika and the others. Rika noticed that this shard too clashed with the crimson light and even reacted to the other shard in her hand. However, as much as she wanted to grasp it, everyone knew what would have to happen first. Ryuu and Rena had to touch the shard and relive many lifetimes of memories; hopefully, ones that provided answers to their dire needs at hand.

"You guys…have to touch it. If there is even a small clue to our dilemma, then…" Rika pleaded to her friends, but they knew just as well as she did what that would entail.

"We know Rika-chan, but still…I'm afraid of remembering of things that we did…" Rena murmured in defeat. She looked to Ryuu who held no fear in this matter, and taking the shard first without any notion from Rena, his eyes suddenly became dull and it was as if he were in a trance. Likewise, Rena did quickly as well, just wanting to get the event over with.

For a few moments, both Rena and Ryuu had remained motionless and speechless, not even breathing it seemed. But like Shion and Satoshi, eventually they came out of their trances and sighed after the experience. To Rika, it seemed that Ryuu and Rena had aged on the inside as old as she was herself in her own mind.

"Well? What did you remember?" asked Mion, curious as to what Rena and Ryuu had relived.

"I remembered things like being back at the school in the city…where I broke all the windows and hurt those children. I remember times when we were all together at the pool having fun, and growing up till we were adults and married. I even remember having my own child…how cute she was and her smile…" Rena cried, looking away from her friends while holding onto those memories of happiness she had not yet lived.

"I remember...my parents dying and becoming an orphan…I remember a man named Jack Lanyon taking me into an insane asylum…and later on me killing everyone inside when I went mad. I remember…killing that man later on and marrying Rena-chan…and having a family with her. I remember losing my eye…I remember demons never thought possible…I…remember…I…remember…"

Suddenly, Ryuu clutched his head in pain, lowering his head so that no one else could see his suffering. Rena grabbed him in worry and tried to support him, wondering if the toll of the memories was too much for him to bear. However, just as sudden as his pain was it had vanished, and Ryuu rose his head up again recalling a very distant memory.

"Ryuu-kun…what do you remember?" asked Rika, looking on with wonder and fear.

"I…remember Hanyuu…telling us why we would all die in the end. She said…that it was her fault somehow from the start…something about an orb…an orb…with power…it was her responsibility…she failed…" Ryuu panted, trying his best to remember the blurry memories.

"Go on Ryuu-kun! What else was there?" pleaded Rika. The answers were right there, but how could she get them if they were still so far from her.

"Hanyuu…she said…we would all die if we kept going on the way we did…we tried everything to help her…but even if we spent most of our lives trying…we failed her. She didn't even know what to do…she was so lost! She kept saying…she had to go back…she had to go back to…to…"

"To who?" Rika pressed on, wondering if this was in connection with Hanyuu's wish to reset time again. In the following moment, Ryuu looked up to only Rika and gave her the last remnant of the memory.

"To…someone named Ouka…"

/

Evil does not reside in earth, soil or rock,

It lives in hate, anger, and misery.

Evil's roots do not drink from the water of life,

But festers from the presence of despair and death.

Evil does not grow into a colorful flower of beauty,

But grows in the farthest reaches of one's soul.

Evil's seeds do not sprout from the hands of mankind,

But becomes planted into a soul long before it is created.

Evil does not live on joy, happiness and truth,

It thrives on pain, sadness and loss.

Such are the ways,

To create the Crimson Lotus, the Flower from Hell.

Next time on Higurashi Hell, "The Truth of Fate" Arc 3, Ch. 14: A Past Revealed

Did you know her secret?