CHAPTER 21

THE THIRD STRIKE

No pain. That's what Tsukasa liked the most about this new darkness she now basked in. That and the fact that the cold was gone. She felt at peace but expected to see the flames of the underworld at any second. It didn't matter to her at this point. She believed she deserved eternal damnation for all she had put her family through, especially regarding the fact that she murdered Kagami. Tsukasa felt different, though. Her mind felt like a blank slate after her rape, but now, so did her body. The youngest Hiiragi daughter placed her hand over her chest and tried to feel a heartbeat. Silence was the only thing that emerged from her chest and she began to conclude that she didn't survive that fall.

Tsukasa continued to stand in a world of darkness and she had no idea how much time had passed since she threw herself off the top of the eight story building. What Tsukasa didn't know as she continued to stare into the dark abyss all around her was that she was in a place where time had no jurisdiction. One minute in this new place might as well have been one year on Earth or even longer. It could've even been the other way around. Was this her punishment? To spend all of eternity in a dark world where there was no concept of time and to be driven mad by such an existence? It seemed to fit perfectly in Tsukasa's mind. She drove her family to insanity and now she would be forced to stay here until she too succumbed to further lunacy.

However, that wasn't fate's plan for Tsukasa. As she looked forward into the inky world, she suddenly felt warmth behind her. It was followed by a glowing wave of colors behind her and she slowly turned. She didn't expect to see an endless field of wildflowers sitting and glowing in the blackness. The flowers ranged in color from white, pink, and purple. When she saw the flowers ahead of her, the chirping of crickets suddenly erupted all around her, slightly startling her as she slowly walked towards the field.

As she graced the field of flowers, Tsukasa felt the serene tranquility of her surroundings. She breathed in a large breath and exhaled it bluntly as she sat down in the flowers and hugged her legs to her chest while resting her head on her knees. "Is this it? Am I here for all eternity? Well…better here than with my family."

Sitting alone, a sudden whoosh of wind made the flowers dance. It continued to blow until it finally subsided after a few seconds and Tsukasa still felt alone and depressed. Suddenly a female's voice next to her said, "I don't think I agree with that, Tsukasa."

Tsukasa slowly lifted her head and turned it towards the voice. She wasn't expecting to see another human standing only inches away from her and in a glowing white dress. What caught her attention the most was the woman's long, wafting blue hair as Tsukasa lifted her eyes upwards but they didn't have to travel far until they were met with peaceful pools of green. This woman looked very familiar as Tsukasa lifted her head and examined her. Dressed in a white dress with blue hair and green eyes with pale skin and a very charming smile, Tsukasa slowly shifted herself onto her knees and looked at the stranger.

"…Kona-chan?" She asked.

The woman's beautiful smile deepened and she replied, "Guess again, dear."

"Then does that mean that you're…that you're…Kona-chan's mommy?" Tsukasa asked.

The green-eyed woman closed her eyes and giggled. "That's right. Kanata Izumi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Tsukasa Hiiragi."

Tsukasa quickly looked around once again. "Then…does this mean that I'm…that I'm…"

"Yes, sweetheart. You are dead." Kanata said, keeping her hands folded across her navel. "You can't jump from an eight story building and live to tell the tale, dear."

Tsukasa's reaction was less than devastated as she looked around. She sighed and added, "Good. I think that's for the best."

Kanata's smile faded. "Why would you say that, dear? Your family is devastated right now."

"Because I screwed everything up. Sis was right when she confronted me at The Black Window and said that I blame myself for being raped in my father's shrine." Tsukasa felt more crying coming. "I felt that I let him down by doing such perverted things in such a holy building and because of it, I wanted to be more assertive and even more aggressive. I thought my family constantly believing that they knew what was best for me was preventing me from becoming stronger and I began to see them as my enemies. I'm so sick."

Tsukasa covered her face and began to cry again. She cried relentlessly. This was the most she had cried since this ordeal began as Tsukasa had finally seen everything she had done to not only herself, but to all the ones she loved. All of these emotions made Tsukasa even more pleased with the fact that she was now dead.

Kanata slowly placed her petite hand on Tsukasa's shoulder. "You're not sick, Tsukasa. Remember what Dr. Hirukawa told you about the three strikes?"

Tsukasa dried her eyes and nodded with a whimper. "I do. This is my third strike. I'm just thankful I'm out."

Kanata's beautiful smile returned. "If that was true Tsukasa, then I wouldn't be here."

Tsukasa slowly looked up.

"I'm here to take you on a little journey and hopefully it'll be familiar to you. It should be…because it's your life." Kanata said and took both Tsukasa's hands with hers and stood the defeated Hiiragi girl up. Tsukasa blushed when she suddenly towered over Kanata as they stood, hands joined, in the field of flowers.

A massive burst of wind tore through the tranquil field and the black sky above them began to brighten, hurting Tsukasa's eyes until it engulfed both of them in white. Everything went silent again until Tsukasa could hear the sound of a baby crying. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the sky, which now seemed to be one giant screen and saw her mother in a hospital bed holding two baby girls and she knew what she was looking at.

"Is that mom and Kagami…and me?" Tsukasa's voice wheezed as she still held Kanata's hands.

Kanata smiled again and giggled. "It is. You were such a cute baby, Tsukasa. Kagami, too. I wanted you to see this so you could see your mother."

Tsukasa shifted her eyes to her mother's happy face.

"I'm sure you've seen that same picture in your family photo album many times, but a picture can only go so far. A picture cannot allow its viewer to feel every single emotion within its pixels. Sometimes, you just need to be there." Kanata said. "Can you feel your mother's soul, Tsukasa?"

Tsukasa slowly released Kanata's small hands and looked up at the sky. She found she had the ability to peer into her mother's soul and feel what she felt when she held the newborn twins. Never in her entire life did Tsukasa expect to feel such a rush of overjoyed emotions. She felt warm and tender on the inside and felt like crying again, but this time for happiness while she watched her mother kiss both of the twins' heads.

"I remember I felt the same way when my daughter was born." Kanata said with her smile. "But I still need to show you a few more things."

The moving image of Miki in the sky suddenly went white again and a cyclone effect of thousands of colors swirled in the sky. When they faded, Tsukasa watched a new memory unfold and to her surprise, it showed Tsukasa at five-years-old and Kagami was sitting on the floor of their bedroom. She remembered when they were little, they shared a bedroom and a bed until more room was made for them in their house but it was the memory that Tsukasa was focused on. Kagami was drying her teary eyes as Tsukasa put a band-aid on Kagami's scraped knee. She then followed it up with another kiss on the wound.

"This…this is when I…" Tsukasa began.

"When you stood up to those bullies for your sister." Kanata finished for her. "This was an important day for Kagami. Kagami always had a tough personality since her birth, but this day taught her that she can't win every single battle in life on her own. You taught her that, Tsukasa. Even though she never showed it, not a day went by ever since that Kagami didn't remember this incident and she always used it as a memory to stay strong so that you wouldn't have to."

Tsukasa turned to Kanata in the world of white. "Why are you showing me all of this?"

"Patience, my dear. Patience." Kanata replied quickly, as if she was expecting the question. "Now…do you remember this day?"

The image in the sky once again disappeared and instead of a cyclone effect, a barrage of aurora-like lights filled the black sky, also of different colors until they came together and formed another image. To Tsukasa's surprise, she saw herself and Kagami playing pat-a-cake on their first day of school, Tsukasa wearing her yellow ribbon for the first time.

"Why am I seeing this?" Tsukasa asked as she turned back to Kanata, feeling emotional every time she saw her deceased older sister.

Kanata held her smile and glanced back up at the colorful sky. "That's why."

Tsukasa quickly turned back and saw a new girl with long pink hair and large glasses walk over to them nervously. Tsukasa's eyes went big as she watched the memory replay above her.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry to bother you, but it appears the teacher is saying it is time for arts and crafts and we need to be in teams of three." The pink-haired girl said submissively and with clear fright in her voice. "Would it be okay if I could join you two?"

The younger Kagami and Tsukasa looked at each other and agreed with innocent smiles to let her in and Kagami stood. "My name is Kagami and this is my sister, Tsukasa."

The pink-haired girl bowed and nearly made her large glasses fall off in the process. "It's so very nice to meet you. My name is Miyuki Takara."

Watching this memory made Tsukasa shake her head and turn back to Kanata. "No, no, no. This…this is all wrong. I never met Miyuki that long ago. I met her in high school along with Kona-chan."

Kanata's smile still held firm. "Are you sure, dear?"

Tsukasa searched her memory but could only squeeze out one thing. "Well, I do remember meeting a new friend that day and that she complimented my ribbon like mom said they would, but it couldn't have been Miyuki."

Kanata looked back at the screen, making Tsukasa also turn back and look at the sky. She saw the three of them playing together with their finger-painting project and Tsukasa and Miyuki were very close to each other while laughing together. Miyuki looked so scared only a few seconds ago but why the sudden change?

"You met Miyuki Takara on the first day of school and you changed the young girl's life that day. Miyuki was in the same spot you were, Tsukasa. She didn't want to go to school either and fought her mother about going." Kanata explained as she watched the hypnotized Tsukasa observe the screen. "She was bullied because of her long hair and big glasses in the morning and was very nervous about making friends and it was your kindness that built her back up. You were also very impressed with the amount of knowledge she had and that, along with Miyuki's unique relationship with her mother, kept Miyuki's interest in education alive."

Tsukasa continued to try and remember. "I remember that little girl…and that we were friends for only a week until she…disappeared and I never saw her again."

"Miyuki was taken out of the school and put in a private one by her parents when her father's international shipping corporation became a success." Kanata finished. "You and Kagami forgot about her and she forgot about you and when you met each other again in high school, it might as well have been for the first time."

Speechless and a blank expression on Tsukasa's face, the sky once again turned white until more colors gathered in the sky and when they parted, Tsukasa nearly collapsed to her knees when she saw herself at a young age and dressed in her first Miko outfit. Tears rushed to her eyes when she saw she was slow dancing with her father in the Kagura-den.

"Do you remember this particular Christmas, Tsukasa?" Kanata asked.

Tsukasa nodded. "I do. Why must you haunt me with these memories?"

"All good things come to those who wait," Kanata giggled and watched the memory. "It was this Christmas where your father had such high hopes for you. He taught you the history of your family's shrine and its culture and you became so fascinated with it. I believe it was at this one particular point where you wanted to stay at the shrine forever and serve as a Miko."

Tsukasa lowered her head and released her tears. "It was. Everything to me was beautiful when I was that age, but that shrine was the best part of my childhood. So many memories of playing with my sisters and spending time with dad. It was the best. But why am I seeing this?"

"Your father didn't want you to grow up when you two danced. He wanted you to stay his innocent little girl forever, which you promised you would do." Kanata said, making Tsukasa cringe. "But…you can't read minds or feel souls as a human…and that's where I came in."

Tsukasa turned to Kanata.

"Your father wanted more for you. He didn't want you to stay behind and work on the shrine forever." Kanata said. "He wanted you to live your life and do something big with it, but he never said anything because he knew that was your decision to make. It was your innocence as a child that made him want you to leave because he knew that someone who could only see the good in people and the world was a rare and valuable thing. You are a gift to the world, Tsukasa Hiiragi. It's just too bad it had to end like this."

Tsukasa couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to her knees and resumed her loud crying as Kanata watched and the memory faded and the word around them once again turned back. The world was now dark again as Kanata stepped forward and stood above Tsukasa. Tsukasa lifted her face and showed the watery mess in her eyes.

"But look at me! I'm not innocent and I'm not pure anymore! I was raped and then…then I did all this to myself and my family!" Tsukasa cried. "What kind of gift to the world would do this?! What kind of innocent girl would indulge herself in a frenzy of sex and drugs?!"

When Kanata kept her smile, Tsukasa thought she was mocking her. That was until Kanata said, "You may have a point, Tsukasa, but just because you made a few mistakes doesn't mean you're not the same person. I've been watching over you since that tragic night and I always knew that deep inside you, you still were that pure and innocent girl that could still only see the good in the world. You may have been able to fool your friends and family into thinking that you're something you're not, but you can never slip anything past us. Your family now knows that you're back to your old self after your apology. I think they want to go back to the way things were when this memory was taken."

Tsukasa saw the sky light up again through her fingers covering her face and slowly turned her head back upward. It was too much for her when she saw the still image of her and Kagami standing with their parents in front of their high school while cherry blossom petals fell around them and everyone had a smile on their faces. It was a copy of the picture Tsukasa smashed during her meltdown at the dinner table that started this whole chain of hell.

"Please…tell me why…why…why I had to see these memories again!" Tsukasa cried and shielded her eyes from the image.

Kanata still kept her smile. "You're here because I wanted to show you only a sliver of how many lives you touched on Earth, Tsukasa. You are the kindest, gentlest, and most accepting of all your friends in your group and to find someone like you in a world like Earth that is plagued with such horrors like war, famine, disease, poverty, and starvation, you are a gem among pebbles. I wanted to make sure you had one final chance at redemption. So, as Dr. Hirukawa once said, you have a choice to make, Tsukasa. I can see how sincere you are in your regret, and for that, you have the chance to go back to Earth and redeem everything. Life or death Tsukasa…which will it be?"

Tsukasa dried her eyes and slowly stood. "Death."

Kanata tilted her head. "And why is that, Tsukasa?"

"Because if I go back…I'll have to live in a world without sis. Kagami was my everything. She was my idol, she was my hero, she was my friend, she was…my sister." Tsukasa sniffled. "And now…she's dead. Because of me. Life without sis is a life not worth having, no matter how much I'll be missed."

Kanata watched Tsukasa fall to her knees and once again continue crying. The deceased blue-haired woman slowly bent down to her knees and lifted Tsukasa's head up by placing her hand under the crying girl's chin. It stopped Tsukasa's crying as Kanata caught another tear falling from Tsukasa's eyes and the deceased woman slowly moved her hand down to Tsukasa's chest. She flattened her palm just above her left breast.

Suddenly, Tsukasa felt something incredible pulse into her body. It had a rhythmic beat to it and she knew only one thing made this kind of beat. Tsukasa placed her hand over Kanata's on her chest and could feel a heart beating at a normal rate.

"Is…is this my…heart beating?" Tsukasa asked.

Kanata smiled again. "No, Tsukasa, it's not yours. It's Kagami's…on Earth."

Tsukasa's wet eyes went big. "Then…does this mean that…?!"

"Kagami lives, dear." Kanata finished for her. "Dr. Hirukawa saved her life in the operating room. You're not the only person with Type-B blood, you know."

A strange and misshaped smile formed across Tsukasa's face as she slumped further into the dark ground and cried louder. She praised her family's name and all their members, Dr. Hirukawa, and the gods themselves. When Tsukasa's emotional revelation drained her of her energy, she slowly looked back up to see Kanata standing above her again.

"So, Tsukasa, now that you know all of that, I will ask one final time." Kanata said, still with her smile and her hands folded across her navel. "Life or death, Tsukasa. What do you desire?"

Tsukasa dried her tears yet again and slowly lifted herself up and Kanata collected the young girl's hands. She sniffled and choked again and whispered, "I want to live. I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to not only sis, but also to my family and friends. I want to live for them and make all of them proud. That's a promise. Please, Kanata-sempai, send me home."

Kanata's smile deepened and when she closed her eyes and tilted her head, the black sky above them suddenly turned white and another massive whoosh of wind tore through the once dark world. As the chaos continued and everything began to fade to white, Kanata took Tsukasa's hands and pulled the Hiiragi girl down to her level. Kanata placed a small kiss on Tsukasa's forehead and the Hiiragi girl could suddenly hear Kanata's thoughts as she said, "Good choice, Tsukasa…and thank you…for being such a good friend to my daughter."

"I should be thanking Kona-chan for the same reason. That is…if she'll ever talk to me again," Tsukasa replied in her mind as Kanata became fainter and fainter in the sea of white while the wind continued to blow.

With one final voice in her head, Tsukasa could hear Kanata say, "Like I said, Tsukasa, all good things come to those who wait… and remember your promise."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(- )-(-)

The whiteness somehow turned to a very light red as Tsukasa felt her senses returning to normal. She had a massive headache and could feel the warming comfort of a mattress beneath her and blankets covering her. Digital beeps sounded in the room and Tsukasa suddenly heard a female's voice over an intercom system announce, "Dr. Tajiri, please call Dr. Kitsune at extension 7-7-3-4. Thank you."

Tsukasa suddenly realized the wall of light red that was blocking her vision was the inside of her eyelids and they began to twitch as she opened them. As she struggled to open her eyes, she heard the sounds of birds chirping nearby. She didn't expect to hear such cheery and sunny noises, especially since it was February. The first thing she saw was blinding white and she had to rest her eyes for a few more minutes until they could adjust to the bright fluorescent lights above her. When she was able to fully open her eyes, she realized she was in the hospital.

I'm…alive? Was it all…just a dream?

Tsukasa heard the birds chirping again to her right and she slowly shifted her eyes towards the window where more bright light was coming from. When her vision of the window cleared, her heart raced. She could see trees outside but they weren't dark and twisted like they were just the other day, or was it the other day? These trees were covered with bright green leaves and flowers budding out of some of the branches while two birds sat in the limbs, singing their hearts out.

What…? How…how can that be…? It…its February…isn't it?

Helpless to move, Tsukasa had to continue to wait as her nerves began to return to her body and she was able to move her hands and feet again in no time. It took about half an hour until she could fully move the rest of her body as she stretched her limbs out to get the feelings back into them. Her arms and legs felt like four pieces of plywood but she could still feel the blood rushing back into them.

Sitting up and yawning, she suddenly heard a doorknob turning and looked to her left and saw her door slowly open. She prepared herself for anything because she had to but a rush of relief came when she saw the old, wrinkly face accompanied by the white hair of her old doctor, Hirukawa. He held a clipboard in his hand and when he closed the door and looked up, he froze as if he was shot.

His eyes were wide and his breathing increased. When his clipboard slipped from his grip and crashed on the floor, he smiled and approached. "My, my, my. Look at this."

For the first time in far too long, Tsukasa presented her infamous trademark and beautiful smile to the old man. "Hello, Dr. Hirukawa."

Dr. Hirukawa approached Tsukasa's medical equipment and when he saw all her vitals were stable, he looked down at her with a smile. He wanted to cry as he looked at her beautiful smile on her picturesque face staring back at him. "Tsukasa, do you know what the date is?"

Tsukasa's smile slowly faded and she shook her head.

"When you jumped from that building, you suffered traumatic injuries. You had a broken arm, three broken ribs, a fractured tibia, and a broken left wrist. On top of that, you slipped into a coma." Dr. Hirukawa said. "That was four months ago."

Tsukasa's reaction was surprisingly placid. "Four months…June?"

Dr. Hirukawa nodded. "Correct, it's June. I'm sure this must come as quite a shock to you and I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I promise you—"

To his surprise, Tsukasa quickly shook her head. "It doesn't matter, sir. I just want to see sis. Where is Kagami?"

Dr. Hirukawa smiled and looked at his watch. "She should be here in half an hour. Ever since you arrived that night in February and as soon as she regained her strength, she visited you every single day at 4:00 pm on the dot and stayed until visiting hours were over."

Tsukasa quickly felt her face and turned back to Dr. Hirukawa. "How do I look? I want to look presentable for sis when she arrives."

He smiled again and opened a medical drawer next to Tsukasa's medical equipment and pulled out a mirror and handed it to her while adding, "You tell me, dear."

Tsukasa slowly looked at the reflective glass and nearly dropped it when she saw herself. She was her again. Her black hair with the blue stripe was gone and her old hairstyle with her natural color was back and she could see the life in it once again, as well as the thriving existence in her sparkling violet eyes. She was beautiful yet again and she wanted to cry in joy. The demon inside her was gone and it was as if her whole ordeal was just a bad dream.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Tsukasa? Are you hungry or thirsty?" Dr. Hirukawa added when Tsukasa handed him back the mirror.

Tsukasa held her smile and slowly shook her head. "You've done more than enough, Dr. Hirukawa. I can't even begin to thank you for all that you've done. Especially for never giving up on me."

He too held his smile and nodded and placed his hand on Tsukasa's cheek, deepening the smile on the girl's face. "No thank you is necessary, Tsukasa. I've known you and your family for years. I was the one that helped your mother give birth to not only you, but also your other three sisters. You're like the daughter I never had and I know you'll make everyone proud from here on out."

Dr. Hirukawa left the room and Tsukasa was left with her thoughts. This time, she was relieved to know they were peaceful and all she could think about was how anxious she was to see Kagami again. She wondered what else she missed in these past four months since her ill-fated suicide attempt but as she thought about it, something suddenly struck her. She had attempted suicide and failed again, which meant her freedom was as good as dead sooner or later. She knew after this attempt she wouldn't walk out of that hospital a free girl again. Tsukasa smiled at the idea and knew that today was the beginning of the rest of her life.

Tsukasa watched the clock anxiously and only a few seconds past 4:00 pm, the doorknob once again turned and Tsukasa wanted to cry out when she saw her beloved Kagami slowly walk in with a large book in her grasp. The first thing Tsukasa noticed about Kagami was her hair when she turned around to gently close the door. Her hair had grown a lot and it now reached to the back of her shoulders.

"Hello, sis." Tsukasa gently announced with subtlety.

Kagami stiffened like a board and slowly turned her head, tears already in her eyes. Seeing Tsukasa sitting up in her bed with her infamous smile let the large book slip from her grasp and when it hit the floor, Kagami's meltdown began. She cried loudly as she rushed to her sister and wrapped her arms around Tsukasa and rested herself on her little sister's bed and wailed loudly as she held her tight. Tsukasa held her firmly as well and rubbed her back and allowed her sister to vent all her emotions and after four months of buildup, Kagami had a lot to release.

When Kagami's breakdown was over nearly ten minutes after it began, she could barely stand. Tsukasa scooted over and allowed Kagami to rest on her bed and it was a beautiful sight. It was like a remake of the bully incident when the twins were five-years-old with Tsukasa holding her older sister tightly and stroking her head as Kagami continued to sniff and whimpered. Tsukasa added another kiss to the top of Kagami's head, making the oldest Hiiragi twin a little calmer.

"I…missed…you…so much." Kagami choked and sniffed as she held her little sister tighter. "They said…that you…that you…wouldn't wake up."

"I am awake, sis, I am awake. That's all that matters." Tsukasa whispered. "What's also important is that…I'm back. I'm going to get help and we're going to beat this once and for all…as a family."

Kagami nodded quickly and sniffled. It was the only response her energy-depleted body would allow.

"So…what's new, sis?" Tsukasa asked in her charming voice.

Kagami couldn't help but giggle at the question as she wiped another tear and sat up. "You missed so much, Tsukasa."

"Tell me something," Tsukasa whispered.

Kagami looked back at the room's door and saw the thick book was still on the floor. "I think it'd be better if I showed you."

She pulled herself off the bed, nearly losing her balance in the process and wobbled over to the thick book and picked it up. It was clearly a photo album when Kagami brought it over with a thick burgundy cover and gold trim with thick pages. Kagami rested herself back on the bed next to Tsukasa and opened the first page. The first picture showed a handsome young man in his late twenties in a tuxedo and standing next to him was an exceptionally beautiful young woman in her mid-twenties wearing a sparkling white wedding dress. She held a bouquet of flowers in her hands as the young man stood next to his bride.

"Who are they?" Tsukasa asked with curiosity.

"The woman's name is Kiyora Yamagata, the Prime Minister's granddaughter." Kagami said with a smile.

Tsukasa's eyes shot open when she heard the identity of the woman. "The…the Prime Minister's granddaughter?! But…but I thought that they…that they…"

"Found another shrine?" Kagami finished and continued softly. "They were going to, until your jump caught the attention of the news. It turned out that Yamagata-san had a childhood friend who was raped at the age of ten. They were nearly inseparable like us but after her friend was raped, she was never the same and ultimately had a mental breakdown and they couldn't see each other anymore. When she heard about you and the story, she wouldn't have the wedding anywhere else. She wanted to make a statement to Japan and was absolutely adamant about coming out and giving her support to us."

Tsukasa wanted to cry again. Good fortune had finally smiled upon the Hiiragi family and she couldn't be restrained in turning the pages to look at the other pictures. The other pictures included the young couple posing with each other around the shrine and Tsukasa was in awe when she saw the beautiful Kiyora Yamagata hugging both Inori and Matsuri, who were fully dressed as Mikos. Kagami was also sitting on a stone bench next to the koi pond with Yamagata sitting next to her, Kagami also in her Miko outfit. Tsukasa's favorite picture was of the wedding ceremony and she saw her father performing it as spectators watched. Another favorite picture showed Tadao Hiiragi bowing before the Prime Minister himself, and the elected official also bowed to him.

"I'm so happy for you, sis." Tsukasa said as they reached the end of the album. "What's the Prime Minister's granddaughter like?"

"She's an absolute angel. She was so nice and considerate, a lot like Miyuki." Kagami replied as the twins held each other again. "When she first saw us, she actually began to cry. She gave her love and support to you and our family and she said she understood the pain of seeing a loved one suffer in such a way. She also promised that all of us would be in her daily prayers."

Tsukasa slowly nodded. "What else did I miss? Did they ever find out who vandalized the shrine?"

Kagami remained silent. "Let's not talk about that, Tsukasa. I should call mom and dad and tell them you're awake."

As Kagami slowly pulled herself up, Tsukasa held onto her older sister. "Sis, please don't go yet. Can we just stay like this for awhile longer, please?"

Tsukasa didn't have to ask her twice and Kagami happily rested back on the bed. The twins held each other tightly and let the silence become harmonious between them. They stayed like that for awhile longer until a question in Tsukasa's mind became too much to bear and she vocalized it.

"Sis?"

"Yes, Tsukasa?"

"What happened that night I…hurt you?" Tsukasa asked and now her voice was becoming choked. "Did you…die?"

Kagami remained silent until she slowly responded. "I don't remember much, Tsukasa. Honestly. The last thing I remember is I was being rushed in on a gurney and as Dr. Hirukawa was examining me, I passed out after I begged mom to find and save you. After that, I awoke two days later and you were in the room next to me."

"But what happened to you, sis? I thought you died and that's why I jumped." Tsukasa added.

"I did."

Tsukasa quivered but Kagami stroked her to calm her.

"From what mom told me, this is how it happened. The doctors were operating on me and when they removed the knife, I began to bleed into my stomach unexpectedly and I died because I had already lost too much blood." Kagami told the horror tale. "They tried to use the defibrillator on me but it didn't do any good. That's when Dr. Hirukawa stood and ordered the nurses to drain him of his blood. It turns out he too has Type-B blood. I was put on life support that allowed the machine to pump my heart for me while the surgeons drained my stomach of blood and used Dr. Hirukawa's in a transfusion. He saved my life."

"But…but I saw a policeman tell mom and dad you died before I jumped." Tsukasa countered as she held Kagami tighter, as if she was afraid she would disappear.

Kagami nodded. "That's true, but news traveled slowly in that confusion. That policeman told mom and dad I flat-lined but they were still working. Mom just couldn't take it anymore."

It all began to make sense for the youngest Hiiragi daughter. "But…you're feeling better?"

Kagami slowly sat up on her knees and grasped the bottom of her shirt and slowly lifted it up. Tsukasa tried to stay calm but knew it was a futile battle when she saw the scar from the knife just above Kagami's belly button. A second and larger scar sat next to the knife wound, a souvenir of when the doctors had to cut Kagami's stomach open to drain the blood. Tsukasa ran her fingers across the two linear bumps and let a tear drip from her eye.

Kagami caught it and tenderly said, "Hey, don't cry. It's okay; I'm fine now. It doesn't hurt at all and it's like it never happened."

"But it did happen, sis. It did happen." Tsukasa whimpered as Kagami lowered her shirt and rested back on the bed with Tsukasa.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Tsukasa. Matsuri told me all about what happened to you at The Black Window and how you were so brave and fought back." Kagami added. "You're so courageous, Tsukasa. A lot more than I would've been in that spot."

Tsukasa still felt the shame of hurting Kagami in such a way and didn't want to talk about The Black Window or Yuka Miyakawa. The youngest Hiiragi twin still had one question on her mind as she rethought everything that had just happened since she woke up. She remembered a very strange dream but couldn't recall every single detail. For some reason though, when she woke up, all Tsukasa could think about was her family and the people around her who cared about her. All her dark and sinister thoughts, as well as her distraught and hysterical thoughts were gone and it was almost like her brain was restarting itself.

"Sis…now that I know about what happened to you, could you tell me what happened to me?" Tsukasa asked. "What happened after I jumped?"

Kagami cringed at the question but regardless knew that Tsukasa had a right to know. "From what Inori and Matsuri told me, you jumped and when you landed, the paramedics quickly rushed over to you and tried to revive you. You technically died for over a minute until they could start your heart again and here in this bed you stayed ever since. You had casts on over your wounds and broken bones, but they eventually healed, too."

Tsukasa released a curious hum.

"Why do you ask?" Kagami added.

"No reason, I'm just trying to remember this dream I had. I dreamt about…you guys. I dreamt about when you and I were kids and…there was this woman there, too." Tsukasa said, scratching her head.

"A woman? What did she look like?" Kagami asked.

"Um…she was short…with very long hair…and, she had these eyes. These big eyes." Tsukasa struggled with the details. "After I saw her…I suddenly felt…better. When I woke up I knew that I wanted to seek help and I wanted to enroll in Dr. Hirukawa's psychological program. Now that I think about this woman…something's telling me that I need to talk with Kona-chan. Is she around?"

Kagami smirked. "You know her. She's always around, which reminds me of something. I need to show you another picture."

The once again budding twin-tailed girl sat up again and reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She opened her phone and eventually found a picture that always brought a smile to Kagami's face and she remembered that she would look at it at least three times every day Tsukasa was in the coma.

Kagami held the phone and said, "Remember that one time you, me, and Yu-chan were at Konata's house and she talked about what kind of animals we would be?"

It took awhile for Tsukasa to remember but the old memory suddenly popped in her head and she nodded with a smile.

Kagami turned the phone to Tsukasa and the youngest Hiiragi twin held it and looked at the glowing screen. It took her a few seconds to process everything in it but she suddenly felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth and she began laughing. It wasn't a sinister or maniacal laugh either. It was Tsukasa's genuine and sincere laugh at the image and it only took seconds for tears to appear in her eyes as she held her sides as she laughed.

The image was of Tsukasa in her bed and still in a coma but with Konata on one side of her and Kagami on the other. Konata was wearing a pair of fake fox ears and had whiskers painted on her face while Kagami wore a fake pair of white rabbit ears and a bright red blush was painted across her face and the look on her face was one of deep embarrassment, unlike the flamboyant Konata. Kagami also wore a fake pink rabbit nose with whiskers on the front of her face, completing the outfit. Konata had a large smile on her face with one winking eye while Kagami's eyes were looking the other direction in her cosplay shame. Tsukasa meanwhile had a pair of dog ears sticking out of her head as she slept in the bed while Konata gave the peace sign with her fingers, as did Kagami. Konata also painted a small dog face on Tsukasa's. A sign was also sitting above Tsukasa's head that read "WE LOVE TSUKASA" and it was signed by all her friends from school. It was also decorated with glitter and had doodles of stars and hearts across it.

Kagami once again wrapped her arm around Tsukasa's shoulder and pulled her close as she watched her sister continue to laugh hysterically at the picture while wiping the tears from her eyes. All Kagami could do was think a single thought in her mind.

Thank you, Konata. I'm glad I changed my mind about not being friends with you anymore.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(- )-(-)

There wasn't a single dry eye in the Hiiragi family when they arrived at Tsukasa's hospital room later that day. Tsukasa was nearly suffocated to death when her mother and older sisters put their hugs on her but for once, she didn't mind. When Tsukasa made it clear to everyone that she was back from the darkness and that she wanted to willingly volunteer herself to Dr. Hirukawa's program, it only brought more tears. The nightmare was finally over.

Tears flowed like countless rivers at the thought of Tsukasa leaving the family once again but this time they knew it was for her own good. That still however didn't make it any easier. Tsukasa was granted allowance to leave the hospital two days after she woke up to go home after her physical abilities returned, though it would only be for twenty-four hours to sort out her priorities and pack. The basics of the program of Dr. Hirukawa's were simple but still difficult to comprehend that it still had to come to this. Because of the end results of the picture incident four months earlier, Tsukasa was allowed to return to Ryōō High School, though more symbolically.

For the next six to twelve months, Tsukasa Hiiragi would call a place called White Mountain Psychiatric Hospital her new home. She would have a fixed agenda from dawn to dusk, where she would spend her hours either repeating her final year in high school by doing the work that would be sent to her, attending group therapy sessions, or talking one-on-one with a psychologist. The youngest Hiiragi would be under twenty-four hour surveillance like the rest of the patients by the orderlies and would be required to take any and all medications that were given to her while having to pass drug tests during her rehab sessions. It wasn't all bad, though. She would see Dr. Hirukawa everyday and her family promised to visit her every weekend. Because of Dr. Hirukawa's love and acceptance of Tsukasa and her family, he was able to twist a few arms and fixed Tsukasa up with a constant one-on-one therapist during her stay, who was also Hirukawa's daughter-in-law.

Tsukasa spent her last day of freedom with her family and reconciling everything. Even though she was given the opportunity, Tsukasa chose not to meet all her friends at once because she thought it would be too hard and too sad to say goodbye. However, the Hiiragi family was still expecting one guest later that night. The harmonious tranquility that always fell upon the Hiiragi family was now restored and it showed when Tsukasa and Miki cooked dinner together like old times.

It was a beautiful sight to see all six members of the family sitting around the dinner table talking and laughing together like they used to. They still knew there were a lot of issues to resolve and that Tsukasa was still in for a long road ahead of her, but for now, they just wanted to live out the remaining time they had left together as a family. Tsukasa knew it was going to be tough and it was inevitable that she would have to relive her New Years rape all over again for the psychologists, as well as all the terrible things she had done to her friends and family.

When dinner was over, Kagami and Tsukasa sat together on the living room sofa while looking at more pictures. Tsukasa only had to look at one and her crying cycle resumed without a hitch. They were a series of pictures chronicling Tsukasa's four month stay in the hospital and the first one showed Kagami in her hospital gown sitting next to the sleeping Tsukasa while she held her hand. The next showed Kagami reading a book to her younger sister late at night. Another presented Kagami visiting Tsukasa again late at night, only Kagami was asleep in a chair and resting her head on Tsukasa's bedside while holding her sister's hand. Tsukasa recognized her father's coat wrapped around Kagami's body in the image as she sat in the chair and slept.

Flipping through the images, Tsukasa's internal warmth continued to rise when she saw some of her classmates standing around her as she was in her coma and giving their support. One of the pictures showed Yu-chan kissing Tsukasa's head while Minami-chan stood above and watched with loving eyes. When Tsukasa saw another picture of Misao with her arm bluntly wrapped around Kagami's neck in a friendly manner, it also brought a smile to the youngest Hiiragi. One thing that struck Tsukasa more than anything was how unique her sister's friends were like Konata and Misao, but what separated them from the rest was how loyal they were to Kagami.

Later that night, a knock was heard on the front door and Kagami knew who it was. She quickly sprinted to the door and flung it open and like an animal snagging its prey, Kagami reeled in the visitor with a massive hug. As Tsukasa slowly approached the door, she could hear a familiar voice gasp, "Easy there, Kagamin, I'm not a tube of toothpaste, you know."

"Kona-chan!" Tsukasa exclaimed and ran over to the constricted Konata and added her hug to the situation, further depleting the blue-haired girl of air.

When the Hiiragi twins finally released their friend, it was Konata's turn to suck the air out of them and her target was Tsukasa. She held the youngest fraternal twin as tight as her petite body would allow her and when she released her, Tsukasa couldn't contain herself anymore and her eyes became watery.

"Kona-chan, I'm so, so sorry for all the terrible things I said and did to you." Tsukasa choked as tears fell from her eyes. "With sis, you're my best friend and you were still there for me when I tried to push you away. You…you were right when you said that one day…I would…be more haunted by my words…than you…its true…!"

Again, Konata's only response was to embrace the crying Tsukasa again as Kagami watched and the rest of the Hiiragi family listened from the other room. Konata pulled away and said, "Now, now, Tsukasa. I know that you're going to get better tomorrow so do we really want to waste time like this? Kagami, time to do what you promised."

Tsukasa glanced at Kagami, who nodded and looked at her younger sister and said with a smile, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Like a vintage image from one of their past sleepovers, the three girls kept each other company as they walked together down the desolate road. Tsukasa couldn't have pictured a more perfect night as she looked up and saw the billions of stars in the cloudless sky while the chirping crickets treated them all to a peaceful serenade. No words needed to be exchanged between the three of them; all they needed was the company of the other until a shooting star streaked across the colorful sky.

"Look, Tsukasa, a shooting star." Konata said. "Make a wish. It doesn't matter if you're fast enough or not."

Tsukasa smiled, closed her eyes while folding her hands, bowed her head and made her wish. When her wish was complete, she kept it inside her and looked at Konata. "Aren't you going to make a wish too, Kona-chan?"

Konata smiled back at Tsukasa. "It already came true, Tsukasa."

Konata and Tsukasa looked at Kagami, who to their surprise, had her hands folded and held her head low as she too made a wish. When it was complete and she looked at them, she blushed in embarrassment.

"What? You think a realist shrine maiden can't have wishes too?" Kagami snapped.

After the inevitable tit-for-tat exchange between Konata's playful harassment and Kagami's aggressive retaliation, the walk was over way too soon for the friends. While Kagami went inside, Tsukasa stayed outside with Konata. The two stood with each other and continued to look up at the sky.

"You know, whenever I look at this many stars and when I think about all this shrine maiden stuff, I sometimes think about my mom." Konata said. "I wonder if she's up there and is looking down on me and protecting me…or even us. Believe it or not Tsukasa, when I saw you jump from that building on the news, I cried for my mom to save you."

Hearing this triggered something in Tsukasa's intuition. She suddenly remembered something she needed to say to Konata and she quickly said, "Konata, I just wanted to say thank you for being such a good friend to me."

Konata turned her head and gave a confused look and hum to Tsukasa. "Where did that come from?"

Tsukasa shook her head. "I don't know. Something in my mind is just telling me to say that. I guess I needed to say it because it's true. You have been a good friend to me, and you make one cute fox."

Konata giggled. "And you make one cute doggy, Tsukasa. But about what you said, I too should say the same about you. You've always been a good friend to me and…"

Konata paused and Tsukasa saw moisture thicken in Konata's eyes. She was eventually able to continue.

"And I know you'll make us proud, Tsukasa. I always believed you were too beautiful and too sweet to fail." Konata finished, emotions clearly getting the best of her as her voice revealed.

Trying to stay calm, Tsukasa slowly nodded and hugged Konata. "I love you, Kona-chan."

"I love you too, Tsukasa." Konata pulled Tsukasa tighter.

It was an emotional event when Konata had to leave, knowing that that would be the last time she would see Tsukasa for a long time. Tsukasa had to cry when she saw Konata disappear down the street but kept telling herself that she was going to get better and make everyone proud. Everyone in the Hiiragi family went to bed that night as a tight-knit family once again and the peace they felt in their slumber was dearly missed.

When Kagami awoke several hours later at 4:30 am, she felt nature calling and quickly used the bathroom. On her way back to her room, she wanted to check on Tsukasa and slowly slid her bedroom door open and peered into the darkness. She could see the bed but to Kagami's surprise, she didn't see any bumps in it indicating that a person was sleeping on it.

She turned on the light and as it burned her eyes, she suddenly felt scared when she saw no one was in it. The bed was made perfectly only with one addition; a piece of paper was sitting on the pillow and folded neatly. Fearing something had happened once again, Kagami quickly snatched the paper and opened it.

At the shrine.

Those three simple words were all that was on the paper and Kagami wasted no time in going there. Feeling the warmth of the summer night, Kagami approached the shrine with her heart racing. Had Tsukasa relapsed and was now doing more destruction to either the shrine or herself? When Kagami saw no flames rising from any of the buildings or any sounds of self-abuse, she felt a slight relief. She felt complete relief when she suddenly found Tsukasa sitting on one of the stone benches next to the koi pond.

Kagami slowly approached and sat next to her sister, who stared at the fish swimming in its clear water. "Hey…what cha doing up so late?"

"I'm not up late, sis. I just woke up at four and decided to get up." Tsukasa said. "Today is the day where I become a new and better person."

Kagami smiled and wrapped her arm around Tsukasa, pulling her close. "I don't think it's possible for you to become a better person, Tsukasa. You're already perfect to me and everybody who loves you."

"If only that was true, sis." Tsukasa disagreed with her as she looked up and saw a glint of orange on the horizon; the sun was slowly coming up over the hills in the distance. "What I did to you, and everyone else…I don't think I can ever forgive myself."

"If you can't forgive yourself, who can you forgive, Tsukasa? Who?" Kagami added.

"But Patty-chan—"

"Hush, I don't want to even hear that name anymore." Kagami said sternly. "What you did to her may have been bad, but what she did was worse. She knew you were violated and that you weren't yourself, yet she still acted like a bitch and forced all her personas on you. She had the chance to walk away, but she didn't and she did what she did to our shrine."

"But…she was expelled from school. She was even arrested…I'm responsible for that. If I didn't hurt her like I did." Tsukasa expressed her guilt in her voice.

Kagami looked at her sister. Tsukasa really was back to her old self as she felt pity for the person who did her more harm and humiliation through those pictures and billboards. And the fact that Tsukasa now had to be in a psychological program instead of Patty was painful irony and further proof that life wasn't fair.

"Forget about it, Tsukasa." Kagami said and looked forward. "Look. It's a brand new day for us."

Tsukasa looked forward and saw the orange sun rise above the distant horizon and the light of a new day and a new future graced them. It was like a sign from above to see such a picturesque morning, but Tsukasa was still nervous about leaving her family and staying at a strange place with other strange people for a long time.

A light bulb suddenly flashed in Kagami's mind and she said, "I forgot…but I have something for you."

Tsukasa looked at her. "Something for me, sis?"

Kagami nodded and reached into her pocket. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Tsukasa obeyed and held out her hands and in her darkness, felt a piece of cloth being put into her palms and when Kagami allowed her to see it, she felt the tears come. In her hands sat her trademark yellow ribbon, the one she ditched so long ago in her crumbling state.

"I…I…I…thought I…threw this…out." Tsukasa choked as she held it.

Kagami nodded. "That's right. You did, but I kept it. I always knew one day you would come back to us, Tsukasa, and that's why I kept it. So it would be here for you."

Wasting no time, Tsukasa quickly tied it in her hair again and let the two ribbons stand atop her head. Now Tsukasa was a perfect reincarnation of herself once again and the youngest Hiiragi hugged her sister tightly. They stayed on the stone bench and watched the sunrise together as their last act of sister bonding before they would be forced to part ways yet again.

"Now all I have to do is find a place that does tattoo removal for cheap." Tsukasa added.

By 7:00 am, Dr. Hirukawa arrived at the Hiiragi household, ready to take Tsukasa to the program. The six member family stood in front of their house while Tsukasa faced them with a suitcase by her feet. Taking each other in one final time, Tsukasa hugged her family and there wasn't a single dry-eye in the bunch as Tsukasa let go and took her bag to Dr. Hirukawa's car. They wanted to say so much to each other but knew that if they did, they would only be making this harder on themselves.

When Tsukasa packed her bag and disappeared in the car, the now five members of the Hiiragi family held each other's hands tightly. It was when the car began to disappear down the street that Miki allowed herself to fall to her knees and cry while everyone else picked her up, also with tears flowing freely.

As Tsukasa sat and held her head, Dr. Hirukawa placed his hand on her head as he drove and said, "Don't worry, Tsukasa-san, it'll be okay. You are stronger than you know it, now…let me treat you to breakfast."

Tsukasa smiled and happily allowed it.