Stormchaser Day 2: Noon

Sayori's bedroom held many artifacts from last nights revival, but god help the person that could even decipher a time line from the destruction. Papers littered the carpet and the inevitable minefield of glass shards glinting in the summer sun. The culprit, an eight-finned ceiling fan lay warped on one side of the room completely torn out of the ceiling. The desk nearest the door had red stained scissors stabbed into it with an illegible note that looked like it was gotten by a dog. A desk chair torn and ripped in the back. A stool with half its legs broken. A bed with a few splatches of red on the blanket. And a giant stuffed cow and yellow duck, all seeing, all judging, all silent. Kneeling in the doorway was Takeshi "Denski" Sado, a second-year student of Kokoro Academy. Brown average cut hair, brown eyes, a thin body type with average height. In short very average and safe looking appearance. He was stone-faced as he peered into the disheveled room. It was like watching a painting waiting for it to move. He was so ingrained into the image before him that he didn't notice a short black haired kid poking his cheek trying to get a response. He also didn't notice his bandaged objective hovering over the kid's shoulder.

"Is this normal?" The kid asked continuing his prodding.

"He usually wakes out of it by now," Sayori spoke a little worried. She yelped as Eddy clutched Sado's uniform from the side and shook.

"What are you doing? Collecting moss?" Eddy roared into Sado's ear. "We nearly busted our asses finding you and you're having a tea party!"

"I'm going to see if I have any smelling salts. That usually does the trick," Sayori excused herself and tip-toed around the two to the bathroom next door. Eddy gave up his attempt to wake the statue and sighed.

"This like a thing for meditation or something?" Eddy asked and was answered by small clatter of the medicine cabinet.

"I think it happens when he makes a decision," Sayori answered with more clatter. "Monika tried to explain it to me once but she got too hard to keep up."

Eddy noticed something behind Sado's red tie. A gray lump of plastic rested under the tie knot. It had an egg like shape and a smooth surface. He waved his hands over Denski's face.

"Hopefully this should be enough, I need to buy more off of Yuri when we meet at the club again," Sayori returned with an orange pouch and a soft smile. With a flip and a pour of indigo powder onto Eddy's palm the salts were brought to Sado's nose. A few seconds passed and Pinocchio became a real boy. Sado's head jerked back in recoil causing his whole self to fall backwards.

"H-h-how long was I out?" Sado sputtered out after a fury of sneezes. Eddy laughed inadvertently causing the salts to enter his nose as well. Instead of sneezing Eddy felt his body tense up fiercely in abject rejection.

" We found you," Sayori said simply kneeling down.

"We?" Sado winced at Sayori's throat gauze. Sado turned his head and found Eddy in the fetal position looking back at him with a deep pained trance in his eyes.

"Eddy," Eddy spoke mechanically like he was in another dimension. "I stopped the maiden's sacrifice to the lava tube."

"I saw the rope," Sado spoke looking up. His breathing became shallow. Eddy face dawned in horrible realization. I didn't cut up the rope! The plan was to mask the entire episode as a freak accident. He knows! Sure enough laying near the door was a blood marked rope still in the hangman's loop, a frayed cut in the front was what kept the loop from being intact. It was partially covered by the broken stool.

"I'm so sorry Takeshi," Sayori cried out pulling Sado into an deep embrace. "You should never have to see something like this."

"No you poured your heart out to me and I rejected you, I sent you over the edge," Sado was shaking. He was fighting himself not to cry. "I should be the one apologizing."

"Please don't blame yourself. I shouldn't of forced all that on you at once," Sayori nuzzled her head on Sado's chest. She had no tears left. "I was scared, the rain clouds were getting worse, I started seeing things that weren't there, hearing voices that weren't there-"

"I can get you the help you need, my parents know people who specialize in depression," Sado reassured. "They are SNE(See no evil/Speak no evil) so you don't have to worry about the Mills."

"Like I said yesterday, I've always had problems with depression, I only know this because I'm already being treated for it. And with medication it was less of a problem until a few days ago," Sayori said.

"I don't understand," Sado looked puzzled.

"The night after I took you to meet the club, I started hearing the rain clouds." Sayori stopped for a few seconds with a look of concentration. "It's what the mills say happens to victims of Stormchaser before they die."

"Rain clouds wasn't a metaphor?!" Eddy and Sado yelled in unison . That's why Keichi was so defensive during the Mill. Eddy realized without uttering a word. A knock from downstairs broke the eerie exchange.

"Coming!" Sayori called out craning her neck to the source. She yelped in pain when the bandages rubbed her neck.

"I'll see who it is," Eddy volunteered getting up from his salt induced nightmare. Not like I was contributing to the scene anyway.

"I should've stayed with you last night." Sado lowered his head in shame.

"You're here now. That's enough," Sayori gave Sado a genuine smile. The first one she was able to make after being targeted. A blush grew on Sado's face.

Back to the errand Ed-boy, he wobbled a little as he walked to the door. "State your business," He said flatly as he opened the door.

"Well hello again McGee-kun," Monika greeted Eddy with a wave. She looked the same as yesterday. She was carrying a bag of carryout boxes. "When I said maybe we'll see each other again I didn't really mean like this."

She smells like melon and cigarettes. Eddy thought as he opened the door further. "Everyone else is inside."

"Hey," Sayori met her guest as Eddy closed the door behind them. "I'm sorry for not calling."

"From what I see before me, you have a very good reason," Monika left it at that as she rose the bag of food in front of Sayori's face. Sayori's eyes sparkled as her president lightly swung the bag back and forth with a mirthful grin. "Yours is on top."

"Monika?" Sado asked coming down the stairs.

"Ah Takeshi," Monika beamed letting Sayori nab the bag.

"Yay Breakfast!" Sayori hoisted the bag and marched to the coffee table.

"Now we just need Yuri and Natsuki to show and we can have a meeting here," Monika winked at Sado as Eddy snaked around her. Monika huffed. "Ah! Apparently manners are hard to come by in the States."

"We have a problem," Sado broke Monika's complaining with a stern expression. Monika cocked her head in intrigue.

….

The mention of Stormchaser pulled the group atmosphere into a dense fog of subdued emotion. Over the sound of Sayori happily noming on beef strips Monika sighed, "I had my suspicions, but I didn't think the myth had merit."

"According to all these accounts there is definitely a pattern," Eddy added scrolling through Sado's phone. A wedge from Sado's fries hang from his maw. "The sound of rain, the voice of the one you admire the most speaking your inner demons, degradation of mental faculties, dry mouth it's all here."

"I have to emphasize the dry mouth," Sayori replied gulping her unfortunate saucy prey. "Not a fun time."

"Everything else is fine though," Eddy remarked with a smirk.

"Ehehe~ You know what they say, a little existential trauma builds character," Sayori smiled.

"Am I the only one who is acting normal in this equation?!" Sado yelled angrily.

"Sometimes laughter helps people cope with a bad situation," Monika tried to reassure Sado with a pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah it's better than being melodramatic all the time," Eddy added cramming a ham and cheese sandwich into his face.

"Does anyone notice we're having a That 70's Show circle scene?" Sayori mused She then raises her hand. "I nominate myself the Kelso of the group!"

Sado clutched his head in frustration and tried to plead to reason. "Monika do you have any ideas?"

Monika pondered for a few seconds. "I'll have to be the Donna of the group."

"I DON"T MEAN THAT!" Sado yelled.

"Hyde everyday and twice on Sundays!" Eddy air-fived Sayori.

"I love it," Sayori gave her seal of approval. "Natsuki can be Jackie, and Yuri would be Fez! Now Takeshi, you will have to be Eric by default."

"Wha?" Sado was incredulous. "I don't get to choose?"

"Our character's relationship is cannon," Monika blushed heavily.

"To answer your question Sado, apparently we don't have to do a thing. Stormchaser never targets the same person twice," Eddy concluded.

"That just means another person is going to get targeted when the power comes back on," Sado argued. "We need to destroy it or something."

"That is uncharacteristically bold of you to suggest," Monika remarked finishing off her pita bread.

"Am I wrong though? Look at the way the town looks at this situation. Any mention of Stormchaser is met with a bunch of "oh wells" or "glad it ain't me". There are even death pools that are happening now. People are betting on who will die first!" Sado was shaking again this time in indignation. Monika looked away from Sado as a wave of shame washed over her.

"I like property destruction as much as any delinquent, but the only things that would happen would be we get jailed and all our work would be undone in a day," Eddy interjected.

"He's right Sado, I'm happy to see you care for the well-being of others but things like these are too big to handle ourselves," Sayori added digging into her rice. She noticed the container was half full. "I've had my fill of this does anyone want what's left?"

"Stop the presses, The VP is sharing her food," Monika teased. Sayori stuck out her tongue in response.

"I'll take it, I'm a sucker for curry," Eddy obliged. The container gingerly swapped masters.

"Eddy your uncle's an electrician, would he have some reference books on the subject we can use?" Sado finished his half for the fries.

"Too. Muff. Maff." Eddy muffled through rice. He gulped. "It's like reading another foreign language."

"I think we need to table this discussion for later," Monika suggested. A twinkle appeared in her eye. "McGee-kun, you know I was going to ask again."

"Yea yea twist my arm will ya? I'll be there tomorrow with bells on," Eddy grumbled.

"You won't regret this Eddy, I promise," Sayori eyes sparkled.

"I think I missed something in this conversation," Sado said.

"You're not the only man in this club anymore Sado," Eddy grinned. "Looks like we're rivals now Denski!"

Sado blinked. "When did that happen?"

"Don't overthink it," Eddy laughed. "I'm just going to overtake you with my writing skills."

"I doubt you can write your own name without spellcheck," Sado eyes gleamed with determination.

"I don't need spellcheck to do your poems Denski," Eddy rose from his seat grinning ear to ear. "Adventure, Romance, Tears, Heart, Passion, Fun,"

"Yay! My words!" Sayori interjected happily.

"You know I use complete sentences," Sado leered his younger opponent down mostly because of the height difference.

"And I will use your complete sentences to wipe my ass," Eddy retorted returning his rivals glare.

"Now kiss," Monika commanded with a smile. The two men recoiled back to their seats.

"That was very lewd Miss President," Sayori laughed trying to hide her blush. The group slowly broke into laughter and the lunch chugged along in the shade of the quiet day.