The atmosphere of Sayori's house was reminiscent of a new rental property. It was like this because if you woke up in there you would of never thought anyone actually lived there. The guest room as an example had furniture but it was more utilitarian than aesthetic: one twin bed with white sheets and a green felt blanket, one nightstand with a lamp and an electronic clock, one empty 3 layer oak drawer, and a wall mounted television with a shelf for the cable box underneath. There was only nail holes in the walls, and the only thing with bright color was the red curtain for the window overlooking the bed on the right. Needless to say, it showed that it was someone's room at one time, but the essence of the person was scrubbed out years ago. The room was filled with the sound of the ceiling fan.

It's the day of the festival! Eddy thought trying to slap himself awake at 4 in the morning. Time to look for holes with some holes. He rubbed the "sleepies" out of his eyes and wobbled out of bed to his feet. He pulled the collar of his shirt and smelled the opening. I can probably fake it, but you never know with that girl. He then touched his bandage headband. I should at least remove this thing. It's starting to itch. Trying to be stealthy he opened the door into the hallway. The hallway was the shape of an L with the guest room door at the corner. The wing to the left went to the stairs and the wing ahead of the door led to the master bedroom. The first thing he noticed out in the hallway was his club president sleeping in a queen sized bed in the master bedroom. She was in the fetal position under the dark blue blanket on her right side. Judging by looking at her mannerisms, her sleep was turbulent. A nightmare? After what happened last night, I'm surprised she can sleep. Stress related mental breakdowns are hard to recover from, I hear. He turned to Sayori's room to his left. Wonder how those two are holding up. The itching from his band made him choose to go to the bathroom on the way.

He turned the light on in the bathroom, did what he needed to do, then went to the mirror as the toilet flushed. Maybe the gauze I used was overkill. He thought rummaging the cluttered medicine cabinet for scissors. Which he found after nearly cutting his fingers on it. His eyes narrowed as he clipped the bandage in the back. I need to take these too. The sight of cuts in Sayori's arms flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth.

Blond hair?

Eddy brushed off that ponder and with a few more clips, the bandage was off. The gash over Eddy's right eyebrow was scabbed over. At least it won't scar. Don't need the extra attention. He dropped the bloody rag into the waste bin and pocketed the scissors. With a small creak of the door and a click of the light switch Eddy returned to the hallway with relief.

He was met with a soft crying sound coming from Monika's room. Eddy sighed as he went to Sayori's room to try and find something to fix this problem. He creaked open the door and found Sayori and Sado sharing a bed together. Sado was on his back in a neutral pose. The gray thing was missing from his chest. A brown wash cloth was over his eyes. Sayori was curled up with her back on Sado. She had a slight whistling snore that happened when she inhaled. Her bow was on a splintered part of the base board. At least they seem fine. Eddy remarked in his head. He looked around from his position in the door and found a plush on the desk to his left. It was a yellow deer teddy with a green dress. It had white buttons for eyes. A Nanako original? Eddy wondered dangling the deer by its arm. It's not therapy, but it will do for now. He went back out to the hallway gently closing the door behind him.

The sound of crying was slowly being replaced by choking when the smell of burning wood graced Eddy's nose. Eddy mind whirled as he ran around the corner. He had to stop in his tracks as fear gripped his heart. In the door to Monika's room was Sayori. Her skin was gray and cracked. Her hair and clothes were charred at the ends. And the parts of the clothes that weren't burn was lined by a fine layer of grayish soot. Her neck was surrounded by a halo of coiled rope with orange embers embedded under the strands. The halo was moving clockwise around her head and was growing in width with a trail of rope leading down her right arm. "Sayori" had her hand outstretched in front of her, and the rope continued under the hand into the room. The rope lead up, looped around the fan then dropped straight to the girl who was sleeping in the queen sized bed. It didn't bother to knot into a noose as it snaked around Monika's neck like a python. The rope seemed to be pushing her head down as she kept trying to pull the rope away to breathe. The rope turned the tears that touched it to steam.

*I hope you appreciate my creativity, this is such short notice

The voice of the girl was harsh, and creaky. Like her vocal chords were burned by the flame that claimed the rest. The rope clamped harder with a cracking noise and Monika's anguished sobbing sent Eddy into a panic. He tried to find anything to hit the attacker with but he couldn't get anything close to him without attracting the grayish-red haired girl's attention. Wait wait wait scissors, sharp- scissors, scissors beat rope, scissor beats rope, rock beats scissors, hit it with a rock! No I have no rocks! Eddy grasped at literally anything to stop the horror show unraveling before him. His resolve started to fray in exasperation.

What is with this town?! Can anyone get any peace and quiet for once?! Eddy thought as he continued his fruitless planning. Monika cried out in gargled despair as another whip crack sounded off, and the thoughts in Eddy's head ceased all together into one single point of observation. It has a head, stab it in the head! He dropped the deer and pulled out the scissors. With a second wind of focus, he ran up to the husk and with an expression befitting a monk grabbed the girl by the hair, pulled the head back to make it look up, and jammed the scissors into the husk's right eye. A hiss and white ash flew out of the wound as the "Sayori" howled a guttural roar that rumbled the floorboards.

"What was that?" Sado's head poked out of Sayori's room. "Monika?"

"Get back in here it's not safe!" cried Sayori pulling him by the sleeve.

The rope retreated from the victim's neck as Eddy moved the blade out and started stabbing away at the forehead. Eddy got 5 punctures in until the husk swiped him off with her left. He landed on his feet but he was too dazed to react efficiently. The rope that had left the ailing victim shot out at Eddy with a hiss and black smoke. With a whip crack, the rope collided with his chest sending him back against the door to the guest room. He landed like a brick leaving an indentation on the door.

"Eddy!" Sado yelled coming to help his downed friend. He stopped when he saw the husk's glowing red eye peering around the corner.

*Hideki?

The husk's face was a gaunt facsimile of Sayori's skull. With the charring, and the milky-white smoke bellowing out from Eddy's stabbing it looked like a CD cover from a death metal album. Needless to say Sado and Sayori were not prepared for this at 4:30 am on a Tuesday morning.

*I'm sorry you have to see me like this. It's not everyday I get to have a nice Literature Club reunion. I almost slept right through it. You look like you haven't aged a day. Wish I could say the same. EHEHEHEHEH~!

Sado stood there like a statue his face frozen in terror. With forced breath he tried to speak back to the husk. Manners are still important after all. "M-mmm-m-must b-be good genetics I guess. I-I see you changed your hair." He tried to smile but he could feel a trance coming on. He started shaking to try and fight it. Poor Sayori couldn't even stand. She was quivering on her knees behind Sado facing away from the husk with her face in her hands. She was whispering Buddhist death mantras as she prepared for the end.

*I know and it's embarrassing. After the house fire, I could never get the ashes to come out. I was just preparing the decorations when I was rudely interrupted.

Eddy was coming to. In his blurry vision he saw Monika in the master bedroom holding something reflecting the moonlight in her right. She had a smile on her face, but this was a smile that made the fake plants aside her bed wilt. Her bow was blowing softly on the headboard. The metallic thing stopped reflecting. A Desert Eagle 357 jingled in Monika's palm. She eyed Eddy and cupped her ear with her free hand. Eddy lightly nodded and put his fingers into his ears. The husk turned to this action. The husk flung its head back to the bedroom, the halo glowed with fury. Monika aimed and fired. Sado and Sayori cried out in fear as the husk's forehead exploded in smoke and ink with a subdued bang. The red light faded from the burnt Sayori as she crumbled backwards to the floor in front of Sado. At this the boy gave up his fight and fell to his knees. His vision blanked out. Sayori fell to the floor and covered her head. Monika's face softened as she left the bedroom toward Eddy. Rings appeared around her eyes and tear stains appeared on her cheeks. The crack shot president dropped the handgun and fell to her knees in front of the Ed-boy. The husk had already started dissolving into a fine dust bunny at this point. "Why?!" Monika cried at Eddy. Tears poured out of her as she shook. "I was so close to making everyone happy why did you stop it?!"

"Y-you wanted that thing to kill you?!" Eddy asked wide eyed.

"I- I deserve it," Monika murmured lowering her head. "I have nothing left and I deserve it more than anyone else in this place."

"You didn't do anything," Eddy said softly.

"If you understood, you wouldn't be saying that," Monika sobbed. She felt the boy pull her into a hug. The touch made her lightly gasp but this only led to a deeper pained bawling as her head slumped down into Eddy's chest.

Eddy was out of his element on this one, a few days ago he pegged her as a Venus fly trap in a tight uniform. That was a far cry from the girl in his arms right now. They sat down in the hall. Minutes passed like seconds. He had to say something, he didn't know where the gun was. And all he knew about Monika was that she liked poetry. All he could remember reading was a single poem he randomly picked up back home. With a gulp and a prayer, he chose to use it anyway.

"I don't know what I would say if I did, but that isn't important now," Eddy spoke in a warm tone. "You are no longer picking up gusts of wind. It would be harrowing for anyone to have to go through that."

"W-what?" The brunette's bloodshot eyes peered into Eddy's cobalt. Her despair was written all over her face. Eddy's fear became written on his.

"S-sorry," Eddy panicked. "I quote things sometimes."

"Where did you hear that phrase?" Monika spoke breaking the embrace with a look of desperation. The atmosphere was changing. "Please, it's really important to me."

"You will think I'm insane if I told you the truth," Eddy pleaded.

A shower of gray dust hovered over Sado.

"Eddy, I won't ever think you're insane," Monika was nearly broken. She placed her trembling hands on Eddy's shoulders. "Please tell me where you read that phrase! Please! It's all I have left!"

The gray thing started forming together.

"I- found it on a sheet of paper in my closet back in Peach Creek," Eddy recalled looking to the floor. "I- pulled it out of a hole in a wall."

The girl could not of pounced on the kid any faster. Eddy yelped in surprise as her warm soft lips met his own.

The gray thing finished materializing on Sado's chest and pulsed a blue hue.

PERlbnNraT4gZGV0ZWN0ZWQgaW4gc3lzdGVtDQpTeXN0ZW0gb3ZlcnRpbWUgc2VxdWVuY2UgZW5kZWQgYnkgc3lzdGVtDQpzeXN0ZW0ucm9sbGJhY2soTEFTVF9TQ1JJUFRfQlJFQUtQT0lOVCkNCnBhbGlzYWRlLmFic3RyYWN0KENPTE9SX1NQQVdOKQ0K

Kokoro Culture Festival Day 3: Morning

...

"Ed, you know it's impolite to stare."

"You got red on you."

"C'mon Lumpy no movie references, it's too early."

"Double d has been attacked by Wolverine Eddy!"

"Ed! P-please leave my sleeves alone!"

"Jeez Louise those are deep. You good Double d?"

"I-I-I can explain,"

...

The beginning melody of "It's not unusual" by Tom Jones roused Eddy from his sleep. The alarm clock flashed as the song played. Eddy started singing along as he stretched and tried to crick his neck. He then noticed the moose teddy on his nightstand and a note. And that it was 9:15 in the morning according to the clock.

The note read:

You needed your sleep, Nejima will understand. -Monika

PS Thanks for getting me to feel better.

"Ino-hene will understand, yeah they will write that on my grave," Eddy turned the radio off, and with a fold pocketed the note. "C'mon Patches let's put you back." He grabbed the moose and headed out the door. The door to Sayori's room was open so he entered.

"ambient essence that's a good one, sparkle, lucky, no no your going too far off the plan Click," Sado mumbled to himself scratching pen to paper with a slight sweat. "wrath, destiny, flee, papa, poof, dance, quit it Click! this isn't funny!"

"You alright Taco-truck?" Eddy asked watching this battle with a smirk.

"Ah! How long were you listening?" Sado spoke shocked he started sweating. "Don't copy me please. Make your own style.."

"I'm not copying your schizophrenic writings Denski," Eddy spoke a little insulted. He held up the moose. "I was in here to return this and I found you talking like you gone mad."

"I'm not schizophrenic, it's how I write my poems," Sado looked to the floor like a dog that wittled on the carpet. "I find a couple words out of a pile, and try to create sentences out of them."

"I was just pulling your leg yesterday, I didn't know that was your style," Eddy scratched the back of his head. "Kind of feel like a heel now."

"That reminds me, do you have a poem?" Sado asked quietly not really expecting an answer.

Eddy looked at the teen with confusion. "For what?"

"The club is having an open mic for poetry reading during the festival today," Sado explained. "And since you are the newest member now, maybe everyone would like to hear you recite a poem."

"Kind of last minute don't you think?" Eddy asked. "I'm not even on the pamphlets."

"Y-you don't have to write the poems out," Sado tried to reassure a little sweat coming out. "You can get them online, that's what I did." Sado looked down again in embarrassment. "D-don't tell Sayori I did that."

"Judging by what I've seen, she probably already knows," Eddy laughed placing the moose back on the table.. "Well I'll just leave you to it then."

"Haha yea," Sado said worrying as the short first-year closed the door. Sado's aura turned dark. His breathing increased. "Click, if that foreigner impresses Yuri more than me, you will regret it. You understand me." The gray thing didn't vibrate. "We're making the poem again." Sado ripped the paper he was working on. A banner image flashes through his mind. He seethed and went out of the room to get the club banner at his house.

Eddy went down the stairs and saw the shoes at the entrance. Sure enough there lied Ino-hene's black steel toed boots. "I can't get away with anything." Eddy sighed as Sado appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Good Morning Eddy!" Sayori yelled happily from the furthest chair in the living room. The bandages around her neck were removed. It was redder than tomato paste so she ended up wearing a light blue scarf.

"Morning," Eddy greeted with a grin he walked off the stairs and turned as Sado went to put on his uniform shoes. Eddy rose an eyebrow. "What are you doing all the way over there?"

"Ino, that big meanie put me here so I don't hear the conversations on his phone," Sayori pouted crossing her arms. "He think just because he owns the house he can do whatever he wants." She lightened up when she noticed Sado opening the front door. "Oh! Going out Takeshi?"

"I forgot about the banner, so I'm going back to get it so I don't forget when we leave," Sado responded poking his head back in the door.

"Don't take too long, breakfast is almost ready!" Sayori beamed. Sado nodded then left.

Noticing the odd one out, Eddy asked, "Is Monika still here?"

"She went to the club to finish the decorations with Yuri, she left about an hour ago when Ino showed up," Sayori explained adding venom to Ino's name.

"Edi-ou~" Ino-hene's deep voice enunciated Eddy's new RMIN like a winter chill.

Eddy's hair stood on ends. He half expected a double or triple shift out of this tone.

"In here Rookie~" Ino voice sliced into Eddy's soul. Eddy shuffled into the kitchen.

Two things that Eddy could see made him instantly uneasy, one was a silver doggy dish on the floor and the other was what looked like a smoldering ashy golf ball. Ino-hene was twirling the ball in his hands. With a simple flip of his wrist he tossed the ball into the doggy dish. "Breakfast." Ino-hene pointed to the dish with a toothy grin.

"Uh," Eddy was dumbfounded.

"I can't make your instructions any easier, eat it," Ino-hene commanded again his eyes shining with resolution. He scooted the dish closer with his foot.

"I'm not eating something if I don't know what it is," Eddy did not like where this was going.

"It's a jawbreaker," Ino barked like a commercial, his fangs seemed to twinkle in the morning sun.. "Very sweet!"

"Yeah and I'm the new Emperor," Eddy glared at his superior. He regretted telling about his affinity for the candy spheres.

"Ok, ok, it's a Core from a Smoldering Crimson, Abe-san tasked me to find out what it does if it gets ingested, and I figured I might as well have a little symbolic fun. Especially at the expense of naughty doggies that sleep through their job!" Ino-hene's sporadic switch from happy to pissy at the end made Eddy chuckle a little. The dog noticed and allowed comedic waterfalls to fall out of his eyes. "It's not funny! Suki was with me and she did nothing but be Tsun the entire watch!"

"What do I look like? A guinea pig?" Eddy plucked the ball out of the dish and chucked it. Ino yelped and lunged catching the discarded orb.

"Typical, no respect whatsoever," Ino steamed as Eddy whistled looking for silverware.

"Sorry to interrupt but did you say Natsuki was with you?" Sayori asked walking into the kitchen to pull cinnamon rolls out of the oven. "How is she? We haven't heard from her since yesterday morning."

"She's breathing easier knowing you came out of it relatively ok, but she still very distraught about the whole ordeal," Ino-hene sipped his coffee with a plaintive expression. Sayori couldn't help but look down in a bit of shame. The muscular utility worker walked up to the red head, patted her head softly then journeyed off to the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen for plates. "Is the scarf bothering you too much?"

"No, thank you for letting me borrow it," Sayori smiled warmly as the tray of warm morsels was put on the counter to the right of the oven. The front door opened as the plates and utensils were placed on the table.

"I forgot I already took the banner to the club room," Sado said stone-faced as he entered the kitchen.

"Denski! Eat this!" Ino-hene tossed the Core at Sado, he flinched when it bounced off the boy's nose.

"Nice to see you too Asaki-san," Sado greeted a little irritated. "I see you're still doing your research."

"That wasn't really nice Ino," Sayori criticized.

"And you were on me about respect," Eddy added with a laugh.

"That guy's a quack but he is a well off quack," Ino grinned picking up the core. He then ruffled Sado's hair with a grin. "And I'm a sucker for occult mysteries."

"All that occult stuff is all smoke and mirrors," Eddy discredited waving his hands.

Sado couldn't help but smirk deviously. He took his place at the table as Ino started scooping scrambled eggs out of a bowl.

"I believe it's hooey as well, but it is still fun to think about," Ino retorted. "It's dull thinking that the world is only all we can see."

"Thinking like that turns people to pigeons," Eddy grumbled as eggs filled half his plate.

"Pigeons?" Sayori asked innocently. "Sounds very occult to be able to turn people into birds."

"It's a con artist term for a customer that is easily duped into being scammed," Eddy answered. Ino finished dividing the eggs and moved to the bacon and rolls. "Like how people are easily duped by spirit mediums if they believe in ghosts."

Sayori started laughing but stopped herself when Sado stared. "Sorry, I thought of Yuri turning into a purple pigeon and that made me laugh."

"It would be a good party trick not gonna lie," Eddy mused.

"I forgot you used to hustle Edi-ou," Ino replied. Smirking as he finished his rounds. "Anyone need more juice?" Sado raised his hand.

"Scamming is not hustling Old Man," Eddy responded biting into a strip.

"Hustling involves actual skill at something," Sado glared an aura of darkness pulsing from him. Eddy was caught blind-sided and metaphorically ignited into flames. He fell over into his eggs in theatrics.

"Takeshi," Sayori looked at Sado in surprise. "That was really uncalled for."

"Ok full stop," Ino replied giving a timeout symbol with his hands. "You literally murdered Edi-ou for no reason. You have murdered a 14 year old child with that burn. You're only getting half juice."

"I'll let the roots grow where I'm laid-" Eddy mumbled in agony of his sick burn wounds.

"What?" Sayori and Sado asked in unison.

"Obe-ni used to do this all the time when we were younger," Ino said in remembrance. "He would always say parts of his family crest when he pretended to be dead. Nice to see it's still annoying."

"I found a poem I can recite at the club today!" Eddy beamed as the metaphorical soot blew off of his immortal soul. He rose back up and pointed to the ceiling in victory.

"R-really?" Sayori eyes sparkled. "What's it about?"

"I have to find it first but I can give you a hint," Eddy turned around and pointed to his hair partings in the back. "It's why my hair is parted like this."

"It's the McGee family mantra isn't it," Ino eyes sparkled in pride.

"N-n-no spoilers old man!" Eddy yelled angrily.

"Natsuki seems to be rubbing off on you boy," Ino beamed. Sayori giggled as she tore through her bacon. Eddy kind of blushed as he wanted to laugh at the turn of phrase.

I think I made another bad decision. Sado thought with a sweat. I hope I didn't set myself up.

The bouncy atmosphere continued throughout the rest of the meal.