The Cries of Haruhi Suzumiya: Tsukuribanashi

by Thnikkafan

In the small sleepy town of Hinamizawa, there have been a string of murders connected to the Watanagashi festival. This has piqued the interest of one Haruhi Suzumiya, who has decided to investigate. But... haven't they been here before?

3. Chapter 3: Descent into Hell

The Cries of Haruhi Suzumiya: Tsukuribanashi-hen

Chapter Three: Descent into Hell

---

I watched an angel fall from heaven today.

He fell like a broken bird.

I saw the angel's face as he fell.

He looked like he didn't know why he was falling.

I saw the angel die.

Angels can break just like anyone else.

I looked back up at Heaven

And I saw who pushed the angel.

- Fredrica Bernkastel

---

I felt awful. Absolutely awful.

I still ached from the boot to my back, the anxiety and terror and summer heat made me nauseous, the circumstances - first being asked to try to solve the mystery of Hinamizawa by Rika, and then getting a huge dose of creepy courtesy of Ryuugu Rena - made my head swim, and the part of my neck that Rena touched still tingled unpleasantly. I felt like scratching at it would make it better, but I didn't want to risk losing my fingers or anything weird like that.

I mean, it doesn't even make sense. One moment, someone tells me that Oyashiro-sama forgives me. The next, someone else tells me that he hates me. I could easily just write off the whole encounter with Rena as a hallucination if it wasn't for my neck. I can feel it pulsing slightly, and that's a distinct physical response.

When I finally reached the Maebara household, I went from the door to the couch in one fluid motion. Lying on the couch, watching baseball games that I vaguely remembered the results for, well, it wasn't pearly gates and fluffy clouds, but I called it heaven.

Keiichi and his parents hadn't come back yet. I didn't know what they were doing, and frankly, I didn't care.

As is often the case, my serenity was broken by the phone ringing. By the time I got up and to the phone, the answering machine had caught the call and it was ringing again.

"Hello?" I said.

"Yes, this is the Okinomiya book store. Am I speaking to Kyon?"

"What? No. Well, you are, but I haven't even heard of that place."

Did Nagato buy some books in my name? I mean, I'm fine with that, but it's polite to ask before you do that sort of thing.

"Not many people have. Nh-fu-fu-fu-fu."

Oh, it's this guy.

"Well, if you didn't order any books, perhaps we can talk," said Ooishi. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I'm not dead, but that's not exactly a relief."

"What'd she decide to do with you?"

"She said that I couldn't go until you wrapped up Takano's murder. Judging by the reactions of everyone else, I'm guessing that's a punishment."

"Probably. Well, considering what we have to go on, I'd estimate that it'll be about... three weeks, give or take a week. But, with that sentence, there's innocent lives directly at stake. We can probably shave a week off the process."

"Thank you."

"I heard that the Sonozakis had Takano-san's coat at the trial, as well as Tomitake-san's camera. Do you know what happened to them?"

"No, but I do have a notebook of Takano's notes."

"Really? What's in it?"

As I pulled the notebook out of my pocket, I thought of a really good question to ask Ooishi.

"What do you know about Ryuugu Rena?"

"Ryuugu-san, huh? She actually has a bit of an interesting story behind her. Why do you ask?"

If I told him that she seemed to be possessed, he'd probably take what I have to say less seriously. Or, maybe not, but I don't want to risk it.

"We ran into each other on the way home. She threatened me; told me to leave Hinamizawa. It was actually pretty scary."

"Yes, that seems to match up with what information we have on her. According to her file, she's somewhat psychologically unstable."

Well, if by 'somewhat psychologically unstable', you mean 'demonically possessed', I agree wholeheartedly.

"Let's see..."

As Ooishi looked for her file (at least, that's what it sounded like), the hand not holding the notebook subconsciously migrated to the side of my neck and started scratching.

"Ah. Apparently, she once broke all the windows in her school before she arrived in Hinamizawa. She's been placed under house arrest in the past, and she also gets counseling from a doctor."

"Sounds like quite the profile. You said she's had an interesting experience with Oyashiro-sama, right?"

"According to her, a ghost-like being called 'Oyashiro-sama' stands over her as she sleeps and looks over her."

"The same Oyashiro-sama that's the deity of Hinamizawa?"

"Well... I honestly don't know. There are some mentions of it, this one included, that vary from the standard version. Then again, some gods have multiple incarnations."

"So, there could be an incarnation that watches over the town, an incarnation that follows Rena..."

...and another that calls herself Hanyuu? Bah, this is making my head hurt. Definitely a good reason why I should never go with religious studies as my major when I get to that level.

"Anyway, she's also beaten three boys nearly to death with a baseball bat at around the same time."

"So, she's a nut."

"Well, there's always supernatural causes - possession and the like - but we probably should not count that as a rule. Then again, this town is full of people with questionable backgrounds, so it may be more than coincidence. I mean, even Maebara-san has a dark past."

"Really?"

"Yep, before he came here, he was arrested. Shot a young girl with a pellet gun, I think."

"Bullshit!" That wasn't a claim of Keiichi's innocence, but more of a verbal spit-take. Assuming that Ooishi's being honest (and, being an authority who's actually siding with me, is probably a safe assumption), this completely changes things. I'm sharing a house with a person who shoots little girls. Nothing could make me feel less safe. The entire atmosphere of the house has changed for the worse.

"Sorry about that," I said. "That just caught me off guard, that's all."

Ooishi laughed. "It's a reasonable response. Now, about that notebook..."

The notebook had a small sheet of paper in it. I opened the book and caught the paper before it hit the ground. It was blank; I'm guessing it was used as a bookmark.

"So, what's in the book?" said Ooishi.

As I read through it, I read it aloud to Ooishi.

"One of the more common rumors or legends is the Messenger of Oyashiro-sama. This person comes into contact with the person who is 'demoned away' a few days before they vanish. Whether this is coincidence or this individual has po-"

I turned the page. Taped in was a picture of Rena.

"Rena...? Is she this 'messenger'?"

"Hmmm... I've heard that I've been called that title myself. I'm not aware if she was directly associated with the first victim, but she was good friends with the children of the other groups who were 'demoned away', and was part of the same group as Hojo Satoshi."

"That's interesting. Oh, here's a comment near the picture, in red ink."

"What's it say?"

"It says, 'How do they disappear? There should at least be some sign...' Wait, weren't there remains for Takano herself?"

"That's still a point of contention. Anyway, yes, there really hasn't been anything regarding a trace for the third and fourth victims, and we haven't found the remains of the first and second. They could be taken and hidden by the townsfolk. Or, they could be in Onigafuchi swamp."

"Well, haven't you searched the swamp?"

"The fact that it's a volcanic swamp and the legends behind it mean that police divers won't touch it. And after the incident with the dam, nobody would dare to try to drain it."

"Well, that's interesting. Definitely more plausible than them being 'demoned away' or disinte-"

It was the quietest sound.

Kssh.

I felt my fingernails break the skin of my neck, and a warm tingle run down.

"Er, hold on, I think I accidentally cut myself," I said. "Let me just..."

I looked down at my fingertips to see how bad the bleeding was.

It wasn't bad. Because I wasn't bleeding. My fingertips were coated not in a red liquid like I was expecting, but in what looked like glitter. It felt very... bizarre.

"Look, I'll call you back." I hung up.

There was a mirror in the bathroom. When I looked to see what was happening, I was frozen.

No. There is no way in hell that this is happening.

My neck was leaking white dust.

A fine, sparkling white powder was pouring from my neck as if it were an hourglass. The dust seemed to be forming from the edges of a widening black hole in my neck. The dust lingered for a second before fading away.

Oh, dear god, I'm disintegrating.

I've seen this happen before. This dust isn't unfamiliar. This is the dust that Asakura Ryoko turned into when she disintegrated into nothingness. But there is no way in hell that it should be pouring out of my neck.

My first reaction (besides swearing) was to clamp my hand over the hole in my neck before any more of this dust could leak out. That barely helped. The second was to find a first-aid kit or bandages or something that could at least stem the bandages.

Every neuron in my brain was firing in sheer panic. And the data dust was unceasing. I didn't even bother thinking about why or how this happened.

I practically tore up the house looking for anything that could help. If it didn't fade away, the house would have been absolutely coated in the dust. I realized that there wasn't anything that could help me. I mean, what can stop this? Nagato? Haruhi? That's not an option anymore.

I started feeling dizzy. I tried to make my way to my bed. I succeeded, in that I ended up there. However, that was because I tripped and collapsed on it.

And as everything faded to black, there was only one sound that lingered.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

---

When I woke up, I was actually in my bed as opposed to on top of it. I could hear birdsong.

Wait a second, I'm not dead, or disintegrated.

I sat up and felt my neck. I felt cloth. It didn't feel at all like there was a giant hole in my neck. You know, I could question this turn of events. Hell, I probably should. But I really don't feel like doing that.

What time is it, anyway?

I slowly rose to my feet and I made my way to the door with all the haste of continental drift.

"There you are!"

The sudden and very unwelcome presence of Haruhi startled me enough to knock me back onto the floor. My ears rang and I groaned.

"You're finally awake! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Look, those are both good questions, and I don't know if I have the answers."

Keiichi appeared behind Haruhi. He was carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice on it.

"How are you feeling?" he said.

"Awful. What happened last night?"

"Me and my family came home last night and found you passed out in here. You had a nasty hole in your neck. But it looks like you were bandaged up nicely."

So, that's what this cloth is? Good. Although the idea that this cloth can stop disintegration doesn't sound plausible.

"I'm really disappointed," said Haruhi. "I can't believe that I'm the only SOS Brigade member who bothered to show up."

"So, was it just you two?" I asked.

"Oh, not at all," said Keiichi. "My parents were the ones that found you. We called the doctor, and he fixed your neck. Rika came over too."

"Yeah, that was almost eerie. I was just about to call her house, too," said Haruhi.

Rika... that explains how I'm not dead. I'm not one to believe in divine intervention, but if faith healing can heal a disintegrating neck, that's quite literally a miracle. And, really, what else could heal that?

"I think Rena was here too, wasn't she?"

"Oh yeah, I think she showed up before I did, didn't she..."

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I remembered the cause to the effect that left me passed out for the entire night. Completely helpless... and with caretakers that still think that Rena's perfectly innocent.

"Rena?"

They nodded.

I looked at my pillow. I don't know what compelled me to look, but I know what compelled me to keep looking.

There was a bloody handprint on the pillow.

"She... she was in here?"

They nodded.

"While I was out cold?"

"Yeah, she came in sometime last night, after I called Mikuru." said Haruhi.

I could vaguely remember a sensation while I was out cold. Someone next to me. Someone... embracing me.

I picked up the pillow with the handprint. Good god, that's scant centimeters from where my head was.

"Oh, that? That was there before I got here." said Haruhi.

The other pillow was depressed, like someone was laying his or her head there. I pulled a hair off it, a hair that was much too long to be mine.

"You didn't ever let Rena in here with me, alone, right?"

They shrugged.

"It's possible..." said Keiichi.

I stood back up, trying my hardest to hold it in.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the bathroom."

Keiichi and Haruhi parted to let me through. I made my way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

The white bandages and the white T-shirt I was wearing made me look like I was wearing a sort of turtleneck.

But... there were bits of red on my neck. On my shirt. On my face...

We interrupt this story to allow your narrator the opportunity to turn towards the toilet and vomit.

---

I feel no shame in admitting that most of the rest of the day was spent in an almost Lady Macbeth-like way, trying to get clean. But even after taking a bath that lasted for hours, I still felt dirty.

Rena had been in my room, and in my bed. And I'm guessing that, since the neck wound was bloodless, that some external figure applied the blood gratuitously to my body.

My imagination is not helping matters, either. Every time I picture the potential scene, Rena's hands are always in a different place - resting or holding onto a different spot on her or my body.

Yeah, you can see why I'm not at the top of my game as of right now.

Fortunately, Keiichi and his parents are here, ready to help me through this. Unfortunately, so is Haruhi.

"Oh, c'mon, Kyon, stop acting like you've been raped."

I haven't ruled that out yet, you know.

That's when Haruhi slapped me across the face. I figure that she was doing the sort of slap that gets people out of their tents and back onto the battlefield. But that one just hurt, and it made me say something that I won't repeat and that got me slapped legitimately.

"Gah, just... you've done enough for me," I said, "and I'm thankful, but you're just too much for my system right now."

"Oh, c'mon, Kyon."

I was then yanked off of the sofa I was on and almost out the door before I grabbed on to the door frame.

"Haruhi, please, any day but today. I'm not in the mood to go running around. I mean, I just threw up a few hours ago."

"But Kyon, I heard that there's a spring not too far from here. Really great. Waterfall and everything."

"I'll stick with my bath, thank you."

"Come on, Kyon. You really need to get out of the house. So what if Rena did some creepy stuff to you? Even if you are overreacting... anyway, she knows where you live, so if you stay here-"

"Alright, alright. I'll go."

"That's the spirit! I knew I could find the right button to press."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me go get a bathing suit or something."

I wouldn't be surprised if there was one in one of my near-bottomless bag of stuff. Haruhi's the sort of person who would pack swimsuits to a mountain village. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd bring parkas to the Amazon, or sunglasses to an Antartic expedition in July.

However, Haruhi grabbed me by the arm before I could even leave the foyer. (Yeah, I meant genkan, but I really doubt that any of you know what that means.)

"Nope! You don't need anything. Nothing wrong with a good skinny dip!"

There's a lot of things wrong with that. Besides, I object to your attempts to add male fanservice to a story that both probably won't be read by any girls and that really doesn't need it.

"But, Kyon, there's..."

There was a distinct delay that was accompanied by Haruhi resting her chin on her fist in a standing impression of Rodin's famous statue. Then, she looked inspired.

"It's a magic spring! Blessed by Oyashiro-sama himself! But if you're wearing anything, no blessing."

"What sort of blessing?"

If what I've experienced about Oyashiro-sama has any relevance, a spring blessed by it would probably cook me at 400 degrees until until I'm golden brown.

"It washes troubles and sins away! Anyone who gets in - naked - is forgiven of anything bad they've done."

One, that's the worst lie I've ever heard. Two, I don't need forgiveness, I need protection. Three... why are you looking at me like that? You only have that expression when you're about to force Asahina-san into...

Uh-oh.

---

I admit, I had to give Haruhi at least a little bit of credit. At the moment, Rena wasn't weighing heavily on my mind. The main problem I had was trying to save my pants from the clothes-snatcher known as Haruhi. She had already taken my shirt, and was trying to get everything off.

"C'mon! Isn't this a whole lot better than laying around in a sad state like you were?"

Not really, no.

Turns out, she was right. There was a small spring, complete with waterfall. I'm going to call that a stroke of pure luck, seeing as she can't work her strange world-warping magic here. However, it was pretty damn far away, about an hour on bikes. If I tried to straight-up run away, I'd get lost, and probably eaten by wolves or something.

In my dodging of the perverted Brigade leader, I ended up doing something stupid. Said stupidity was climbing up a rock face, putting my pants at Haruhi's eye level. A few more steps from me, and they were in her hands. Before you ask, yes, I was wearing underwear, and no, it wasn't anything either overtly erotic or overtly silly. Sorry, ladies, but unless you get aroused by conventional, navy blue briefs, I'd advise going elsewhere.

Also, I discovered that, after the sudden shock of losing my pants and a tumble into the spring later, they doubled just fine as swimming trunks.

The water actually felt really nice. Not anything like the bathwater, but I didn't feel like I was going to get hypothermia, either.

"Aw, you won't get any blessing like that! Take it off!" said Haruhi.

"No! I'm not taking it off! Especially with Mion and Keiichi watching!"

Yes, Sonozaki-san and Maebara-san were sitting on the edge of the pool, watching Haruhi's assault with grins on their faces.

"Aw, come on, show us your sea bear!" said Mion.

I stopped running around like an idiot, and stood calmly in the spring, too far away for Haruhi to reach me without getting wet.

"Look, ladies, I'll take it off-"

That got a sound which probably was the real-life equivalent of a squee from the girls.

"-if you don't look. Sure, I'll get myself blessed, but not in front of you."

"Oh, come on!" said Haruhi.

However, I saw Mion doing something that heavily resembled pointing out to Haruhi where a good vantage spot was, up past the waterfall.

"Sure. Fine. We can do that." said Haruhi.

Haruhi and Mion ran off. Keiichi didn't.

"Well? You don't need to stick around."

Not only did he stick around, he started taking his shirt off. I heard a sound that sounded like the one the girls made coming from some bushes.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting in, of course."

He finished taking his shirt off and started on his pants.

"Wait, you're not stripping down, are you?" I said.

"Well, that's how you get the blessing, isn't it?" said Keiichi.

Okay, I'm aware that there's a lot of undertones that are present, most of them homosexual. I'm going to state once, and only once, that I'm 100% straight. If you want to see a barrage of comments about how not-gay someone is, you won't get them from me.

"You do realize that there's nothing of the sort, and Haruhi made that up to get me out of my pants?" That sounded a lot less sexual in my head, trust me.

"Well, legends have to start somewhere. Her belief is as good as any."

"Fine, believe what you want."

Once he started taking off his underwear, I turned my back towards him. Didn't need to see his, ergh, "sea bear".

"You don't seem like the sort of person that has a lot of sins."

"Well, everyone has things that they've done that they're not proud of."

That exact moment was when I remembered the remark that Ooishi made about him. The one about the little girl and the pellet gun.

And I'm in a spring with this guy, naked. I've seen people get killed while bathing countless times in movies and the like. And I have my back to the guy. Damnit, even in the shirtless scene, Hinamizawa has to throw in a crapload of scary.

Well, might as well bring up the elephant in the room. If he's in here, odds are, he's repenting for that.

I picked up a rock from the pool bed and threw it at the bushes. It sounded like two deer ran off. The waterfall gurgled, and the higurashi cried.

"Well, personally, if you have something you're not proud of, I'd confront it. It's better than resorting to 'magic' or running away." I said.

"Moving on, away from all the memories of your mistakes, is not the same as running away."

"I never said it was. Is that why you came to Hinamizawa? You were a pariah in your home town?"

"No, I, well, what are you implying?"

"Did she die?"

There was utter silence. Even the higurashi knew to shut up.

"...no," said Keiichi, "none of them did."

You shot more than one? That just makes it worse.

I could feel the look he was giving the back of my head.

"Look," he said, "I don't know where you heard that from, but that was in the past. I'm not that Maebara Keiichi anymore."

"Well, I'm just uneasy knowing I'm living with the sort of person who would do that."

"Don't be."

There was more silence.

"Who told you?" said Keiichi.

"The detective mentioned it. Believe me, I didn't want to know."

He didn't respond.

"Don't hate me, alright?" I said.

Still more silence. Eventually, I heard him get out of the spring.

"I'm not mad at you. If you didn't want to know, it's not your fault that you know. Everyone has their skeletons in the closet, and mine are just a bit... scarier. Let's just leave it in my nightmares, okay?"

"Alright. Are you wearing pants yet?"

Keiichi chuckled, presumably out of the sheer contrast between the phrase and the previously dark conversation.

"I am now."

I turned to face him. He was smiling. And wearing pants. I climbed out and dried off.

"Hey, can you do a favor for me?" I asked.

"Yeah, probably."

"Can you try your best to keep Rena away from me? I mean, she's nice and all, and I know you two are really good friends, but I'm just not comfortable with her being anywhere near me."

"Well, seeing how you reacted today, I don't mind. Let's head home."

And we started heading back.

---

We caught Keiichi's parents as they were heading out the door, with bags in hand. Apparently, something had come up with Keiichi's dad and his job, and they had to go to Tokyo for a few days.

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon," said Keiichi's mother. "I assume that you can take care of yourselves, right?"

"We'll be fine, Mom," said Keiichi. "I'll make sure that he is okay."

"Hey, why am I the one being cared for?" I said, with false indignity.

"Because I'm not the one who passed out, threw up, was forcibly stripped - should I go on?" said Keiichi.

"Touché."

I noticed that Keiichi's parents had raised an eyebrow at that last one.

"Haruhi." I said. They nodded knowingly. I can't believe that she's already ingrained enough here to the point where I can do that.

"Well, we have to get going. See you in a few days." said Keiichi.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!"

And I never saw them again.

Now, the two boys had the house to ourselves. Keiichi was talking this well. All smiles and excitement. I admit, at a basic level (two boys with a massive house all to themselves, in a town with such an immense saturation of teenage girls), this situation would be ideal for a slice of life story, or a harem manga, or a comedy. But, as you've noticed, we're not in one of those. Come to think of it, that's also a good set-up for a horror movie...

We sat on the couch.

"So, what do you want to-" said Keiichi.

There was a loud smack of something on glass. That sound removed any good feelings or positive emotion I had. All that was left was sheer, pure, terror. The first thought that my mind leapt to was Oyashiro-sama knocking on the glass, wanting in. The second was Rena knocking on the glass, wanting in. Oddly, the god wasn't as alarming as a potential intruder as the girl was.

Keiichi had left the room to see what it was, and he returned.

"Huh, must've been a bird or something."

Even though I physically kept my composure, my mind had curled up into a small ball. The thought of two of the most trustworthy people not being there to protect me, in particular, made me want to hide.

"Hmm... you know, I can talk to Rena if you're really that scared of her."

"Yeah, that'd be great." I said.

"Okay. Hm, I think I'll get some snacks, too. Want anything?"

"Get me something that's both chocolate and something I can snack on. Chocolate-covered pretzels or something like that, assuming someone's thought of those yet."

"Alright. Take care."

Keiichi left, leaving me alone in a rather small house.

Locking the door behind him seemed like a good place to start.

I locked all the windows, and shut the blinds. I also locked every other door to the house as well. But it didn't feel safe enough. I needed a weapon, something I could defend myself with in case something chopped the door down or went past it entirely.

I found a pair of old, heavy, iron scissors in one of the drawers. They're sharp enough, but without the conspicuousness and possibility of accidentally hurting myself that a knife would have. Plus, they have all the utility that a pair of scissors would have.

I still didn't feel safe. I didn't like being alone in this house. So I made a phone call to summon one of the other Brigade members here.

Seeing as I'd need to have had an aneurysm to even consider calling up Haruhi for companionship, I don't know Nagato's number (or hotel, come to think of it), and Koizumi is, well, Koizumi, I decided to risk getting on the phone with Rena and I called Asahina-san.

"Hello?"

That was a man's voice on the other end.

"Uh, is this the Ryuugu household?" I said.

"Yes it is. Who is this?"

"This is Kyon."

"Oh, you're one of the Brigade, aren't you. Well, if you're calling Asahina-san, she's out. If you're calling Rena-chan, she's out, too."

"Well, I was calling, but I can call back if you-"

"Oh, there's no need. She's heading over to check up on you, actually."

I felt my heart slam into my sternum.

"She's... she's coming here?"

"Well, you're in the Maebara house, right?"

"Yeah..."

"That's where she's headed."

I hung up and collapsed. Rena is going to pay a visit. The girl who's invaded my bed, and god knows what else, is coming over, at the exact moment my best and only ally is gone. The only way this could be worse is, well, I'm not going to tempt fate by saying anything, so I'll just say that it can get worse, but not by much.

My freak-out was interrupted by a very loud knocking on the front door.

My heart still hammering away like a dwarf was carving out my chest with a pickaxe, I slowly made my way to the door. There wasn't a peephole, so I unlocked everything but the chain and opened the door a crack.

"Kyon~"

The only thing I could see was a golden, slitted eye.

"How are you?" said Rena. Her voice didn't sound right. It wasn't deeper or echoing, it was just... wrong. It wasn't hers.

"I... I-I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Wow, I managed to get out a straight response to Rena without breaking down. I must have more nerves than I thought.

"That's nice. I have a present for you."

I opened the door a bit more, and looked past the eyes. She was holding onto her billhook. It had a lot of rust-colored stains on it, that weren't there the last time I saw it.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks," I said.

"Oh? I thought you'd like it."

"No, I'm good. Honest."

Can you please leave? I'd like one night where I don't have to deal with some insane bitch who probably wants to kill me.

"That's not very nice, Kyon. Why would you say something like that?"

I heard a light chuckle.

"I mean, didn't we almost kiss?"

What? No! No, we didn't, unless you were walked in on attempting one while I was out cold.

"I thought you liked me."

Well, maybe I did, when we met, but you've taken a crapload of levels in Scary Bitch since then."

"You're acting really strange, Kyon. What's the matter?"

"The only problem is that you're not leaving."

The only response was a chuckle.

"Go home, Rena."

"Rena...?"

I tried to shut the door, but it didn't. I presumed that she was holding it open with her foot. I saw her tilt her head.

"I'm not Rena."

"Then who are you?"

"Don't you know?"

I felt my neck throb. She (if I can still use that pronoun) caused this, and there's not a circumstance in the world that would make me let her in.

That was when she revealed a weakness, something that I could seize, and use against her. She started poking her hand through the door. I don't know why, but Rena's track record would suggest something malicious.

I waited until she had her entire wrist in the door, my hand waiting on the handle, before I slammed it with all my might. I caught her right on the joint of the wrist, and I was rewarded with a shriek.

"W-w-w-what are you doing?" Her voice now sounded even less like Rena's.

I pulled the door again, and I got more writhing.

"This really hurts, Kyon. Let me go..."

I complied, and opened the door... long enough for her to get her wrist out. I slammed the door again, on her knuckles, and I put my weight into it.

"Kyon, you're hurting me. Stop-"

"Like hell I will! Screw your crocodile tears, they're not going to work on me!"

Now, if you will excuse me for a second, I would like to make a statement about sympathy in fiction. In most circumstances, the protagonist is supposed to be sympathetic. You can't have an audience hating the protagonist and liking the antagonist, or the story has fallen flat. And if you have a protagonist fighting someone else, no matter what the circumstances or logic behind it is, you want the audience to root for the protagonist.

You're wondering why I did that, I can tell. Well, there is a reason for that. There's also a reason why I'm not going to tell you what I said to Rena; I don't want you to hate me. I said some things that I would say to no human being, or anything that I wasn't sure was a demon. I'm also not going to tell you how saying those things made me feel, because, seriously, not even I would sympathize with someone who got joy out of saying things like the things I said.

By the time that I had stopped screaming at her and slamming the door on her hand, it was twisted and bleeding.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

I opened the door and let her hand slip out.

"Don't come back." I said.

I don't know if she heard that, because when I looked, she was gone.

Now, that... was incredibly cathartic. I had just fought off what was definitely a monster from invading my house, and I got her good.

All was quiet. I collapsed on the wall near the door and let the adrenaline drain from my system.

SLAM!

Nothing in print, no color or size of font, could properly convey how sudden, scary, and utterly loud that sound was. If this was a visual novel or an anime, that sound would have to be thirty times as loud as the next loudest sound.

The door had slammed open, and the chain was almost pulled out of the wall by the force. I heard Rena cackle.

"You aren't the only one who would need to die, Kyon. There are many, many doors in Hinamizawa that aren't locked."

I got up, ran too the door, drew my scissors in my right hand, unlocked the chain with my left, and I slammed it open.

Nothing but the stillness of the twilight.

I cursed the act of stealthy disappearances and made my way back to the couch. After who knows how long, I heard it open.

"Hey, it's me," said Keiichi. He entered the living room and threw me the bag of chocolate pretzels that I completely forgot about.

"Thanks." I said.

"Hey, what happened to the door? It looks like you smashed the hell out of something with it."

"Yeah, Rena stopped by."

"She did? I'm sorry. Talk about bad timing, huh? I completely missed her."

"Hey, it's not-"

The phone rang. Keiichi answered it. I didn't see his reaction, but I did hear it.

"Hello? Yeah, he-alright, alright, calm down."

He popped into the living room.

"It's for you."

I put it up to my ear.

"Kyon. Get over here. Now."

---

That was Haruhi, and she sounded pissed. This was an entire new world of angry for her. I could feel the evil eye she was giving me through the phone.

"Well, I-"

She had hung up. I didn't know where "here" was. I'll just hope like hell that she meant the Sonozaki estate and go there.

I grabbed my snack and started heading out the door.

"Hey, where are you off to?" asked Keiichi.

"Impromptu Brigade meeting, by the looks of it."

I opened my pretzels and started heading over.

The pretzels were polished off by the time I made it to the Sonozaki estate. Wow, this place is huge. What do I do, go door to door until I find her room? Psh, like that won't get me killed.

The door of the estate was opened by a man who couldn't not have been in the Yakuza - suit, sunglasses, slicked-back hair, imposing physique and presence, the works. He was one of the ones that was at the "trial".

The air was filled with a sound that sounded, by this point, familiar - an ethereal wailing, the sobbing of a poor soul crying her heart out on the wind. But this wasn't Hanyuu...

The man nodded towards a smaller building, about the size of the Saiguiden. As I got closer, the sound got louder.

And then, in a moment of horrific, pure, disgusting realization, I recognized who that voice belonged to.

"Asahina-san!"

I burst through the door (literally - and if any of you make a Kool-Aid Man joke, I'm going to kick your ass) to see a sight that I never wanted to see, and I hoped I never had to see again.

The other Brigade members were arranged around the weeping angel, who had her back to me.

The events that followed happened in a ridiculously short period of time. Like, three seconds, tops. Here's the gist of it.

I started running towards Asahina-san, to console her. The crowd parted slightly, and we made eye contact. That was when she did something that truly confused me; she shrieked, and started backing away from me as fast as she could.

"Stay away from her!"

Before I could even get halfway across the room, I was grabbed and thrown against the wall, and then I was gripped by the neck and held against the wall. Again, this was all in about three seconds.

"S-Suzumiya-san!" said Koizumi.

Haruhi looked like she was going to rip my head off my body with her bare hands. This is the first actual bit of evidence towards Koizumi's ideas; if she was this mad on a normal day, we'd all be dead, no questions asked.

I felt the hands tighten around my windpipe, and Haruhi's nails dug into my skin. Oh my god, she really does want to kill me.

"Why?" I can't remember if I asked that question, or if she did.

I gurgled. What else could I do?

"Suzumiya-san, wait!" said Koizumi. He grabbed her hands in a fruitless attempt to loosen the death grip. "I hate to be the devil's advocate, but I think you should at least let him explain himself."

Haruhi let go with her hands, but not with her eyes. There wasn't any slitting or evidence of demons; just pure, incalculable rage. If looks could kill, I'd be deader than dead.

"Wait, why am I the one who's the devil here? What's going on?" I said.

I noticed that, despite her expression, Haruhi's eyes were glistening. Was she crying? Is that even possible?

"Don't play dumb, Kyon. You know damn well what you did," she said.

"I don't, actually, but being strangled doesn't exactly help the memory." I said.

"Enough of that snarking bullshit, Kyon."

"Okay, fine."

I started heading towards Asahina-san again. She saw me do so and cowered and whimpered. Haruhi grabbed my wrist.

"Get off me!" I said.

"What do you think you're doing?" she shouted.

I managed to get her off of me. I stood in the center of the room and took a second to get my bearings.

Everyone was looking at me, dead quiet. Haruhi was still frothing. Asahina-san looked terrified and confused. Koizumi was actually gaping, and he looked scared. Even Nagato was wide-eyed.

"Look. Something obviously happened. Asahina-san's hurt. I want to help her."

"She doesn't need your 'help'!" shouted Haruhi. "What sort of shit is that?"

I noticed that Koizumi and Nagato were communicating behind Haruhi's back. Or maybe conspiring is the better word?

"Look, I don't want to fight you, Haruhi." I said. The two of us were circling each other like binary stars. "Why are you so pissed?"

It looked like her brain couldn't comprehend what I said.

"What- you know damn well why I'm pissed."

"I don't. The way I see it, I haven't done anything wrong."

Well, I really meant "I haven't done anything that would piss you off", but this conveys the same point.

That quite literally stunned Haruhi. There was a good five seconds of her trying to make sense of what I said. After a bit, she gave up and punched me with full force.

"That's a lie! A goddamn LIE!"

I was caught by Koizumi as I fell. For the first time since I arrived in Hinamizawa, I was bleeding.

"I think he's being honest, Suzumiya-san. He really doesn't know." said Koizumi.

Know what? What don't I know? What's going on?

"Oh, bullshit, you can't do something like that and not remember it!"

That was when Asahina-san moved in a way that showcased her hand, the one that I couldn't see when I came in. The one that was bent and bloodied.

That played my heartstrings like a violin and compelled me to run over to her. This time, Koizumi held Haruhi back.

I pretty much cradled Asahina-san. At first, she flinched and squirmed and cried. After a few seconds, she looked up at me. She looked scared and, above all else, confused.

I reached for her arm, to see what had happened. She pulled away.

"No... don't touch it. Go away..." she said.

"Look, it's okay. I'm here," I said. "What happened?"

"I..."

She tried to turn away from me.

"Don't worry. It's okay, you can tell me what happened."

"But... you don't...?"

"I mean, you can tell me whatever you want, right? I mean, didn't we almost kiss?"

That made her turn towards me, and she gasped. Then she burst into a whole new flood of tears. I decided to cut my losses and let her go. Haruhi pulled my to my feet by my shirt collar.

"Okay, Kyon, what did you do tonight?" she said.

"Do you promise not to punch me in the face if you don't like what I say?" I said.

"Fine."

"Alright, after I came home from the spring, I stayed at home. Keiichi's parents are gone on business, and he went to go get refreshments. That's when Rena came to visit."

"And then what?"

"She tried to force her way in. I told her off, but she didn't listen. I had to slam a door on her hand."

At the mention of that fact, Haruhi balled her fists again, and Asahina-san shuddered violently.

"You slammed a door on Rena's hand. Right?"

"Yes. I'm sure you know my thoughts on her and what she does."

"Well, yes, but..."

Haruhi's tone was slipping out of bottled rage and into, for some reason, disbelief.

"You're completely sure."

"I saw it with my own eyes and I heard it with my own ears. I can show you the blood, if you want."

"That's not necessary."

"So, what happened to Asahina-san?"

Haruhi looked from Koizumi to Asahina-san. There was a long, cold silence. Nobody wanted to meet my gaze.

"She... she got her hand caught in a door."

"Oh."

Two girls, living in the same house, at the same time of day, getting the same kind of wound...

I'd call that a coincidence on a normal day. But now... it's some sort of demonic magic. It has to be. I can easily picture "Rena" using a spell to transfer or replicate her injuries on an unsuspecting and innocent Asahina-san.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Nagato. She looked even worse than she did the last time I saw her. Normally, Nagato either has her head in a book, she stares straight out, or she makes eye contact. But now, I could have sworn that she was trying to avert making eye contact.

"You can go home now," she said.

"Yes, we're done here. Sorry if I was harsh," said Haruhi. Her tone was still disbelieving.

"Actually, I think I'll stick around, make sure that Asahina-san-" I said.

"Go."

"Alright, alright, geez, what did I do?"

I slipped out the hole that I made, but I didn't leave the area. I don't know why I sat down and eavesdropped, but I didn't leave the steps.

"Wow. I mean... you were right, Koizumi," said Haruhi.

"Yes, I know. And him, of all people," said Koizumi.

"Well, he's either more two-faced than Harvey Dent, or he's gone mad. Unless... yes, of course. That makes more sense."

"I would like to know what your idea is, Suzumiya-san, but we can talk about our theories and our plans later. What about..."

"Oh, right, probably should get on that."

After a second, Haruhi opened the door.

"Oh, you're still here," she said.

"Mhmm."

"Mikuru... she has a present for you. She made it after you passed out."

Trying not to look me in the eye, she handed me a small parcel wrapped inside a handkerchief and headed back inside.

Inside was a bento box and a plain white card. I opened the card. It was a drawing and a message.

"Get well soon! - Asahina Mikuru"

The handwriting was impeccable. The drawing was an endearingly childish rendition of a girl and a boy holding hands. There was lots of pink crayon and hearts. She had even dotted her exclamation point with a heart.

One night, and Asahina-san's thought of me went from "sweet loving care" to "scared to death". She's scared of me...

Now, there aren't many times that I cry. But, as I opened the bento box, I could feel a tear roll down my cheek.

Ohagi. She made me ohagi. I don't care for it, but I don't give a damn. And it hadn't even gone cold.

I ate one. It was perfect. It was flawless. It was heaven.

I decided to save the rest of them, in case I needed a reminder of how much Asahina-san cared for me. The fact that I had to put that in the past tense made my heart lurch.

It was dark by the time I made it back to Keiichi's house. I didn't see him. I figured he was asleep.

I entered my room and looked at it, and at the handprint in particular.

What happened? A few days ago, I was doing better than usual. Now, I'm shunned, not only by the people of Hinamizawa, but by my friends and colleagues. At a basic, secular level, I have a creepy chick after me. On a more metaphysical level, I'm pretty sure there's a demon or dark god that wants me dead. And the people who I'd give my life to save from said dark god are scared of me.

I flipped the pillow over and went to sleep.

I don't know what happened, Asahina Mikuru-san, but I will do anything that I can to fix it. I promise.

---

That was the last night that I slept. The sensation that somebody was watching over me as I slept was even worse tonight. To make matters worse, I had a horrible nightmare.

It was in Hinamizawa, in the middle of a rain storm. I was in pain and covered in blood. And before me was a girl whose face was obscured by shadows. But I could see her teeth glint in a smile that, surprisingly, looked sincere.

In one of her hands was a bloodstained blade. In the other was the severed head of Asahina Mikuru.

I swore at the girl and tried to kill it, but every one of my attacks was ignored. The figure then struck at me with lightning-fast blows, making more cuts on my body than I could count. Eventually, I collapsed on my knees, exhausted and in incomprehensible pain.

I woke up right before she could deliver the coup de grace. It was still dark out. I stayed awake until the sun rose.

But I felt fine, despite only getting an hour or so of sleep. If it's unnecessary, filled with nightmares, and leaves me vulnerable, it's only reasonable to stop sleeping altogether.

My neck still itched. I rubbed it through the gauze. There's no way that I'm taking this thing off, lest I start disintegrating again.

To my disappointment, the only breakfast I got was toast.

"So what was that?" said Keiichi. He was also eating toast.

"You mean last night? Oh, apparently something happened to Asahina-san."

"Funny you say that. Rena mentioned that she got her hand slammed in a door."

"That's what I heard. Not that Rena didn't deserve it, though."

"I meant that she said Asahina-san got her hand slammed." Keiichi raised an eyebrow at me. "Nothing about Rena getting hurt."

"Oh. Well, that's what happened to the door."

He stopped looking at me.

"It must really hurt to have that happen to a friend." he said. He sounded indignant, almost like he was mocking me.

"Look, if you were in my shoes, you'd have done the same thing," I said.

"No." Keiichi shuddered and closed his eyes. It looked vaguely like he remembered something awful. "I'd never do anything like that to Rena. Not in a thousand years."

Is that denial I hear on the tip of his tongue? I really wonder how much, exactly, this guy has done.

He looked back at me for a second, before getting up.

"I need to pick something up from the school. I'm sure you can handle yourself."

He was out of the room before I could confirm or deny what he said. A few seconds later, I heard the front door open and shut.

After a good while of doing nothing, I decided to take a walk. It was cooler out today than it has been, and less humid. Perfect walking weather. But I kept my scissors in my pocket, just in case.

The walk gave me a lot of time to think about what was going on.

The one thing that I was certain of was that none of it was my fault. Sure, I definitely should have avoided certain people, but a lot of it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If Takano and Tomitake hadn't dragged me into the Saiguiden, I wouldn't have pretty much the whole town hating me. If they didn't get themselves killed, I wouldn't be stuck here. Then again, if they were alive, I'd probably kick their asses myself.

And then there's Rena. Oh, don't get me wrong, she's disturbing and scary, no doubt, but she seems more like an avatar or a host than a standard nutcase.

I think the main threat or concern to me right now is Oyashiro-sama, or at least the demon that calls itself that that's currently having fun making my life hell. As much as you need to apply Occam's Razor, and go with logical situations, there's some things, like what happened to Asahina-san, that only make sense if magic is a possibility.

Come to think of it, it might not be a demon. I was in the Saiguiden, and that could have pissed off the Oyashiro-sama. But Rika says that Oyashiro-sama isn't that dangerous, or even a threat. But as much as I'd like to trust her, Oyashiro-sama is evil.

I heard someone on the road ahead of me. She was shouting with earnest about raiding the Saiguden (don't, really, it'll bite you in the ass, trust me), among other things.

Haruhi.

She wasn't alone, either. When I ran into her, she had Nagato, Asahina-san, and Koizumi with her. In other words the entire SOS Brigade.

With one notable exception.

"Hey," I said.

"Oh, hi," said Haruhi.

I noticed that the jovial air had vanished. Asahina-san had moved to put Nagato between herself and me in a way that was so subtle it was subconscious, and the thought of that being the case made my heart drop.

"What's up?" I said.

"Oh, not much. How are you?"

That tone suggests... unease? Disinterest? ...fear?

"A lot better. I take it you're doing Brigade stuff, right? I'm surprised that you didn't call."

"Oh, well, I thought you'd still be under the weather," she said. I'm calling bullshit on that, seeing as she dragged me off when I was feeling a lot worse.

"Well, mind if I join you guys?"

Alright, I understand that me wanting to go along with Haruhi and her crazy antics might sound out of character. But it's, well, even though the term may seem like an oxymoron, it's normal. It'd be a return to what things were before Hinamizawa drove us apart.

They went into a huddle. It seemed like Haruhi and Asahina-san were the main participants. They quickly came to a conclusion.

"Sorry, Kyon, but I don't want to break you," said Haruhi. "It's good to see you up and about, but you're not ready for Brigade rigors. See you later."

They started walking past me. As Asahina-san walked past, I said something to her and her alone.

"I'm sorry."

I didn't see her expression, but I heard her take a short breath.

Of course, that wasn't sincere. I don't know what I'm supposed to be sorry for, but I know that I'm supposed to be sorry. But if it'll make Asahina-san feel better, then it's worth it.

They walked past me, and I walked off.

"Hey, wait up!"

I looked back. Koizumi was running after me.

"I'd like to talk with you a bit," he said.

I let him catch up with me. If at least one person isn't giving me the cold shoulder, I shouldn't give him one, either.

"So, what did you say to Asahina-san?" he asked.

"Oh, I just told her that I was sorry."

He smiled. Well, he's always smiling, but he legitimately smiled for once.

"That's fantastic. So you've finally realized what happened," he said.

"No, I just told her that to make her feel better."

He chuckled, but after a few seconds, he stopped.

"That was sarcasm, right?"

"Unfortunately, no."

He stopped smiling. After a second, he went back to his fake smile.

"That's unfortunate. I hope that Suzumiya-san never finds out that you lied to Asahina-san like that."

"How is she, by the way?"

"Suzumiya-san? In all honesty, she's acting surprisingly rational. More so than usual, in fact. With exceptions, of course."

I'd hesitate to call Haruhi's behavior yesterday anything resembling "rational".

"I think that the way you've been treated and they way you've been acting has sobered her up, so to speak."

"So, basically, she's getting scared and concerned."

"Yes, something like that. So, how are you holding up?"

"Oh, besides that everyone in this town hates me, the medical issues, and my stalker, I'm doing just fine."

"Oh. I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to do something to help you back then."

Yeah, I didn't need two people molesting me in my sleep, thank you.

Koizumi and I eventually came to a bridge. It was big, and it was far above the river below. I'd say it'd be a good place for a dramatic battle, or for someone to fall off of only to be saved at the last moment.

"Although, if I may say so myself, I feel like I have done enough to help out all of us. I've been talking with Rika, and the two of us managed to have a chat with Kimiyoshi-san and Mion yesterday."

"Talking about what?"

"Well, talking about what has to be done to let the SOS Brigade leave. I suppose you'd call it diplomacy."

Something tells me that those talks went nowhere. It doesn't seem like they'd bother going against what the matriarch wanted.

"Oh, in fact, the talks actually were fruitful. I've managed to come up with a solution that would leave most of us unharmed."

I stopped. He kept walking.

"What do you mean by 'most of us'?"

"Oh, I thought you might react that way. I guess you can say that I..."

He turned back towards me.

"...sold out, so to speak."

Oh, son of a bitch.

Koizumi's pupils were slitted.

"I haven't done anything wrong. Neither has anyone else in the SOS Brigade. Besides you."

"Okay, hold on," I said, backing away, "you can't mean what you're saying. You can't be buying that bullshit, right?"

"I am. Fortunately, once I deal with you, we can go home. What's more, Suzumiya-san might not even realize that you've died, so, once she regains her power, you'll be revived."

I'd like to keep living now, thank you very much. Oh, screw it, I'm just going to run now.

I only took three steps before I heard a sound that sounded quite like a gun cocking. You know, when I said that the bridge would be good for a battle, I was kidding.

"There's only the facts, Kyon. You broke into the Saiguiden, and they won't accept anything less. Some sacrifices have to be made."

Well, I'm not going to be sacrificed. No way, no how.

I started slowly backing towards Koizumi. I couldn't grab the scissors, but here, I didn't need them.

"You know Haruhi would kill you even if both of us did make it out alive, right?" I said.

"Both of us?" He laughed. I haven't heard Koizumi do an evil laugh before. It was dispassionate and almost chilling. "That's an odd choice of words. It almost sounds like you're implying that you could hurt me as much as I could hurt you."

"Shut up. I'm not sure you're even Koizumi."

"Of course I am. Now, just stand still for a second. This will be over in a few seconds."

He was right.

That was the exact moment I turned around, and I did something that, deep in my mind, I had always wanted to do.

---

The rocks at the bottom snapped his neck.

I decided that just leaving him down there as he was would be way to suspicious. People already have their eyes on me, and I really don't want Haruhi to know that he's dead. Fortunately, there was a way down to the riverbed.

There was an old car seat down there that he partially landed on. Because of that, he was less of a splat than he could have been.

There actually wasn't that much blood. Well, not until I started removing his face.

I didn't cut it off with my scissors. That'd just be weird, me having a Koizumi "mask" and having the expression separate from him as a whole. I just used a rock to literally rub the smile off his face. Then again, I also rubbed away the rest of his face, too.

I used the scissors to remove any notable features from his body. I buried the fingertips, scattered the teeth into the pebbles of the riverbed, and I scattered the hair and clothes scraps to the wind.

I washed the blood from my hands and I sent the S-grade John Doe down the river. Sure the cops will be able to identify him as a Japanese teenager, but there isn't any information on him in this timeline, nor does he have next of kin.

I climbed up and started heading to my next task; calling Haruhi.

I managed to find a pay phone. It was a booth; Clark Kent would definitely change in this booth if Superman was in Hinamizawa. I slipped inside, got out some change from the slot, and I dialed the Sonozaki estate.

As the phone rang, I noticed that there was a weird sort of "presence" in the booth. Had someone died in here or something? That's what it feels like.

"Hello?" said Haruhi.

"Hey, it's me." I said.

"Oh. What's up?"

"Just wanted you to know that Koizumi left."

"Left? Why? I'm surprised that he'd violate Brigade protocol so badly."

"Well, someone came by and told him his brother got hit by a car."

"...he has a brother?"

"I know, I just learned, like, ten minutes ago."

"So, when will he be back?"

"Well, odds are, he won't be back to Hinamizawa. If I were you, I'd just wait until we got home and then meet him at school."

"Ah. You know, that all sounds kinda fishy. You know, the two of you leaving and then you calling me to tell him he won't be around anymore."

"Well, I'm being honest with you."

"You sure? You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No, of course not." Thank god that this call is audio-only, because my expression would give me away instantly.

"Good, because if you did, I'd have to blind you. An eye and an eye, meaning both eyes, meaning complete blinding."

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's an eye for an eye."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case, I'd have to kill you, then. If you killed Koizumi, that is."

Don't say that. I really would rather not have you, of all people, trying to kill me.

"Hold on, I think that Sonozaki-"

The call suddenly ended. I stood there in confusion for a second. What just happened on the other end could have been something horrible, or it could have just been mechanical failure. I chalked it up to the latter and headed back to Keiichi's place.

Before I left, though, I did a quick check on my appearance in the reflection from the booth. I was clean enough.

I took a second to appraise my mental cleanliness as well. I was thorough, so I won't be caught. Besides, he was going to shoot me. I didn't actually kill him, that was the rocks at the bottom of the river. And if we ever get back, he will be revived by Haruhi, because she thinks he's alive.

So, my conscience is pretty damn clear.

Keiichi was sitting on the couch and watching TV when I finally got back home.

"Oh, there you are. How long were you gone?" he said.

"I don't know. I don't have a watch."

He sniffed the air.

"Why do you smell like blood?"

"I do?"

Crap, I didn't take into account what I smelled like.

"Yeah, you smell like a crime scene." said Keiichi.

I didn't question how he knew what a crime scene smelled like, and I went and I took a bath. I caught him giving me a dirty look as I slipped away.

The bath felt a lot more cleansing than the river did.

The night passed without incident. I guess even demons need to sleep sometimes.

It was going to be the fourth day of insanity, bloodshed, violence, et cetera. It still gets worse.

It was the first day that I was the sinner, that the events were my fault.

---

I took another walk.

Yes, I could stay in Keiichi's house, not coming out of my room for anyone or anything. How do you think I spent my morning? But that's too close to paranoia for my liking. Besides, knowing Rena, if I locked myself in my room, she'd still end up in there, billhook in hand. At least I can run like hell on the open roads.

Today was hot and humid, and oddly devoid of the sounds of insects. It was unpleasant and a perfect fit for Hinamizawa.

I didn't have a destination. I just walked. I walked, and I thought.

Yesterday was, well... it was fucked up. It took me a bit after I woke up before it really hit me that Koizumi was dead and wasn't- no, he could, assuming that Haruhi never found out.

I'm going to guess that the slitted eyes and ominous monotone means that someone isn't himself or herself. Without them, Rena is only mildly creepy, and I know that Koizumi isn't normally one to accuse or boast.

They're possessed. That's it. Possessed by Oyashiro-sama.

Of course, they aren't without flaws. Rena still is unsettling even without the possession or the billhook. And Koizumi, well, he's Koizumi. But while he's an idiot and obnoxious, he's not the sort who would do anything to piss off Haruhi. And trust me, killing me would really piss off Haruhi.

I have to wonder, though: if he did kill me, what would he have done? Would he have made the same call that I made to Haruhi, telling her that my sister was hit by a car?

Wait, why am I still thinking about him? He's dead, and he's in the past. I have done nothing to be blamed or accused of, so I should just erase his face from my mind's eye like I did in the real world.

Something snapped me out of my thoughts. It was a footstep, behind me.

At least this one had a source.

It was Haruhi.

I almost said "Hey", but then I realized that something was very wrong.

For one, she was alone. She was walking slowly, staring ahead with dead eyes. She didn't even seem to notice me.

"Haruhi?" I said. That got her to stop. She didn't even look at me.

"Oh, hello, Kyon."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I just messed up, that's all. I got too involved."

Okay, this is really goddamn scary. Haruhi, if this is a prank or anything, cut it out, now. Please.

"Oh, you should get packing. We're leaving tomorrow."

Talk about changing gears without pushing in the clutch. What happened?

"So, see you then," said Haruhi.

She walked off. That was when I got a good look at her backside.

Or lack thereof.

Her back was gone. Not gone, as it being invisible, but torn-away-with-a-giant-razorblade gone.

I could see her spine. I could see the back of her ribcage. I saw her guts and her blood and I couldn't look at it anymore. I had to stabilize myself against a tree, and I threw up in my mouth.

That certainly explains the mood she was in. Holy shit, how is she not dead? I mean, I know that there's no vital organs in the back, but that's a lot more than a pound of flesh taken off. I'd have to guess that her powers are manifesting just enough to keep her from dying from that... well, from that.

I think I know who caused this, though.

The Sonozaki family. They were right by her when I lost contact with her, and now she's walking around with her organs on parade.

This is too far. I don't give a damn about being killed or worse. I'm calling the police on the family. Hell, on Rena, too. On everyone in Hinamizawa.

I started running. I didn't run the way I came. I don't want to make the call from Keiichi's house. Keiichi is Mion's friend, and he'd probably side with her. Besides, I'm pretty sure wiretapping exists, and the Maebara household being wiretapped wouldn't surprise me.

I ran. There was a cocktail of feelings, of hope and disgust and fear and exhilaration. Finally, I had the chance to get rid of-

What was that?

I skidded to a halt. I swore that I had seen something on the road beside me.

Something... red.

I looked behind me. surprise, surprise, it was Rena, standing on the road behind me, billhook in hand.

"Hey, Kyon-kun! Wait up!"

She seems innocent enough... for the time being. The moment, the exact instant, she tries anything, I'm running like hell. I'll keep one hand on the scissors, just in case.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

As she walked up to me, I looked at her hands. Spotless. Not a mark or bandage on them. It didn't look at all like she got a hand slammed in a door.

"I really need to make a phone call. I'm pretty sure a pay phone is this way."

"Oh? Well, why doesn't Kyon go back to Keiichi's house?"

"I'm pretty sure that a pay phone would be closer. Besides, I'm pretty sure his house is this way, anyway."

"No, it's not. It's that way."

She pointed past me.

"So it is," I said.

"Keiichi's house isn't that far."

"Well, okay. See you."

I started walking in that direction. I heard Rena walk behind me.

I stopped. She stopped. I started walking again. So did she.

"Stop that," I said.

I stopped. She stopped again.

"Stop what?"

"Stop following me."

"I'm not following you."

"Then where are you going?"

"Rena is off to go get treasure."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

I turned back to her. She actually looked confused. The billhook aside, she seemed innocent for once.

"Look, you might not have noticed, but you're creeping me out. I'm not actually making a phone call, okay? I'm going to the police, and I'm getting a restraining order against you. I'm going to tell them everything that you did."

That wasn't true, but it was a great idea.

She looked down, her hair falling into her eyes. She chuckled.

"Okay. Forbid me from going near you. I don't mind. Rena can just go to Mikuru-chan, and we can have so much-"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

I pulled the scissors from my pocket, and before she could retaliate, I struck.

Now, let's make this clear. I didn't kill Rena. I quite clearly remember hearing the billhook clatter to the ground, and seeing her run off.

I'm sorry.

Actually, I should be running, too. I'd get busted for assault anyway.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

But I won. I mean, every other time, it wasn't right. It always felt, vaguely, that what I was doing wasn't right. But this time... I won. It took most of my restraint to resist saying "take that, you creepy bitch!".

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

When I got to Keiichi's house, the door was unlocked and open. And, thankfully, empty. It didn't seem like it was ransacked. I'd guess that Keiichi just had to leave in a hurry.

...I'm sorry.

I cleaned myself off, hid the clothes, and took another bath. Keiichi still wasn't back after I finished.

It wasn't the perfect crime, not by a long shot. But I have an ally on the police force (of sorts), I have evidence to back me up against Hinamizawa, and if all that fails, I technically don't exist yet, which is always helpful in fugitive situations.

Eventually, as usual, I sat on the couch and watched TV. Nothing interesting. Nothing, that is, until the evening news came on.

The headline that caught my eye was "Girl Stabbed in Hinamizawa". It was the second-to-last headline in the opening crawl, and it took about fifteen minutes before the actual story went on air.

"A young girl in Hinamizawa was sent to the hospital today after being brutally attacked. Ryuugu Rena was hospitalized after she was stabbed several times while walking down a country road. She managed to make her way to a friend's house afterwards before passing out. She is currently in critical condition."

To any of you who might be thinking that I was lying about not killing her, there's your proof that I'm telling the truth.

As the story proceeded into the field, with the reporter going on about Hinamizawa, and things I already knew, it hit me. I probably pissed Hinamizawa off majorly. I'm going to get slaughtered.

They cut to Rena. She was lying in a hospital bed, bandaged, bloodied, and with her eyes clothes. She was surrounded by, well, practically everyone in Hinamizawa. Keiichi, Mion, Satoko, and Rika were right beside her, crying and holding her hand.

Even though the clip was only about three seconds, I saw Rika look away from Rena and directly at the camera. I know it was a coincidence, but it felt like she was looking right at me.

I'm sorry.

"The assailant is still at large," said the reporter. "But the one thing that the people of Hinamizawa do know is that it wasn't a native."

They cut to the reporter talking with Mion. There wasn't any of that friendly Mion that I've met. That girl was nothing but a cold, scorned Yakuza princess.

"Nobody that is from this town would ever do something like that, especially to Rena. I promise that the man who did this will pay twice over for what he did to Rena."

The reporter asked if she knew who the culprit was. Her reply was a very curt "Yes."

"Who is it?" asked the reporter.

"We know who he is, and he knows who he is. Nobody else needs to know."

"In that case, would you mind stating your opinion on the rumors that the Sonozaki family is keeping the police-"

The rest of the question was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open.

Keiichi was back, and his expression was complete rage, barely held in. The anger that was leagues above unlike any other (and that includes Haruhi's reaction from a few days ago) combined with the fact that he was holding a well-used baseball bat in his hand firmly reminded me that there were still plenty of psychopaths in Hinamizawa.

"What. Did. You. Do."

Alright, let's try our best to not be paralyzed with terror and get through this alive. Let's try the nonchalant way first.

"Just watching TV, that's all."

"That's not what I meant," said Keiichi. "What did you do to Rena?"

"Oh, yeah, I saw that she was attacked. How is she?"

"She's dead, you bastard!"

"Oh, is she? Huh. Must've died in the hospital, then."

"You killed her." That wasn't even an inquiry. That was just a flat out accusation.

"Look, if I didn't do anything, she would have killed Asahina-san. She had to be-"

"Get out."

"What, you're kicking me out?"

"Get. Out."

"You're not just going to bludgeon me?"

He... he smiled. It was a psychotic, cracked-glass grin. Actually, leaving this house and never coming back doesn't sound so bad.

"No. I'm going to let Mion and her family hunt you down. I'm going to watch them give you everything that you deserve."

I started to get off the couch.

"Well, if you were in my shoes, you'd have done the same thing."

That was probably what pushed him over the edge.

He screamed. It was a bestial, berserker scream. He swung at me. I barely managed to roll out of the way.

"What, so now you try to kill me?" I asked, again pretty much involuntarily.

He swung again. The club smashed into the TV, disabling it in a cloud of sparks and glass. If this was either a cartoon or an action movie, that would have sent a shock up the bat, stunning him. As it was, though, it just gave me a split second of time to run.

I used it. I barely managed to get out the door, shutting it in his face. I heard the intensely loud sound of bat on door behind me.

And that is the story of how I was evicted from the Maebara house, with nothing but the scissors in my pocket and the clothes on my back.

After the adrenaline rush that came with almost having my brains painted across a wall wore off, I thought of where I could go and where I could stay.

I walked just off the side of the road, avoiding streetlights and light in general. The nearly-full moon didn't help in that manner.

Eventually, I got to the junkyard. It was quiet and abandoned; in other words, good enough. It's not like there's anywhere else I could go that's not either in enemy territory or that requires money.

There was an abandoned van half-buried in the center of the junkyard. I laid on the roof and gazed up at the stars. For a second, I was so amazed at how many there were and how beautiful they are.

My wonder turned into thought. I'm sure that there's a lot of people who are out there, looking at the stars, wondering if there's intelligent life out there. I have it on good authority that there is. Thing is, it doesn't give a damn about here, or our planet.

It's worse knowing that life is out there, and it doesn't care, than it is not knowing. Especially when it should be noticing a girl who pretty much needs it to live. I feel like writing a big message to it signaling that it should look this way.

I am here. Help me.