I'm so sorry for the long delay and the very, very, very short chapter! This week was insanely busy. I'm probably not going to be able to write very often, so I apologize for that. Please enjoy, even though its pretty short.
This chapter deals with some sensitive material. If you're easily offended by mentions of suicide, I'd avoid this part.
Disclaimer: I do not own Corpse Party.
Naomi was crying in her bedroom. "Seiko…" she sobbed, "why did you have to die?" Sometimes, the depression just overcame her, and she couldn't ignore it. It was always there, lurking, but on days like this, it seemed to possess her entirely. It felt like Seiko had taken her heart with her when she died, that it was still back in Heavenly Host, never to be recovered.
"It's all my fault," she wailed, clutching her pillow to her as if it was Seiko herself. The case was wet with tears.
Naomi's mother was at work, but if she had been there, it wouldn't have helped. She always tried, of course, but Naomi only ever screamed at her to go away and locked the door. When Naomi was in this state, she didn't want the comfort of anyone except for the one she was crying for.
"I don't want to live in a world where you don't exist," Naomi whispered. She glanced at the pill bottle on her nightstand. "I don't want to be drugged into happiness." She clenched her fists. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ALIVE!" Naomi screamed. "SEIKO, COME GET ME! TAKE ME WITH YOU! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE… alone…" Her voice broke and she collapsed onto the bed. "Seiko…"
All she wanted was to be with Seiko. Images of rope, of knives, of poison - all manner of deadly things danced in her head. "Which one shall I choose?" Naomi mumbled into her pillow. "Which one would Seiko prefer? Ah, yes…" Of course. She would hang herself. It was only fitting, after all.
But as she was rummaging through the closets in her house for some rope, the doorbell rang.
For a moment, Naomi didn't know what the sound meant. She had been in another world, controlled by her despair. As she stood there, the knowledge suddenly came back to her and she jogged to the front door. She would send whoever it was away, then resume her suicide.
"Hello?" she said in a dull voice as she swung the door open. Warm chestnut eyes, messy brown hair, and a sweet smile greeted her.
"Naomi!" Satoshi exclaimed delightedly. "So you are home."
"What is it, Satoshi?" Naomi asked in the same monotone.
When he looked closer, Satoshi saw that the girl's cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were puffy. "Naomi… Are you okay?" He knew how stupid the question was, but he wanted her to open up to him. To know she could trust him.
Naomi sniffed loudly. "Um. I'll be fine."'
"Can I come in?" Satoshi asked gently.
No. "Okay." Naomi found herself leading her friend into her house and sitting down across from him in the living room.
"Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Satoshi said softly. "Is it… Shinohara?"
Naomi flinched, and he knew he was on the mark. He stood and went over to her, sitting beside her and rubbing her back. At first, she shrunk from his touch, but after a moment, she relaxed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmured.
"What is there to talk about?" Naomi whispered hoarsely. A lump rose in her throat, restricting her speech. She was going to lose it any second now.
Satoshi was silent for a moment. Then, he asked quietly, "Do you want a shoulder to cry on?"
Naomi burst into tears, nodding her head furiously as she sobbed and hiccuped.
"Come here." She obeyed, leaning to the side so that her head landed in his lap, facing away from him. She curled up in the fetal position and gripped the leg of his shorts tightly in her hands. Gently, Satoshi stroked her hair, smiling sadly down at her as she wailed.
After Naomi had cried herself out, Satoshi bent over her and kissed her tear-stained cheek. She rolled over so she was looking up at him. He smiled at her wide-eyed stare, like that of a shy deer, and bent to kiss her again. When she kissed back, he slid his arms under her back and lifted her so she was sitting on his lap. With his thumb, he wiped the tears from her face and pushed her hair out of her eyes. They looked at each other.
"Thank you," Naomi whispered, touching his cheek.
"It was nothing," he murmured.
"No - it was everything," she clarified. The short-haired girl hopped to her feet and grabbed Satoshi's hand, pulling him up. "Before you came," Naomi began tentatively, "I was - I was about to -" She broke off, not wanting to finish the thought. Satoshi felt horror freeze his heart, but tried not to let it show.
"It's okay now," he assured her. "You don't need to think about that any more. If you ever feel like this… Just give me a call and I'll help you sort it out."
"Okay," Naomi agreed.
"Let's go do something fun, okay?" Satoshi suggested. "What if we call Yoshiki and Ayumi and go bowling?"
"Sure!" Naomi perked up. "Let's go right now!" She was eager to move on from the day's ordeal.
So they went. The storm clouds had passed.
Reviews are welcome, as always. Should the next chapter be the bowling trip? Let's have a vote!
