First Higurashi when they cry fic 5
John woke up in London once again "Back home I guess" he said, but only now it didn't feel like home now it felt unreal, John gulped at the thought. It was a weekend day that day so John looked around the room for something to entertain himself.
He found a comic book on the floor and had a read.
"Reality is a story the mind tells itself. An Artificial structure conjured into being by the calcium ion exchange of a million synaptic firings. A truth so strange it can only be lied into existence. And our minds can lie, never doubt it…"
The cicadas were heard in the distance and John reached for his throat. He stopped and turned on the TV in his room that should take his mind off of things.
It was a movie on called Inception. John just couldn't stop watching and the end of the movie felt like it was looking at him specifically.
'I should go outside' he thought. It was still London when he left the house and everything looked the same. He went into a restaurant for lunch and was greeted by a waitress.
"Greetings sir and welcome to Angel Mort" she said. John looked and saw Hinamizawa in the background again "Sir?"
"I-I'm fine" John sat down he got something quick and left and found himself back in London in front of an empty store. The food he got was still in hands though. "W-what the hell is going-" a car spun out of control and slammed into him.
"John, John!" John woke up at his desk back in Hinamizawa "quit sleeping it's time for the club."
"Sleeping, I-I was just sleeping?"
"You fell asleep half way through class, you must've been tired" said Rena.
"I see" John wiped his face clean of any marker.
"Kill joy" Satako grumbled.
"John just knows us too well" said Rika.
John noticed Keiichi keeping a good distance from them.
"As a long time part of this club I'd expect him to" said Mion "now come on gang it's time for more club activities!"
"Right" said John perhaps something a bit more normal and this was also the test of Keiichi. Keiichi came but kept as far from John or Mion as possible.
"So you're feeling better today right Keiichi?" asked Mion.
"Yep a lot better."
"Even though he was likely just taking the day off" said Satako.
"I was not, I was actually sick."
"Then why were you-"
"So what game is it today?" asked John cutting Rena off.
"The same since Keiichi missed a day and likely wants a futile chance at revenge."
"It's not futile I'll show you" he promised.
"Sure you will" Mion gave John a look promising revenge for yesterday. John shot a look back saying 'bring it on' "The same punishment game as yesterday."
"What's that?" asked Keiichi. The girls giggled when they looked at him.
"You'd better win Keiichi" said Rena.
"You really don't want that punishment" said Satako.
"W-what punishment?"
John soothed his headache, this just felt more normal to him now. More normal than London now, perhaps it was better here in Hinamizawa a death trap just waiting to spring on them the moment something happens to Rika, yeah that's right.
"John your move" said Mion.
"It was Rika in the Nurse's office with poison" said John. He'd bent the edges of some of the cards before he went home yesterday.
"He's right" said Rika checking them "that's one point for John."
"Clever but you won't be winning this time" said Mion. The cards were reshuffled.
"Mion in the classroom with a rope" said John.
"Right again" said Rika.
"Good you're fighting well" said Mion starting to figure it out "better do well Keiichi."
Keiichi won one game as John didn't really try till he did it again leaving Mion with no points for a change.
"Alright now I get serious" said Mion, she shuffled the cards a special way to ensure that the cards didn't have bent edges, but John was prepared for that he'd memorized which cards weren't bent. He had two, Rika asked her question and John guessed.
"It was Keiichi in the bathroom with a baseball bat."
"No way! I didn't win a single game!"
"You know what means" said John "this time we can have pictures as well."
"But-"
"You must take the punishment" said Satako.
"You must" said Rika.
"That's the rules" said Rena.
"Hold her down" John ordered.
"Wh-what are you going to do to her?" asked Keiichi.
"Something you'll never forget" said John.
Mion was soon in her Angel Mort uniform again serving them tea "would you like anymore tea…master?" she asked through clenched teeth.
"No you can sit on my lap for a picture instead like we agreed on" said John. Mion did so.
"I am going to get you for this" she said while keeping the forced smile.
"Totally worth it" said John, the picture got taken.
"Now come on slave our show will be on" said Satako. Mion grumbled as she went to set up the TV.
'Reality is just a story the mind tells itself' thought John as the show went on. 'And the mind can lie' Hanyu hovered over him worriedly.
"Are you alright?" Keiichi noticed it first.
"Oyashiro" said John "she's in this room."
That got the attention "you can hear her?" asked Rena.
"I can feel her because she keeps breathing on the back of my neck" said John. Hanyu backed up a bit but still hovered over him "thank you."
"So Oyashiro does exist?" asked Keiichi making John realize his mistake.
"She does yet she's relatively harmless."
"That's what John thinks" said Mion "even though she's supposed to be the guardian of Hinamizawa."
"And the one behind all the murders and disappearances" said Keiichi.
"It's not true I would never do that!" Hanyu cried.
"I have reason to doubt that" said John.
"What reason?"
"I'm still alive" said John.
"What do you mean, you're a citizen of Hinamizawa" said Satako.
"Yet Oyashiro is known for killing any and all outsiders and not only am I not from Hinamizawa I'm from the other side of the planet" said John "and I've lived here for at least ten years. So if Oyashiro is a monstrous demon god that kills any who dare not fit the narrative why hasn't she killed me yet? Seriously she's in the same room right next to me she could kill me right now if she really wanted."
"The theory is you're just an exception" said Mion "because of who you're with."
"I hope" said John. It wasn't good to push too much more.
"You don't need to worry John" said Rika "Oyashiro won't kill you."
"Thanks Rika that's more reassuring."
John went to bed that night with the night of Keiichi going mad being tonight. It was hard to not be worried and paranoid.
John woke up to an unfamiliar white room.
"What, what is this?"
"John" a doctor was over him.
"John" his mother was there now along with his father "thank goodness you're alright."
"Where am I?"
"The hospital" said the doctor "you were hit by a car and flew into a phone booth a week ago you've been in a coma since then."
"A coma?"
"Yes and now you've finally recovered."
"So everything was all just a coma dream" said John. 'I see the first time was a dream and then everything after that was just a coma world.'
"Yes you should be better now, we'll keep you overnight just to be on the safe side" they left and John shut his eyes. The lights turned out in the room. 'All just a product of my mind like it could've been anything else.' He opened his eyes a bit and then opened them wide as he saw writing on the ceiling.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE JOHN?
John's arms and legs were then restrained and a hand was put over his mouth.
"Don't worry John" Satako looked at him with cat eyes.
"You'll be back home soon" said Rika.
"He doesn't look too good Rena" said Mion as she kept his mouth covered "better start his treatment."
"Heeeeere's Rena! Ah ha, ha, ha, ha" she swung her hatchet down.