Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni SAI
When They Cry Again
Disclaimer
I do not own Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Kai) or anything like that. My characters are obviously mine, though. That's Mikan, Nanaha, Nina, Kain, Sanyu, Ryouno, Mishi Takano, and Ayu..
Notes
HURRAY! I finished! Aren't you all excited?
I doubt anyone really cares... But if you have a particular arc, 1-3, that you want the answers too, speak now Arc four is answer-question, sorta like Natsumi's arc, so I'll have time to reorganize the answers to fit your preference
. A R C . T H R E E .
The Bleeding Promise Chapter
C h a p t e r 0 1 4 : Cursed End
The group had to regroup. Kain, Ayu, Nanaha and Mikan were all desperate to find Nina, becoming more and more aware of their friend's most likely fate; kidnapping. The festival would be the next day, so most of the town's people were very busy...
"We shouldn't bother them..." Ayu stressed, "I didn't actually see Nina get pulled into the car. She just rolled down the hill..."
"I did too. I think she just ran off." Kain added, his voice possibly being the most concerned, "Anyways, let's split up. Where would she be likely to go?"
Nanaha was the one to answer this, raising her hand. "Home! She would go home! Or to the shrine."
Kain nodded.
"We'll split in twos then. Ayu, you go with Nanaha. I'll take Mikan. That way neither of the two young ladies is alone."
"Hmph! What does that make me?" Ayu grumbled teasingly, "But sure. We'll take the shrine."
"Then we'll check the house." Mikan said firmly, running over and grabbing Kain's arm. It was a real relief that he would be the one taking her; she was still pretty scared of Ayu. Her only worry was that Ayu might hurt Nanaha...
She shuddered at the thought and shook her head, following the older boy as they headed back to the apartments.
They found the apartment completely empty. None of the lights were on, nor were the beds made. Nina's shoes were not by the door and there really wasn't anywhere in the tiny apartment that she could hide.
Kain sighed.
"I guess... We should go to the Shrine and meet the others." He said slowly, glancing over at Mikan. She nodded slowly, walking forward to the desk Nina had been writing at earlier and picking up the slip of paper resting there.
"No time to read, Mikan!" Kain scolded, slapping her hand. The paper slipped out, and the only letter Mikan could read was a bright red "NA" before she was dragged away. She puffed her cheeks childishly and grumbled. Why was Kain acting this way?
Nothing bad could ever happen! They'd find Nina and she'd be laughing and smiling like she always did.
.
As they passed the preparations for the Watanagashi festival, Mikan could already tell that something was up. Everyone was tense and seemed very worried about something. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what. Kain, on the other hand, was completely oblivious as he dragged the black haired girl up the hill and to the shrine.
That's when the trouble began.
There were crows everywhere. Black winged birds were red around their beaks and talons. They cawed and cawed in such a fashion that Mikan was almost forced to shudder, the blood in her body running cold like ice, so much so that she hugged herself and stopped moving.
"Y-you go ahead, Kain." She said quietly, "I'll catch up."
He honestly didn't seem to care. Kain hurried forward, jogging a bit. From the way he moved, Mikan could tell he was excited about seeing that Nina was okay. So why he screamed when he got up to the shrine and looked at the ground, Mikan did not know right away.
"Kain? What's wrong?" She asked in concern, hurrying up to him. Her eyes were fixed on the blonde boy that was staring at the shrine floor, so Mikan didn't realize there was anything under her feet until it went 'squish'.
Squish?
She looked down, noticing something red and sticky on her shoes. It looked lie some sort of thick liquid that had dried a bit in the sun...
Thick red liquid...
By this time, she had a basic idea of what was wrong with Kain. According to common sense, she would not have lifted her head to look at the body that lay naked on the ground. But she did. The sight was enough to bring up her lunch, but not enough to actually make her barf. She covered her mouth and shrieked, stepping back and onto something that squished in a different way.
Flesh.
Nina's body had been torn apart. She lay there in a state of fright, eyes open and tear stains on her cheeks, horror stuck in her expression forever. Her stomach had been ripped open,it seemed, rib cage pried apart so everything inside could be scooped out. Some parts littered the ground, and though the crows were picking away at whatever they could find, Mikan realized some of her 'big sister' had been taken away by something else.
Kain was still staring down in horrified shock when Mikan looked up at him.
"K-Kain! N-n-n-nina is... NINA IS!" She started, shaking all over. Somehow, saying it out loud had brought the cold reality down on her head. Mikan screamed again at the top of her lungs before turning and running. She stumbled and fell, her knees brushing against blood as she toppled off the shrine platform and into the grass.
She finally barfed, sobs mixed in and the two awful scents of blood and old food mixing together to make it all the worse.
Despite this, Kain had not yet moved. It didn't matter to Mikan, though. She was trying to remember. Remember a reason for why this would happen. Why now? Why to them? They were all so happy! What could bring this type of horror into their lives?
"A curse." Whispered a voice behind Mikan. Her eyes went wide. She hated that she recognized it. She hated that. The white haired woman had a strange look on her face... or rather, in her eyes. It was like the life and emotion had all been sucked dry. Her pale arm held something, a long pole. The pole was dripping in blood.
Being too terrified to think straight, Mikan came up with an explanation. Clearly, Kain had too, since he finally moved and went to strangle Ayu.
"What type of sick and twisted thing were you thinking, Ayu?! First you strangle Mikan and now... What do you call what you did to Nina?!"
Mikan had to agree. "Murder" was too soft a word for the mess that lay there for Oyashiro-sama to deal with...
"Oyashiro-sama.." Ayu murmured. Mikan gasped,making another connection. Before, Ayu had mentioned the curse... And she seemed to have noticed that Mikan still had the cursed items... Had this been an attempt to keep Oyashiro-sama's curse at bay? To please him?
The idea brought more tears to Mikan's eyes, tears she began to choke on.
"You didn't have to kill her!" She screamed at Ayu between sobs, getting up and wobbling over to try and help in any way that she could, "Ninee wasn't at fault!"
"Nanaha..." Ayu was just talking to herself,it seemed, almost unable to hear her friends. After ten seconds of trying to break her neck with his hands, Kain just shoved her aside so that she fell to the ground.
"What about Nanaha?! Where is she?!" He demanded.
Ayu didn't reply. She just lay on the grass, having landed inches from Mikan, and stared ahead into nothingness.
Mikan shivered.
"N-no way... Oh... no... Nanaha!!" She called, turning to run away. Before she could start the run, though, Ayu grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground. Mikan screamed again in horror and tried to scramble away, but Ayu was holding her too tightly.
"Quiet." She ordered. Her voice had gone from almost lifeless to firm. Mikan shivered and sobbed, too scared to move. This obviously wasn't good enough for Ayu, because she lifted the pole and brought it down hard on Mikan's legs.
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
Hearing something crack, Mikan broke into a new fit of tears. Ayu was strong! She was almost sure her leg was broken now, and she couldn't run... It hurt so badly that she couldn't find the strength to make sound, just fall to the grass and let tears run down.
Ayu rolled her under the shrine platform before getting up and walking over to Kain...At least, Mikan guessed she was going to Kain. From under the shrine's floor, she could hear Ayu walking around and then they mumbled... Or rather, talked and argued, but Mikan was hurting too badly to put words together.
"Nina... protect... Killed her... Sorry... Screaming... They're come back... Hide... No..." Fragments of the conversation reached her, but she couldn't piece them together properly.
Minutes passed.
They hadn't moved yet. Their bodies still blocked the sun from passing between cracks, so Mikan could vaguely tell where they were. Nina's blood slipped through cracks in the boards as well, dripping both close to and far from Mikan.
Mikan's brain was beginning to shut down the nerves in her leg and spare her some hurting. It was just enough so that, when Kain tapped his foot on the ground for her attention, Mikan could hear.
"Mikan, don't move. Just stay there." He said calmly.
How could he be calm?!
Nina was dead! He was chatting with her murderer!
"Fall asleep." It seemed like he was suggesting it.
He sounded really calm...
And for some reason, Mikan felt a bit calm too. Even though he couldn't see it, she nodded and closed her eyes. The pain and terror must have really worn her out, because even when she heard a thunder of feet above her and the bangs of guns, she was able to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
.
.
"I can't believe that it would happen here.."
"Me neither... So young..."
"And talented...Have you seen this story?"
The paper was passed among the adults crowded in the little room, their clothes black and hearts heavy with grief. The deaths of children hurt everyone, whether they knew the deceased young ones or not.
"Ah.. Yes. She was publishing this in the paper."
"Oh? Really? I'm sure I read it...What's it called?"
"When Cicadas Cry Again." The title was read straight of the paper by the woman holding it, "Or rather... Higurashi no Naku koro ni Sai. By Nina Nijihara."
It wasn't you fault
that you found it
It wasn't your fault
that I died
It wasn't her fault
she tried to save you
It wasn't our fault
at least you tried.
But was it my fault
that it happened
again?