Okay, here's chapter 2!
Chapter 2:Rumors
"Hey, Kudo, are you really sure it's okay if we let Ryuuguu-san stay by herself?" Heiji asked, once they were out of earshot of the woman.
"Oi, Hattori, stop. She's probably going to be fine. She'll find a place to stay for the night." Shinichi remarked, as the five friends made their way back to their car.
"Still, we should have at least gotten her something to eat." Ran said sympathetically, exchanging a pleading glance at Shinichi.
The detective frowned. "Hey, Ran, don't look at me like that...."
"But, Shinichi, it was mean to leave her alone like that. I think we should at least make sure she's okay...."
"Relax, Ran-chan. I guarantee you Ryuuguu-san will be fine!" Kazuha said, winking.
Ran's expression softened, and she said perkily, "You think so?"
Kazuha said reassuringly, "Yes, I'm sure!"
"I hope she's fine, Toyama." Shiho said, causing them all to stare at her.
"She said something about "curses" and "Oyashiro-sama". I think she's pretty superstitious, or maybe even unstable mentally." Shiho remarked, noticing Shinichi's eyes narrow.
"She didn't seem that way when I talked to her. She seemed perfectly fine. All I know is she has something to do with The Great Hinamizawa Disaster. She told me she was a resident here. Somehow, I think she's more involved in this than she lets on." Shinichi deducted, earning a nod of assent from both Heiji and Shiho.
"Come on, Shinichi, she's a nice woman. What could possibly be wrong with her?" Ran inquired.
Shinichi said, "I don't know. All I can say is, I've got a bad feeling about this place...." he said as they drove on to their hotel.
As they parked their car and headed to the main lobby, they went through the doors to the lobby, but as soon as they did, they stopped.
"Do you guys hear that?" Kazuha questioned.
"Yeah, Kazuha. It sounds like some argument or something. It sounds like it's coming from the other side of the lobby. Let's check it out." Heiji pointed out.
As they walked over and stood near where the commotion was going on, they saw a crowd forming around a young man around 37. He had blond hair and seemed very scared.
"Why is a Hojo like you in this town!" One person cried accusingly.
"I thought you damned traitors all died in the disaster but I guess not! Still, you've got some guts showing your cowardly faces into town!" Another taunted.
As the man stood up, Shinichi noted with surprise that his eyes were pink. "Leave me alone. I was born a Hojo. What my family did has nothing to do with me. Leave me alone, please." He said calmly, not at all fazed by all the hateful stares he was getting.
There was silence for a moment, then the crowd burst into derisive laughter. "Leave you alone? Us! Ha! You filthy traitor! You expect us to leave you alone, after your family supported the dam that nearly flooded Hinamizawa? You're freaking crazy! You should leave and never come back, you filthy-" ZAP!
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and one of the members of the crowd fell, unconscious. "Who did that?" The crowd asked, getting tense.
Suddenly, Shinichi, Ran, Kazuha, Heiji, and Shiho all saw a woman with long green hair tied with a yellow ribbon jump in front of the blonde, shielding him from the crowd. In her hand was a taser shooting electricity.
"If you want to pick on someone, pick on me, a Sonozaki! Yes, that's right! I, Sonozaki Shion, dare you to touch this man! If you do, prepare to go to the hospital!" The woman shrieked.
"Tough girl!" Shinichi remarked.
"She's pretty fierce." Ran remarked in wonder.
The crowd slowly backed away in fear. Then, they all looked at one another, and fled.
Shinichi and his friends quickly backed away to let the fleeing crowd disperse among them.
The woman helped the man up to his feet. "Are you all right, Satoshi-kun?" She asked, worry evident in her voice.
"Yeah, I think so. I guess a lot of people still hate my family, even though everyone's gone except me. Even Satoko is gone." He said, tears starting to form in his pink eyes.
"It's all right, Satoshi. No matter what, I'll always be here for you." She said soothingly.
"Excuse me? What was going on here earlier?" Shinichi questioned, and Shion and Satoshi turned around to see five teenagers staring at them incredulously.
"Oh, you're just kids? We thought you were more "fans" of my husband." Shion said, relieved.
"Who are you guys, anyway?" Heiji questioned.
"I'm Sonozaki Shion. And this is my handsome husband, Satoshi Houjo. He's not really well-liked by the local residents here." She stated calmly. "And who are you five?"
"I'm Ran Mouri. These are my friends, Kazuha Toyama, Heiji, Shiho, and Shinichi." She said happily.
"Nice to meet you, Ran. " Shion said politely.
"I was wondering, Sonozaki-san? Are you a resident of this town?" Shinichi asked.
"No, I was a resident of Hinamizawa. And so was Satoshi here." She said.
"Could you tell us about Hinamizawa? Like what were some of its myths?" Kazuha inquired.
Shion looked thoughtful, then she said, "They used to have a festival on the 7th of June every year, the Watanagashi festival. It honored their god, Oyashiro-sama. But, there were also a lot of disappearances and killings on that day as well." She said, noticing the shocked looks on their faces.
"Hinamizawa was originally named Onigafuchi. It's said that demons lurked in the swamps just outside of Hinamizawa. Also, the villagers were reported to be demons in disguise who were also....cannibalistic." Satoshi remarked, suddenly feeling itchy.
"Cannibalistic?" Ran and Kazuha said, looking very pale by now. Shinichi, Shiho, and Heiji looked very intrigued.
"Yes, they used to have an ancient shrine that was filled with torture tools. The Saiguden, I believe it was called. I-" She was cut off when Satoshi interrupted her.
"I'm itchy. I should scratch, Shion." Satoshi said, staring at his hands.
"Satoshi! Satoshi?! Don't you dare do it again! Stay strong! I'll take you to the doctors!" Shion said, grabbing Satoshi by the arm and leading him away.
Shinichi stared after their retreating forms. "That was strange. This Hinamizawa is really turning into something interesting. Na, Hattori?"
"Yeah, Kudo. I just want to know about why that girl Shion was acting so weird." Heiji said.
Rena stood on a hill, watching the lonely and abandoned town of Hinamizawa as the sun set.
"It itches. It still itches...." She scratched her throat a little. She stared, horrified. Maggots? Not again! I thought once I had left Hinamizawa and started a new life, Oyashiro-sama wouldn't curse me!
"EEK! My blood is still filthy! What if....Oyashiro's here right now, watching me?" Rena's eyes contorted with madness.
"Hau......" Said an echoed voice, much like a child's and an echoed footstep was heard. Rena stopped. "Is that you....Oyashiro-sama?"
Suddenly, a figure appeared. A small girl with horns appeared in front of Rena, who stared. "Rena, you must not dwell on the past. You must leave Hinamizawa. You will have another chance to make things right. But for now, trust in these young teenagers. They and they alone hold the key to your happiness." The girl said, her red eyes serious.
"Are you...Oyashiro-sama?" Rena uttered.
"Yes, my name is......Hanyuu." She uttered. "Rena, don't forget...Shion is not dead." The spirit girl, faded away.
"Shion-chan is....alive?" Rena said. "I'm not cursed. I was wrong. But, what about the maggots?"
Suddenly, a final "Hauu" echoed through the air, and then everything was silent.
That night, Shinichi couldn't sleep. He suddenly saw a figure outside his window.
From the shape, it looked like.....
"Rena?" Shinichi uttered.
Rena was crying, and pounded on Shinichi's window.
"What? What is going on here?" Shinichi said, confused.
Another cliffie!