Spartan: Well then, welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, to ANOTHER Installment of I Know I'll See Your Face Again. There's not honestly much to say about this Chapter, apart from that I originally intended for Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 to be one full Chapter. However, since I had written a rather large amount of stuff for it, the Chapter was cut roughly in half. But anyways, with that piece of Trivia out of the way, a Schedule shall be worked up for this Fic. Even Numbered Chapters will be written by myself, Odd Numbered Chapters will be written by Requiem. But, enough about all of this, let's continue!

Requiem: Finally! :P

Elsewhere in Japan...

Far, far away from Heavenly Host, Naho Saenoki sits alone on the floor of the bathroom of the Kibiki residence, curling up nude in the fetal position, clad in only her glasses as she reflects on the strange combination of mostly alien emotions that fill her head.

First, she experiences the great joy of feeling unbearable amounts of happiness, the fact that after feeling the pain of letting herself be consumed by the Darkening, totally loosing herself to the curse and killing the two people closest to her, Sayaka and Kou, she has been given a second chance that is very rare for a traitor of humanity like her. Everyone was alive again, she couldn't feel any happier.

But then, the bittersweet twangs of regret begin to pluck their way into her confused heart, in that has she not been so caught up in trying to impress Kou, trying to make him approve of her, she wouldn't have written up the Sachiko Ever After Charm, and prevent the losses of what must be hundreds, even possibly thousands. Of course, she had been wise enough to delete the instructions for the charm upon awakening, but she still realized that many were still gone, erased from reality, nobody could remember their lonely and utterly cruel fate. Naho had been the one to cause this. Not Sachiko...

She.

Had.

Killed

Them

ALL.

But, she can feel a much more wonderful feeling, the feeling that due to circumstances beyond her control, she has been given a chance to finally redeem her corrupted soul. They all have, the Kisaragi Nine, Naho, the Byoukoden Group, they might be able to finally deal with Heavenly Host, defeat Sachiko and prevent the others from taking her place. She has a feeling of atonement, as though this is her punishment for killing everyone. Now, after causing so much wrong, she can do something right at least once in her pathetic life.

I really should pick myself up, it's not everyday you get to redeem yourself and find a way into the real Heaven, the bespectacled psychic thinks as she slowly picks herself up, shivering at the thought of her bare flesh on the tiled floor. Pushing her red-rimmed glasses up her nose, she looks at herself in the mirror and smiles gently.

"Naho...You really need to stop being trapped in the past...Or...Whatever this is..." she speaks calmly to herself, smiling sweetly at her reflection. After spending so much time trapped in Heavenly Host, experiencing the pure agony of her death every time a clock turned its insidious hand, it is so nice to finally regain the freedom the smile again. In fact, she begins to do it more than she ever remembers doing in her life, baring her teeth in a smile some would consider rather unsettling.

Only one in a lifetime would somebody be given this chance, to change the past, to make things turn out for the better, to change the course of reality and give it the correct ending her story deserves! To change the direction that cold hands of the clock of fate force everybody to go in.

Suddenly, although she stands in the one suite, her door locked so Kou won't see her nudity, she hears the muffled jingle of her phone. Grinning again, she quickly leaps out of the bathroom and into Kou's currently unused bed, landing on the bed with a loud thumping sound as she picks up the phone and sees she has a new message shine from it.

Gmorning Sleepyhead! Tried 2 ring ya earlier. xD

-Sayaka

Seeing that simple text, Naho begins to chuckle softly as she read that Sayaka is alive again. She is indeed safe, alive and well.

Soz. Busy. R U OK? :3 is Naho's quick response.

Am Good. U? U don't really text like this. :O I like it!

Naho merely pushes her glasses back up her nose.

Feeling great. Say, would u fancy going 2 the Films? :3

Replies Naho, trying to just ignore everything about Heavenly Host. Today, she is going to spend with Kou, Sayaka and all her friends she missed. She'd cut off Sachiko's Charm, there's no other way to enter the school without knowing of that charm.

Oohhh...What do u fancy? That new chick flick! :D :D :D JK, I know you'll hate that!

Naho thinks intently, trying to think about what movie she and Sayaka would love to see. However, as she sorts through her mind, she notices her laptop is still on, she sees a couple of responses to her last blog post. However, instead of being about the blog's post, they are about something else, namingly everyone trying to find out why she'd deleted the charm.

"Oh Christ...I should've known this was gonna be harder than I thought. I guess this is when reality comes crashing in," she grumbles as she reads through the never-ending soup of long replies, all of them annoyingly asking why she'd deleted the charm.

However, one reply seems to show something a lot more sinister.

Naho. A word. -Yuki

Seeing that name written there makes Naho's blood run cold. She remembers that name from Heavenly Host. Yuki Kanno, one of the students killed in the 1973 murders. Naho begins to type in a private response, her pale finger slightly shaking. "Come on, you can do this. You're Naho and you're special enough to even be alive now."

N4H0: Yuki? As in Yuki Kanno? Prove it.

Anon. User 222: Sayaka's last thoughts were that you murdered her out of homophobic rage.

Naho chokes. Even though she knows that Sayaka wasn't Heterosexual (Although Naho didn't often bring it up since that is a topic to be saved for when the time is right), she couldn't believe that Sayaka thought that Naho killed her because Sayaka had a crush on her. She only considers Sayaka a friend, but to think her last moments were filled with betrayal, torment and confusion just make her have the desire to throw up in the tub she just left. Naho grinds her teeth together as she quickly hammers out a response.

N4H0: yOU SONOFAFUCKINGBITCH!

Anon. User 222: My bad, I only speak the truth. But otherwise, I need to speak with you. It's important.

N4H0: What the fuck do you want? You one-eyed bitch?

Anon. User 222: Manners please Naho! Do you forget that I died when I was a kid? Anyway, I want to speak with you about this whole time loop. Ryou and I also remember.

N4H0: Oh joy, another way to die then?

Anon. User 222: For you, possibly. But for your biggest fan, maybe not.

If Naho didn't know any better, she would have been easily confused by this statement, but after she traveled to Heavenly Host, but as she has been to the demented school, and had met one of her biggest fans, Ayumi Shinozaki if her memory is correct, who had foolishly followed her advice on that cursed charm to travel to Heavenly Host with eight other friends of hers. Ayumi was the most interesting of the group, all the others that she meet seemed to know nothing about the occult. Although she was already dead by the time she met Ayumi, she knows that the chances of a Shinozaki entering Heavenly Host, dominated by Sachiko Shinozaki, are small.

N4H0: You mean Ayumi Shinozaki? From Kisaragi?

Anon. User 222: Correct Naho. You learn quickly. Anyways, out of the Nine People from Kisaragi Academy: Ayumi, Satoshi, Naomi, "The Delinquent", Yuka, Yui, Morishige, "That Gore Stain", Seiko. Of these, only Ayumi, Satoshi, Naomi and Yuka got out alive. Why? I'm sure you want to know.

Of course, considering that Naho used to be the pawn of Sachiko in the real world, Naho did know most of the more complex features of Heavenly Host, so she knows that the way that the four escaped was by appeasing Sachiko. But they didn't just appease Sachiko, they managed to convince her and possibly her mother, Yoshie, to move on to the afterlife. In the short amount of time between the four escaping the school and the beginning of the time loop, Yuki Kanno had been able to take Sachiko's role.

N4H0: She appeased Sachiko. But not enough it seems, judging by the fact I'm still alive and your still a pawn!

A period of silence passes by quickly, Yuki seemingly shocked to reply. Naho is surprised too, for she did not know Yuki could talk this way or know this information, due to her being a kid at the time of her death. She guesses that being undead for a long time gives you some information about how things work.

Anon. User 222: Exactly! And I fear that unless the Kisaragi Nine do their jobs correctly in some time line, then it's possible that time may be stuck in this infinite loop. tomorrow will be today.

Naho shivers at that thought, she knows about how time loops are very common in all types of fiction, but the thought of being trapped in a never-ending day, being one of the few people who actually knows it is occurring for all eternity, almost feels worse to her then being trapped in Heavenly Host suffering the pain of her demise for the rest of existence.

N4H0: Who knew Sachi was such a sore loser? But I presume you're not using your ghostly powers to master Interdimensional Communications for nothing right?

Anon. User 222: Once again Naho, you're right. It's surprising you were never this correct with acting how you should have in the school...But I think I MIGHT know what's truly going on, why time is looping. And I fear it may be out of even Sachiko's hands...

Unlike Sachiko's one-eyed slave, Naho knows that is a fact. When she was summoned to a dream world upon awakening this morning, she saw that even Sachiko was scared and confused. That just chills her further, that even Sachiko might not understand this. And that there could be something even worse than her...

N4H0: So do you have a theory?

Almost a whole minute passes by before Yuki replies, Naho almost fearing that Yuki has been trying to pique her attention and then flee, just to scare her.

Anon. User 222: Yes I do. And as somebody who is technically undead, you can help me. In my many years here, you happen to notice certain quirks with the ghosts of those you kill. And the most common one I noticed, is that when somebody meets their end in the school...There's a period between their death and the appearance of their Ghost. There...Necroparturition so to say...Anyways, most ghosts, regardless of their demise, usually appear around 2 to 3 hours after death. Of course, this is completely separate to people like you, who are consumed by your greed.

When Naho had visited Heavenly Host, she saw that the ghosts were relatively untalkative, mostly focused on killing and did not really seem to do much beside find people to kill and kill. So the revelation that Yuki at least ,and probably Sachiko, knowing how sick she is, often takes notes on how victims are found in the school, did shock her. Her eyes widen in shock as she reads this, and the stealthy insult at the end. Wanting to keep her cool, she takes a deep breath.

N4H0: Just keep talking, you fucking cyclops!

Anon. User 222: Anyways, usually, ghosts appear between 2 and 3 hours after their death. Those who are completely consumed by the Darkening are usually destroyed completely, of course you were lucky because of your unique psychic behaviors. I imagine nonexistance must be awful, but that is aside the point. So, using this evidence I found and my basic maths, 9 Hours in the school passed between the closure of the school and the time loop beginning. You were talking to the hanging lesbian, right? Anyways, in that time, the body of "The Delinquent" never expelled it's soul.

Naho, despite her relatively photogenic memory, almost fails to remember who The Delinquent was, but upon thinking back, she realizes that Ayumi Shinozaki was often with her blonde friend, Yoshiki Kishinuma she believes. Of the Fallen Kisaragi (Seiko, Mayu, Morishige, Yui and Yoshiki), he was the only one who had managed to survive to the very end of Sachiko's reign, until meeting his untimely fate right afterwards.

After everything that Yoshiki Kishinuma had been through in this nightmarish stay in Heavenly Host, most would expect that he would be the only survivor of the group, considering that he had the brawn, cared for all of his friends, was seriously wounded by Yoshikazu, something usually fatal, in fact, Yoshiki had survived nearly everything Sachiko had thrown at him and blood loss, possible infections due to his open and still slightly bleeding wounds, and that he never let his emotions get to his head unlike the others.

He outlived Seiko.

He outlived Mayu.

He outlived Morishige.

He outlived Yui.

He had to live on for all of them.

For the first few minutes after Sachiko Shinozaki was sent to the afterlife with her loving mother Yoshie, Yoshiki probably thought it was all over. They had won, Heavenly Host would be freed, the ghosts of all of his friends would be allowed to move on. The school would likely crumble away and they'd all awaken, alive and well at Kisaragi.

Sadly for all involved, he was wrong.

One of the ghosts, likely Yuki, arrived in the basement, freeing the four from their bondage before she announced that by removing Sachiko from the school, they had managed to earn themselves time to flee. But the school wouldn't dissolve into nothingness and free the spirits. No, instead, Yuki would take Sachiko's role as "The Girl In The Red Dress", and that if they didn't manage to exit the school by the time the clock rang twelve, they would be trapped there forever. Of course, if they were to hold out in the school until another group arrived and stole one's charm, they could possibly escape, for Yuki did not know what would truly happen during that situation, certain survival or certain death. Knowing Yoshiki Kishinuma, he probably reacted quickly, assisting Ayumi, Satoshi and Yuka the best he could towards the school entrance, each of them running as fast as their young bodies would take them, no matter how much their legs, feet, etc hurt.

Exactly how Naomi Nakashima, who had been separate from the group for a while, was able to find out that Sachiko had been appeased and she and the other four could escape, still mystifies Naho, so it's likely that Yoshiki too was confused, but considering that the biggest thought that would be running through their heads would be the thought that they had to escape, he likely didn't think too much about it. Whilst Naho likes to think that Seiko could have texted her about it, she still didn't understand. By that time, she was dead, so it is understandable why she has a lack of information.

Regardless of the how's, Naomi managed to catch up with the others. Judging by the evidence of Seiko Shinohara's spirit, who had been following Naomi towards the exit, giving her praise and encouragement the whole time apparently, the powerful Yoshiki was leading the charge, despite being injured and not the fastest. It was likely that he was trying to make sure nothing could jump out on the others. Satoshi was next, clutching dear Yuka in his hands tightly as if nothing would cause him to drop her. Ayumi brought up the rear, having initially been leading before literally bumping into Naomi, who was running a little ahead of her.

However, with only three more clock strikes to go, Heavenly Host had one last victim to torment.

Poor Naomi Nakashima, ever since Seiko had been killed, she had been suffering the most, having been driven to suicide thanks to the Darkening that was close to her heart, been possessed by the aforementioned Darkening often and only the powers of the ghost of Seiko that kept her sane. But, at the last hurdle, Naomi saw something horrifying.

An entire classroom, nearly empty aside from the illusion of a hung Seiko Shinohara, her brown hair now a down from her unusual ponytails and a complete mess, some saliva still leaving her lips and dripping to the floor, her eyes bulged out wide, hair sickeningly covering them as she swayed there, lifeless. The thought of how Naomi had done this, had strung Seiko up and let her die, almost crippled the her. She collapsed to the floor, shrieking in guilt as she rushed to seemingly try and take Seiko's corpse with her. Whilst Ayumi had been behind Naomi, she continued towards the portal, telling Yoshiki. The brave delinquent ran back for her at the sound of the 3rd Strike, clearly putting his own life far below Naomi's. His mind was most likely rushing with thoughts about people not caring about him thanks to his rebellious ways.

He almost had to physically drag her towards the portal, constantly yelling that Seiko would want Naomi to live and that she would always be with Naomi. It seems that this managed to give her the energy to sprint towards the portal, the 2nd Clock Strike occurring as they both neared the portal. They only had seconds left.

Realizing this, Ayumi quickly pushed both Mochida's through the portal, waiting to help get both Naomi and Yoshiki through it. Just seconds from the final strike before the the final gateway to freedom closed, Yoshiki made the snap decision to physically throw Naomi through the portal, sacrificing his life for her own. Throwing her with both hands via her left hand, she flew through the air, colliding with Ayumi and sending both straight through the opening, with miliseconds to spare.

The final clockstrike occurred, and although Yoshiki tried to leap through the portal, he was too late and it unfortunately shut...

On his torso.

As a result, Yoshiki Kishinuma died sacrificing his life for Naomi, his lower half having been left in the school for the rest of eternity, whilst his upper half was likely with the rest of them back in the original timeline this all started from, but she doubted it had returned to Kisaragi as well. Something about this case of courage stroke her as odd, even if she could not exactly tell anybody what about it was so.

Naho shakes her head, returning to reality after running the thought through her head almost like an old tape. She understood what had happened to Yoshiki, and realizes that, when she and Seiko spoke before the loop began, neither saw Yoshiki's ghost.

N4H0: Maybe his soul was lost in the portal?

Anon. User 222: Unlikely. His existence was erased from the pictures on Miss Suzumoto's phone. It's impossible for his soul to be lost it then. Either it would remain in Heavenly Host, or be sent to the real world. Considering the blotted out face along with Seiko, "The Gore Stain", Morishige and Mayu's, it's likely his soul remained in the school somewhere.

N4H0: Then why did his soul not appear?

Anon. User 222: Exactly what I am thinking. I believe that this loop of time is in fact not related to Sachiko whatsoever, and is instead, that due to the snap decision of "The Delinquent" in saving Naomi, somebody who should have survived didn't. Think about it, of the Kisaragi Nine, Seiko was hung by Naomi, Mayu was thrown into the wall by me, Ryou and Toki, Morshige went mad and jumped out of a window, only to be stabbed by that Pedo Psycho moments afterwards and Yui sacrificed herself to save her students. EVERY DEATH was due to Heavenly Host in one way. Yoshiki however, died due to his own decision, at a time when nobody ran the school.

N4H0: This all seems unlikely...

Anon. User 222: How come then fate seems to have rewound time to before Yoshiki and the others enter the school?

N4H0: Makes sense I presume. But then why did you need to speak to me? Why not Sachiko?

Anon. User 222: Well that's simple. I fear Sachiko.

Although ever since Naho had woken up today, it seems that she was constantly getting chills, this legitimately makes her eyes widen in shock, her fingers curl into fists.

N4H0: Bullshit.

Anon. User 222: You know Naho, you really do have a habit of letting your emotions run before your senses, even as a woman of science and evidence. You wouldn't last long in Heavenly Host...Oh wait. But, enough about you. If Sachiko had the ability to kill somebody, then prevent their death, then kill them again. She would take it even if she'd have to sacrifice Heavenly Host. She is insane! If she was alive right now, she'd be the real life version of those monsters created by that artist Junji Ito! Nothing, will stop her from killing. Not even Yoshie!

As Yuki lists off her fears of how deranged Sachiko has become, Naho begins to realize it all. She knows why Yuki turned to her and not Sachiko.

N4H0: And you fear that if Sachiko finds out that time is looping due to Yoshiki Kishinuma's influence, that she try to make sure that Yoshiki will sacrifice himself for Naomi Nakashima, that way, Sachiko never has to go to die and be sent to whatever place she goes. She gets free run of Heavenly Host for all eternity!

Another pause fills the screen of the laptop. Clearly either Yuki is writing something big or deleting something even bigger.

Anon. User 222: You understand. I like Sachiko as a twisted form of a friend, but this can't occur! She cannot keep time repeating itself like this whilst the others are none-the-wiser...It's pure insanity! I can't stand the thought of not being myself for even longer than eternity!

N4H0: Let me guess. You want the help of Naho Saenoki?

Anon. User 222: Yes. Unless we stop Sachiko, then we'll be forever stuck in this day forever! Nobody else will know. But know this, regardless of if you fail to come to Heavenly Host today, you still shall die. Death is a full stop, not a coma. Neither Kou nor Sayaka will live to see sunset. Of course, that is unless you choose to help me.

Naho takes a very deep swallow. She knows that the chances are that if she goes to Heavenly Host, it's highly unlikely she'll survive, especially if Kou, Sayaka and the others follow her. But if she doesn't, then they will be stuck in a loop of constantly dying until something happens. Naho knows what she must do.

N4H0: Deal. But three things first. 1, promise me that you'll keep Kou and Sayaka from dying after I complete this task or I will exorcise you into Hell...2. I will not recreate the instructions for the Sachiko Ever After. 3, Don't try and be sneaky Yuki Kanno, I know you're merely in this since you want the power Sachiko wields for yourself. Don't take me as an idiot, I am far from being one.

Naho feels very powerful now, she has turned around what was initially an inescapable pathway, and turned it into a place were she can control the rules. She must stop Sachiko, for Kou, for Sayaka, for the Kisaragi Nine, for all those she killed...

Meanwhile back in Tenjin, Japan...

Unlike the rest of the track that has preceded it, the end of the song currently filling the ears of Yoshiki Kishinuma is rather quiet and simple, consisting only of the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar and the rattling jingles of a tambourine, much to the disappointment of the thug-faced youth, who is currently lying with his head perched up by the aisle seat of the school bus bound for Kisaragi Academy, his soft blue eyes staring down his rather scrappy looking uniform and shoes and making him able to see the passing scenery of Tenjin, his earbuds filling his ears with the local radio station's morning program.

"Don't Go Away by Oasis, and before that, Aneurysm by Nirvana. You're listening to DJ Yuji Koga live on Onsei FM's 90s Nippon Hour! Coming up, we've got Mr. Children and Radiohead, so don't go anywhere! But before then, here's the news!" says the very enthusiastic voice of the DJ Yuji Koga through the headphones of Yoshiki as the song finally ends its relaxing melody, DJ Koga is a rather ragged voiced yet humorous DJ who had made his career with comedies in the 1980s before becoming a talk show host in the 1990s when his career fizzled out, now he is stuck performing on the local radio station, Onsei FM between the Hours of 5am and 12pm.

As Yoshiki slowly lifts his head up somewhat, reaching for his phone to change the radio station during the break on Onsei FM as the first tacky jingle of an advert begins. Due to his laying position, Yoshiki has to admit that sometimes, his loner attitude and thuggish face gives him some good things, but mostly bad things, as the bus bounces on a slight bump in the road, Yoshiki feels his eyes droop with tiredness. That is what he gets for having his sister wake him up he guesses.

Man, I really should get to bed earlier, thinks Yoshiki as he peers over to the seat behind him, seeing his sister Miki sitting down, idly chatting with a male Student friend of hers. Rolling his eyes at his sisters apparent dating habits, the blonde-haired male thinks idly, still listening to the adverts.

Seriously? Miki's at it again with another guy? Why don't our parents yell at her for that and have to hate my very guts instead? he grumbles to himself, clearly thinking more to protect his sister then to merely let her have some friends. Opening his mouth to speak, Yoshiki suddenly realizes something.

I bet this is probably what would happen if Ayumi had a brother...he chuckles gently upon realizing this, merely smiling sweetly at his sister and her male friend. It is good she has friends, because I don't want her to end up a nobody like me.

"Something the matter, Bro?" Miki asks with a sly grin, tilting her head to one crooked side, her eyes staring at her brother with a knowing look.

"Nothing sis. It's just good to see you happy" he happily explains, slowly lifting up his head so he can see more easily outside.

"We're almost at our stop. Ha ha, oh I think I should introduce you to my friend! You know my friend from Byakudan Senior High School, Tohko Kirisaki remember, this is another one of her friends!" Miki informs him with the same old smile glued on her face. She twirls her hair around a bit before finishing the introduction. "His name is Yuuya Kizami!"

Requiem-Dun dun dun.

Sachiko-Stop it with the twists while editing, Requiem.

Requiem-NEVER!

Sachiko-...You know what, just make sure this dumb idiot shuts up and do all the things that you normally do. You know, comment, fav, follow, hate, whatever. I don't care anymore.

Requiem-Stop being such a downer or I'll bring Vanitas back again.

Sachiko-You wouldn't dare.

Requiem-Try me. ;)