AWAKENING CHAPTER PART 3: KISS

"I'm…a Kamen Rider," said Shinichi.

"A Kamen Rider?" Rika looked towards Hanyuu for answers but the spirit girl just shrugged.

"What is a Kamen Rider?" asked Hanyuu.

"I'm not too sure myself. Remember, I have amnesia, but as far as I know they are warriors of justice," said Shinichi. "And I'm one of them."

"What about your abilities?" asked Rika further. "You can reset time."

"I don't know how I can do it, but I can. It allows me to save lives," said Shinichi, "Lives I failed to save."

Rika frowned and Shinichi gazed at the two girls. There was definitely something off about them. Rika had spoken in a deep and adult-like voice. Hanyuu, of course, was just as odd. For a moment he thought he could see a pair of horns on her head but that was probably just his eyes playing tricks on him…maybe.

"I see," said Rika. "And what of those creatures?"

"I don't know what they're called," admitted Shinichi. "All I know is that I must fight them."

Rika accepted that answer. Still, there was so much about Shinichi she didn't know and since he had amnesia he didn't have much to tell her. His past was a secret even to him, but she knew that he was in Hinamizawa for a reason.

"Is that all?" Shinichi asked.

Rika beamed and said in her usual child-like voice which matched her face, "Sure, Shinichi! See you later!" She waved and ran off with Hanyuu following close behind.

The date he had with Rena had gone the way it has before, with the exception of the Darkloid attacking them. After they came home, Rena gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave him a cute smile.

"I love you too, Shin-kun," she answered. "Love you."

Shinichi smiled, with a huge blush on his face. For once in his life and for as long as he could remember, which wasn't long, he was really happy…and he swore he would do anything to protect Rena, his angel, from harm. He wasn't going to let her die again.

When Monday came around, the pair walked to school. Oddly enough they hadn't run into any of their friends, yet. Of course, Shinichi felt a sinking suspicion that something was waiting for them at school.

When they entered their classroom, they were instantly welcomed.

"SURPRISE, LOVEBIRDS!" Mion yelled out.

He was right.

"Good morning, Mion," said Shinichi as he rubbed his sore ears from her loud yell.

"So, judging from the way Rena-san's smiling you both had a really good date," observed Satoko. "Oh ho. Did you give her a goodnight kiss?"

"None of your business," Shinichi replied as he took his seat.

"C'mon man, none of us have active love lives at the moment," Keiichi snickered. "All we can do at the moment is live through the pair of you."

"Then why don't you ask out Mion or Shion on a date?" asked Shinichi, causing Keiichi to blink. "Mion probably be more than happy to go on a date with you. Shion might be carrying a torch for someone though."

"Eh?" Keiichi blinked.

"SHIN-CHAN!" Mion shrieked, obviously overhearing the boys.

"Gotta run!" Shinichi grinned as he bolted from the classroom with Mion screaming bloody murder after him.

"COME BACK HERE, SHIN-CHAN!" Mion shouted as she chased after the boy with a red blush decorating her cheeks.

"Aw…Shin-kun is so cute…" Rena swooned.

Mion had Shinichi pinned against the wall and was glaring at him hotly. Shinichi's annoying and smug expression hadn't left his face. "Damn you, Shin-chan…"

"You're cute when you're angry, you know that, Mion?" Shinichi pointed out, "And that blush makes you look even cuter."

"S-s-shut up, you baka!" Mion yelled in his face.

Shinichi became serious, "Mion, I know you like Keiichi. Why don't you tell him?"

"I…don't know what you're talking about!" Mion snapped. "Kei-chan is just a friend!"

"So, if another girl were to ask him out you wouldn't care?" Mion's response was silence. "Heh, thought so."

"You don't understand," said Mion. "Kei-chan and I are friends and well…dating could complicate things."

"Rena and I are friends too and I took the chance to tell her how I felt," Shinichi said.

"That's different."

"Is it? Well, I've learnt that even with all the time in the world, if you don't take a chance at anything you may lose out and regret it." He added, "And I know Mion Sonozaki doesn't like to lose."

Mion looked down. That was when Rena showed up. "Mion, I forgot to give you your punishment game too!"

Mion blanched. Hopefully she didn't have to wear something overly cute. "OK, Rena." She got off Shinichi who felt relieved. "What do you want?"

"Take Keiichi-kun on a date this Sunday!" Rena challenged.

"W-w-what!" Mion yelled out in shock.

"Nice one, Rena-chan!" Shinichi gave his girlfriend a thumbs up. Rena gave him a 'V' sign and smiled back.

"Nnnng!" Mion groaned. She was beginning to regret thinking up the punishment game rule.

Shinichi and Rena kept a sharp eye on Mion during the lunch hour. They had to push her a little, but they managed to get her going towards Keiichi. The girl was flame –faced for a while, but she managed to get to Keiichi and talk to him. Words were exchanged and Keiichi turned bright red. Another moment and Mion bolted from the scene with her face a beet red. Both Shinichi and Rena laughed at that, having successfully played cupid for the day.

"We're good," Shinichi grinned.

"Yup!" Rena smiled as she slipped onto Shinichi's lap. "Now open up! I want to feed you lunch today."

Shinichi blushed as he heard everyone cheer and whistle at how close he and Rena were becoming. He decided to let Rena do what she wanted. "OK, Rena-chan. I look forward to your lunches any day."

"Hau! You're so cute!"

Keiichi and Mion barely said any words to each other but after school ended the Gaming Club assembled together for some fun. Mion shyly looked towards Keiichi who was looking down at the ground with a blush.

"What's this? Onee and Kei-chan are speechless? How interesting," said Shion.

"I wonder what happened between them," Rika commented.

"Mii-chan and Keiichi-kun are going on a date!" Rena announced for the whole club to hear.

"RENA!" Keiichi and Mion shouted out to their friend.

"EEEEE!" Shion gasped with bright eyes. "Sugoi! I knew you two could do it! Mion's been having such a crush on you but was too scared to say anything! She even made me swear not to tell! I'm so happy for you two!"

"EH? REALLY?" Keiichi gaped at the now bright red Mion. The usually brash sister of the twins was now dead silent and looking at the ground.

"You mean she didn't confess?" Shion asked with confusion.

"It…it was a punishment game that Rena thought up," Keiichi spoke with a blush as he turned to Mion. "Huh? Mion?"

Mion's face was beet red, but now she was crying. Covering her face, she took off running. She didn't want to face anyone anymore. The club was stunned as they saw their leader run off. Of course, Shinichi knew what to do.

"Go after her you dope!" he frowned as he kicked Keiichi's butt. The stunned boy got his senses back before he started running after the girl.

"I hope Mii-chan's going to be okay," Rena frowned in concern.

"Hopefully Keiichi can help her," said Shinichi. Shinichi knew that despite acting like a tomboy, Mion had an inner softer side. She was shy about her feelings despite being loud and forward. She did have feelings for Keiichi but they needed help to move forward.

"Mion! Mion, wait! Stop!" Keiichi yelled as he chased after Mion. With a burst of speed he caught up with her and grabbed her hand. She resisted.

"Let me go, Kei-chan!" Mion demanded.

"Mion, is it true that you've liked me all this time?" Keiichi asked. She remained silent. He repeated, "Is it true?" He still kept his grip firm.

Mion seemed almost like it would hurt to answer. Till, there was no way of avoiding it at this point. Shion had blurted it out for everyone to hear. Looking to Keiichi with a tear-stained face, she nodded; making her heart beat a little faster, part of her hoping for a good answer.

"Why…didn't you say anything?" Keiichi asked in confusion.

"Because…we had become such good friends and having a lot of fun in the club," Mion sniffled. "I…I didn't want anything to change and to ruin that because I confessed and you turned me down. That would make things awkward."

"…I wouldn't have turned you down," Keiichi replied, making Mion's eyes widen as she looked at a blushing Keiichi. "Part of me was hoping…that this date might lead to something more y'know?"

Mion's blush had settled down to a rosy hue, but she was just as bright, "Kei-chan…"

"I guess I had better make this date extra special then," Keiichi grinned. "It will be our first…and hopefully not our last."

"KEI-CHAN!" Mion cried as she glomped onto her friend and Sunday date. If she did things right, her new boyfriend too.

CLICK!

FLASH!

The two teens gasped when they saw Shinichi standing not too far away with his camera in hand. "A picture is worth 1000 words, but I think this will be worth a whole lot more," he said, grinning widely. Rena then stepped out behind him, smiling wide as well.

"Kawaii!" Rena gushed. "Omochikaeri!"

Mion and Keiichi blushed beet red before separating. After several moments they both burst out laughing. Of course, the laughter stopped and both were looking towards Rena and Shinichi sinisterly.

"Uh oh." Shinichi gulped. "Rena, we better run."

"OK!" Rena grabbed Shinichi's arm and began running with him in tow. Actually, he was being dragged through the air by his remarkable girlfriend as Keiichi and Mion gave chase.

A few days later, at his job, Shinichi was busy sweeping away as usual in the clinic. The day was slow and not many people were coming in for medical needs. That just made Shinichi's job easier. As he was sweeping, he walked through a door to try and get some of the dirt that was under it. As it was opened, Shinichi suddenly felt like a wall of darkness hit him. Gagging slightly, he looked up, preparing to transform in case there was a Darkling or a Darkloid. He entered and followed his senses, walking down the stairs to the basement. While he expected to face the dark fiends, instead, he saw several people asleep on beds, hooked up to machines that monitored brain and heart activity. They were also heavily sedated. The familiar taint of darkness coming off of the people was eerily familiar.

"I guess your curiosity got the better of you,"

"Ah!" Shinichi cried as he whipped around. That's when he saw a solemn Dr. Irie who had a look disappointment on his face. "Doc! I…I was trying to sweep and get the dust out...I wasn't paying attention...I...I…PLEASE DON'T FIRE ME!"

"Calm down," Dr. Irie sighed. "Since you already saw that, do you want to know what's going on?"

"Well…it would be helpful I guess," Shinichi shuddered. "What's wrong with these people? Why are they all in comas?"

"They're not," Dr. Irie answered as she began checking vitals. "They're all heavily sedated. All of them are victims of Hinamizawa Syndrome."

"What's that?" asked Shinichi.

"We're not fully sure. It's only affected people in this area," Dr. Irie explained. "People turn paranoid, demented, and finally start getting murderous or suicidal. Neither way is very pretty. We can recognize the symptoms early so we sedate them to make sure they don't harm anyone else or themselves."

"Shion knows one of them, doesn't she?" asked Shinichi. "She comes to visit someone here."

"Satoshi," Dr. Irie nodded. "Tragic really. Shion has a crush on him I think."

"Satoshi…Satoko's brother, right?" asked Shinichi.

"Yes, people thought he was spirited away two years after the Watanagashi Festival, but actually he was brought here for treatment," explained Dr. Irie.

"I see…" Shinichi nodded. "Do they all know?"

"Yes. Satoko comes to visit with Rena, Shion and Mion too," said Irie. "Good friends are hard to come by."

"I can imagine," said Shinichi. His eyes narrowed at the darkness tainting the victim. "Doc, what causes the syndrome?"

"Well, the theory is that it's caused by a parasite," said Dr. Irie.

'A parasite, huh? Most likely those dark things,' thought Shinichi.

As Shinichi walked home, his thoughts went to those patients and his friends. They've been hiding a lot from him but he couldn't fault them. He had his own share of secrets too, and well his own past was a secret even to him. If they wanted to tell him, it would be at their own time. He wouldn't force it out of them.

Still, he was going to find a way to help those people. He knew Darklings or a Darkloid was the cause of the Syndrome. He wasn't sure how he knew, but it just seemed like something they would do.

Then, he thought about his friends again. What if they contracted the syndrome? What then? He couldn't imagine any of them being driven mad by paranoia. One way or another he had to find a way to save them.

"Guess I gotta sneak out and go hunting," said Shinichi to himself.

"Shin-kun!" He heard and he looked up to see Rena headed towards him.

"Rena-chan?" He asked and then she tackled into him, causing both of them to fall on the path with her on top. "Itai!"

"Sorry, Shin-kun, but you were so cute so I couldn't stop!" She kissed his nose. "It's a good thing you live with me so I can legally take you home!"

Shinichi gazed up at Rena and smiled. His cute girlfriend and the first friend he ever made in this village. In his confused and scared state, she'd helped him get back on his feet. He nearly lost her too and he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Rena pulled Shinichi up and beamed, "Wanna go with me to the junkyard?"

"Sure!" Shinichi smiled. There was always something new to discover there.

"Careful, Rena-chan," said Shinichi as the two went down to the junkyard. There were all sorts of things that had been dumped there and it could be dangerous. Rena had told him she'd found her cleaver here too.

"Wonder what cute things I get to take home with me today?" sang Rena cutely. She was holding hands with Shinichi. Suddenly, she tripped but before she fell she was pulled up into Shinichi's arms. "Shin-kun…"

"I told you to be careful. I don't wanna lose my most precious person in the whole wide world," he said to her. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Kisses on the cheek, nose and forehead. They've done so a lot, but never on the lips. They haven't kissed each other on the lips yet. This was simply because whenever they tried their friends would suddenly show up and ruin the moment.

Their first real romantic kiss had to be special. Doing it at home was risky since Rena's dad would somehow suddenly pop up and caused the two teens to separate. Mr. Ryuugu was keeping an eye on Shinichi to make sure he didn't do anything inappropriate with his daughter. Shinichi, of course, swore he would never do such a thing…without her permission of course.

"I love you, Shin-kun," she said. "Love you."

"I love you too." Shinichi always loved hearing her say that she loved him. It made him feel wanted. "So, what are we looking for?"

"Cutie-cutie things!"

"As always!" He laughed. "Let's go treasure hunting then!"

That night Shinichi snuck out of the house. He was quiet and stealthy. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten such skills but he was sure that, like his Showa armor, it was from the life he'd forgotten.

"A parasite? Oh, it's a parasite, but not the normal kind," said Shinichi to himself. "Alright, time to do some hunting."

He had a flashlight in hand to light his way. He walked along the path, concentrating on his senses. It was like he was a compass that could detect those dark things. Maybe he was made for this. Who knows?

He then stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. He felt an odd feeling like someone was watching him. "Maybe it's just my nerves." He then looked back ahead as his light shone on…

"ARGH!" Shinichi cried out.

"AU!" screamed Hanyuu.

Shinichi panted as he clenched the front of his shirt breathing hard. "Ha…Hanyuu-chan! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry!" the girl apologized.

"What are you doing out here alone?" His tone then turned suspicious, "Or are you alone?" He shone his light ahead to see Rika. "Rika-chan."

"Nipah…" said Rika cutely in greeting.

"OK, Rika-chan, you can cut the act. Why are you two out here so late at night?" questioned Shinichi.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" Rika retorted, her voice becoming serious and more adult-like. It still unnerved him. Rika was more than she seemed. Then again, so was he.

"I'm going to hunt for those dark things," said Shinichi. "I think they're the cause of the Hinamizawa Syndrome."

"How do you know about the syndrome?" asked Rika, hiding her surprise.

"I work part time at Dr. Irie's clinic," Shinichi reminded. "I saw the room where the patients are being held," he explained. "He told me it was caused by a parasite."

"And you think that there is another reason," Rika stated.

"I do. Those dark things feed on the fear, paranoia, and doubt in humans. They cause it somehow. Maybe by wiping them out I can save everyone," he told her.

Rika took her time to look Shinichi over. He'd been a mystery, to himself even, but now she could see him in a different light. He cared for people and was given the power to do so.

"We're coming with you," said Rika. Hanyuu nodded.

"Sorry, but I can't let little kids go along with me," said Shinichi. "You could get hurt."

"Maybe, but you also realize that I am no mere child," retorted Rika.

She got him there. Still, even if she had the mind and voice of an adult, she still had the body of a child. Hanyuu too.

"Is there no way I can have you reconsider?" he asked hopefully. Both younger girls shook their heads. "Guess not. Alright, but I sure hope you both have-" they whipped out their flashlights. "-flashlights." He sighed. "OK, never mind. Let's go."

"The junkyard?" asked Rika. They were in the junkyard.

"When I came down here with Rena-chan…" began Shinichi and he heard snickering. He rolled his eyes. "I didn't come here to kiss her. It wouldn't be romantic."

"I don't know about that. Rena would sure think it was," said Rika.

"I think she'd rather have her first kiss surrounded by cute stuffed animals and dolls," remarked Shinichi.

"Well, at least you know her well enough," began Rika. "Or at least you think you do."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Shinichi.

"Believe it or not, I have also experienced a time loop," said Rika. She took Shinichi's silence as a request to continue, "Last year I was doomed to relive an eternal June that is triggered with my death."

"How many times?" Shinichi asked.

"Too many to count, but possibly an entire century if it all adds up," she answered.

"And how do you reset time?" asked Shinichi.

"Ask Hanyuu," Rika said, pointing to her companion who nodded.

"I guess I'll be getting some more answers later," said Shinichi.

"You believe us?" Rika blinked.

"The evidence never lies," he quoted. "The fact that you're both immune to my own time resets is proof enough."

"So, please don't take to heart what I am about to tell you," said Rika.

She then told him of the previous Hinamizawas and Shinichi wasn't sure if he could believe it. Were his friends capable of such cruel acts? He could never imagine Keiichi bludgeoning Mion and Rena to death, or even imagine Shion killing all her friends in a fit of rage. What he couldn't believe was Rena turning into a killer and taking the entire school hostage. However, when he took to heart that they'd been infected by the Hinamizawa Syndrome, he realized the danger this posed to everyone he cared for.

"I'm going to save everyone," said Shinichi.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that they won't be infected by the syndrome again," said Rika confidently.

"I know, but until these dark things are wiped out, I can't take any chances," said Shinichi.

"Do you see yourself as a hero?" asked Rika.

Shinichi gave her that cheerful grin he was known for and told her, "I got the look, don't I?" He was referring to his suit.

"So, why did you come out at night to look for them?" asked Rika.

"Because they only come out at night," he answered. His eyes narrowed, "They're here."

Crawling out from the darkness were the dark humanoid creatures known as Darklings. They moaned and groaned as they dragged themselves out from their hiding places. Rika and Hanyuu clutched onto each other protectively.

Shinichi, however, smiled confidently. "OK, time to get to work. Henshin!" The puzzle pieces enveloped his body to form his armor. No matter how many times Rika and Hanyuu saw it happen it was truly amazing. "Let's Ride: Showa!" He said to the girls, "Take cover and keep your lights on them. They can't stand the light," right before darting towards the Darkling who attacked.

He smashed his fists and feet at them, sending them staggering backwards. They were crushing blows and the defeated Darklings faded away. Of course, more of them kept coming at him.

"I need a weapon," Showa said to himself. He got an idea, "Let's Ride: X!"

His body flashed in bright light. The Darklings shrieked from the intensity. When the light faded, his suit had changed into a grey bodysuit with black gloves, boots, and a red chestplate on his chest. His helmet was now silver and black with a rectangular mouthplate and black 'V' antennae with red insectoid eyes. A scarf hung from his neck.

"Ridol Stick!" Showa called out as he drew out the Ridol that was Kamen Rider X's signature weapon. He swung the staff about and twirled it around, striking the Darklings with vicious thrusts and jabs. They all faded away but several still remained. Showa tossed his weapon away and then leapt up to execute his finisher.

"X…RIDER KICK!" Showa called out as he performed his flying kick. He smashed into the remaining Darklings and obliterated them. "Game Over."

Showa reverted back to human form and smiled to both Hanyuu and Rika.

"Sugoi!" said Hanyuu in amazement.

"Is it over?" asked Rika.

"No," Shinichi shook his head sadly. "This is just one nest. I think there are many others."

"So, let's go look," said Rika.

"Another time," said Shinichi. "It's really late. Let's get you two home."

When Shinichi returned, he silently snuck into Rena's room, crawling on all fours on the floor. He gazed down on his angel's sleeping face. Even after hearing Rika's tale, it was still hard for him to believe that this girl was capable of such violence. Of course, she still kept that cleaver and was disturbed by how she was still keeping it.

"I won't let that happen to you, Rena-chan," said Shinichi. He then kissed her forehead. She giggled in her sleep. He wondered what she was dreaming about. It must be pleasant if she was smiling like that.

In Rena's dream, Shinichi was wearing a large teddy bear suit and she was cuddling him, cooing out cutely. Was this the dream of a murdering psycho?

Sunday rolled around and the day of Keiichi and Mion's date finally arrived. As Keiichi arrived at Mion's house to pick her up, he didn't know that the gaming club had followed him so they could spy on them. For Rena and Shinichi, it was payback for when Mion and Keiichi had led the rest of the group on a spying mission for their date. Shion wanted to make sure Keiichi treated her sister right. Everyone else was there to see what kind of mushy romantic stuff was going on.

Mion and Keiichi headed out to the nearby town. They seemed to be content to walk hand-in-hand for a while. It was romantic for the girls, but it was getting boring. Soon, Keiichi and Mion stopped at the Angel Mort cosplay restaurant to get something to eat. Hopefully Keiichi wouldn't let his eyes wander or else he was going to be in a world of pain from Mion. Still, the Gaming Club snuck inside and took seats while hiding behind menus and in disguise. Mion and Keiichi didn't seem to be any wiser.

"Should we really be doing this?" asked Hanyuu.

"An eye for an eye, Hanyuu-chan," said Shinichi. "They made you help spy on Rena-chan and I, so it's only fair that you help us spy on them too."

"And, this is so much fun," said Shion.

Hanyuu was doubtful but watched. This was harmless. They were only going to observe.

From what they could see, Keiichi and Mion were acting really nervous with each other. Guess the idea of actual dating each other in a more than platonic sense was really bothering them. There was some tension but it had to ease up eventually, right?

"So…Mion…" began Keiichi nervously. "Are you ready to order?"

"I…guess so," said Mion, equally nervous as she hid her face behind the menu.

"OK, they are getting nowhere fast," said Shinichi.

"Maybe making them go out on a date as a punishment game wasn't such a good idea," pouted Rena.

"Hey, you have no reason to feel sorry, Rena-chan. You were just trying to help," said Shinichi.

Keiichi finally decided to get serious, "OK, Mion! This is stupid!"

"Stupid?" she remarked.

"Mion, we've gone out as friends, walk together to school, and hang out together," said Keiichi, "But as soon as we call it a date we're both acting so nervous around each other."

Mion laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is a bit a stupid."

"So, let's just treat this as just an outing among friends," said Keiichi.

"Kei-chan…" Mion blushed. "Actually…I thought that maybe we could…"

"Are you ready to order?" spoke a waitress cheerfully, scaring the crap out of both teens.

After ordering their food, the Gaming Club continued to watch their friends like hawks. They seemed more relaxed now, which was a good thing.

The pair walked around town, hand-in-hand, with their friends stalking them. Clearly there was chemistry. They were really good friends and have known each other for a long time now.

"Say, Kei-chan," began Mion.

"Yes, Mion?" he answered.

"Why do you like me?" Mion asked.

"Well…" Keiichi looked thoughtful, pressing his lips together as he tapped his chin. "I have no idea."

"Be serious."

"OK, well…you're beautiful," he confessed, making her blush, "And you're got a strong will and damn good leadership skills. You're also smart, a great strategist…you're just amazing."

"I'm not that amazing…" said Mion dismissively.

"Sure you are," said Keiichi. "I mean you led us last year to save Rika and the village."

Mion grinned mischievously, "So, me having the biggest boobs in class had nothing to do with it?"

Keiichi broke into a huge blush and stammered, "Mi-Mi-Mion!"

"Just kidding, Kei-chan!" She laughed. "Let's go watch a movie!"

"Well, at least they're having fun," said Shinichi.

"So, are we still going to follow them?" asked Shion.

"We've followed them this far, didn't we?" He held up his camera, "And I want to take a photo of them when they smooch."

"Speaking of photo…" Shion said dangerously.

"I destroyed the negatives, don't worry," he told her. The picture of Mion and Shion kissing had nearly gotten him murdered. Therefore, he got rid of the negatives. Of course, what he didn't tell anyone was that he still kept one photo. It was part of his special collection. It was among the photos of Rena…his cute, sweet, angelic Rena.

OK, he was a guy in love. Can you blame him for being a sucker for a pretty face like hers?

After the movie, Keiichi walked Mion home. At the gate of her house the green-haired girl surprised the boy with a kiss on the lips. He jumped in shock.

"Mion!"

"Consider that a guarantee of another date, Kei-chan." She winked before walking inside. "Bye!" she waved. She was walking on air.

As for Keiichi he was giddy and as he ran back home he shouted, "YAHOO!"

Rena and Shinichi returned from following Mion and Keiichi. The picture of the two kissing was definitely going to join the rest of their collection.

The couple sat on Shinichi's futon, smiling and laughing. They were happy that Mion and Keiichi were now officially a couple. Sure, the two may just murder him for stalking them and taking a photo of their kiss…but it was worth it. He just had to make sure he didn't get caught.

Seeing the kiss made him jealous. He and Rena had been dating far longer and Keiichi and Mion had their first kiss on the first date.

"Rena-chan?" Shinichi began bashfully, pushing his index fingers together. Shinichi was anything but shy. He was a bit of a pervert, and a little obnoxious, but even he could get shy about things.

She sat down beside him. "Yes, Shin-kun?"

"I love you." Before she could react he kissed her on the lips. She gasped in shock before her eyes fluttered close. He gently pushed her down, deepening their kiss.

They broke the kiss and she asked, "Really? You love me? Really? Really?"

"Really, I really, really do," he told her. "I love you." He kissed her again.

That was when Mr. Ryuugu walked in.

Shinichi wailed as he ran like a bat out of hell.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PERVERT!" Mr. Ryuugu shouted as he chased after Shinichi, holding up Rena's cleaver menacingly. Rena was chasing after the two, trying to save her boyfriend from her father's wrath.

"MR. RYUUGU! CALM DOWN!" Shinichi screamed as he ran for his life. "PUT THE CLEAVER DOWN! IT'S DANGEROUS!"

"AFTER I HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

"CAN'T WE TALK ABOUT THIS!"

"DIE, MOLESTER!"

"DADDY, STOP IT! YOU'RE SCARING SHIN-KUN!"

"I THINK THAT'S THE IDEA, RENA-CHAN!"

The rest of the villagers just stared at the scene in astonishment, wondering what was going on.

Deep in the junkyard, a section of garbage cleared away. There was a growl as a pair of green eyes gleamed in the darkness they were buried it. Its master was near and it had awoken. Soon, it will seek out its master so they may become one again.

Deep inside the clinic, the patients infected by the Hinamizawa Syndrome were sleeping their paranoia, murderous, and suicidal tendencies away. As they were doing so though, several of the patients began to react strangely. Nothing life-threatening to even enough to get the people on call to react, but it was a change. The brain waves of several patients began to spike while their muscles began to clench, almost in fury. It wasn't their fury though. It was the rage of what had implanted the source of their woes into them. Rage that several of its underlings were destroyed and unable to spread further now. Rage that was pointed at the one who did it. Rage that would consume the source and cause it to go hunting.

It would not be denied.