Chapter 4: Drifting Away
Satoshi
Satoshi and his friends only had one class together. And it was the first class of the day, Health. The teacher was just droning on and on, Satoshi wasn't really paying attention. The thing he was most worried about was Naomi. She was mostly skipping classes now, and she was just drifting away. It had been a week since the incident at Ayumi's house, and this was their first session together, where Naomi was actually present for once. And for whatever reason, she had apparently skipped about ninety percent of all of her classes.
As the teacher droned on, Satoshi looked over at Naomi. She just stared straight ahead, at the wall in front of her. Wait, was she writing something on her hand? He looked past her, and noted that Yoshiki was sound asleep. He looked back at Naomi. "Naomi?" he whispered. She moved her head towards him, but she looked like she didn't want to talk to him. "Can you wake up Yoshiki? He's missing the lesson!" he whispered. She moved her head to look at Yoshiki, who sat to her right. She reached towards him, and it looked like she scratched him.
He bolted upwards, causing a majority of the class to laugh a little. "Ow, hey!" he said. The teacher eyed Naomi. "Thank you, Miss Nakashima," he said, before turning to Yoshiki. " As for you Mr. Kishinuma, you are here to learn, not sleep. I don't want to see you fall asleep again. Otherwise, I will have you in detention." After the teacher looked back to the chalkboard, Satoshi saw Yoshiki flip the teacher off. "What's wrong with him?" he asked Ayumi, who sat to his right. "He's probably just tired," she said. "Leave him be." He turned back to the teacher, and tried to pay attention. He let out a yawn as he continued to pay attention.
After a while, the teacher was done with his lecture, and they were given their assignment for the day. The bell eventually rang, signaling the dismissal of first period. As the class filed out of the classroom, Satoshi quickly got up to approach Naomi, whom he noticed was falling behind. "Naomi?" he asked. "Are you ok? You just seem... different." She looked up at him, and he saw a darkness in her eyes. Not like her eyes were black or anything, it was just there. She seemed broken, angry, and depressed all at the same time.
"Who wants to know?" she asked. "Naomi," he said. "You have to understand that we are your friends. We are here to help you!" This is when it got a bit disturbing. "Who would want to be friends with you?" she asked, her voice seeming demonic. She pushed past him, and stormed out of the classroom. "Um ok," he said. "Well, that was interesting." He gathered his stuff, and left the classroom. He walked down the hallway, until he came across Ayumi and Yoshiki talking by the science room. "Hey guys," he said. "We have a problem."
Ayumi eyed him with curiosity. "What did you do this time, Satoshi?" she asked. "I didn't do anything," he said. "It's Naomi that did something." Yoshiki turned around to look at him. "Well, what did she do then?" he asked. "Well, she pretty much told me to eff off." They exchanged glances of confusion, and then looked back at him. "Ok, she didn't actually say it." he said. "But it sounded like what she was getting at." Ayumi stared at him. "Then what did she say?" she asked, rolling her eyes in frusteration. "Well, I was the only one in the room with her," he said. "So I decided to ask her what the hell was wrong with her."
"And...?" Yoshiki asked. "What's up with her?" Satoshi recalled what happened in the classroom a few minutes earlier. "When she looked up at me, it was as if her eyes were full of hatred." Ayumi looked at him, with a new look of interest. "Go on." she said. "After I told her that we were her friends, she said 'who would want to be friends with you.' Also, her voice sounded demonic. Demonic!" She stared at him. "Ok," she said. "Something is obviously wrong with her." Satoshi wasn't exactly satisfied with her response. "Well, we know that!" he said. "What are we going to do about it?"
Ayumi looked like she was thinking. "Give me some time to think about this," she said. "Honestly, right now, the only thing I can think about is we should just visit her at her house." Satoshi nodded. "Ok," he said. "I can go with that." Yoshiki nodded as well. "So can I, I guess." he said. "So, my guess is we all meet after school and just pay her a visit." Satoshi sighed. "Ok," he said. "I guess I'll see you after school then." Just then the one minute warning bell rang, and the three ran off to their classes.
Yoshiki, 8 hours later
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yoshiki asked Ayumi. "Well, it's the only thing we can do as of right now." Ayumi said. "And if I'm right, then Naomi should be up in her room. It's her house any how." Satoshi nodded. "She's right you know," he said. "If she'd be anywhere, it'd be here." Ayumi walked up to to the front door and knocked. After a bit of waiting, the door opened. The group assumed that it was Naomi's mother. "Hello," Ayumi greeted politely. "I'm Ayumi, and this is-" she was talking, but the two interrupted her. "Satoshi." he said. "Yoshiki." Yoshiki said.
"Anyway," Ayumi said. "We've been worried about Naomi lately. May we see her please?" The mother looked relieved. "Oh, thank goodness!" she said. "Pardon?" Satoshi asked as politely as he could. "I've noticed it too, Ayumi," she said. "She's just constantly up in her room, talking to a person named 'Seiko'. Go ahead, she's up in her room." The three slid past her, and they walked up the stairs to what they assumed was her room. They opened the door, to find that Naomi was nowhere to be found. What really disturbed them was the markings and pictures all over her wall. Also, a rope was tied to a brick that was on the floor, and the rest of it was going out the window.
"Well," Yoshiki said. "She's not here." Ayumi nodded, taking a sudden interest in Naomi's desk. "Guys!" she said. "Look at this!" They crowded around her desk, where a book that looked like journal was open. Ayumi started to read the latest entry to them, which was only a few minutes ago. "When flesh from a friend is added to the blood of the servant," she started reading it to them. "Only then will the stone of darkness be made present. What is that supposed to mean?" They all thought for a moment. "I have an idea." Ayumi said. "It says 'servant'. Well, think about it. Naomi has been hearing Seiko, so if Seiko is telling her what to do, I guess that would make Naomi a servant."
"What about flesh from a friend?" Satoshi asked. "That's an easy one." Yoshiki said. They all looked at him. "She scratched me this morning," he said. "After class, though it would be weird, she could have easily taken the skin flakes off of my desk." Ayumi nodded after a few seconds. "I guess it makes sense," she said. "But where did she go?" Yoshiki noticed a line that Ayumi hadn't read. "I'm going to the school's basement to finish this." he read aloud. Ayumi looked at him. "What?" she asked. He pointed to the line she hadn't read. "Oh," she said. "I guess we should go to the school then."
"Is that such a good idea?" Yoshiki asked. The two looked at him. "What the hell is wrong with you, Yosh?" Ayumi asked. "Don't you want to help Naomi?" Satoshi asked him after Ayumi. "I mean, of course I want to help her," Yoshiki said, laughing nervously. "You do know how much trouble she could be in?" Satoshi asked, pointing at his friend. "Well, yes I do." Yoshiki said. "But she's crazed. She scratched me earlier today!" Ayumi shook her head. "Yoshiki, you are the one who's crazy." she said. "She scratched you because I asked her to wake you up!" Satoshi said.
"So?" he asked. "She could have easily have tapped me! And yet, she didn't." Ayumi grabbed Naomi's journal, and tucked it under her arm. "Look," she said. "Wether you two like it or not, we are going up to the school. We have to stop Naomi from doing whatever it is that she is doing." Satoshi cleared his throat. "Ah, she's right." he said. "Let's go Ayumi. Yoshiki, coming?" He groaned, not wanting to go. But, he followed them out of the room and out of the house.
Naomi
Naomi cried out in pain as she cut into her palm with her dad's pocket knife. "This really hurts!" she cried. Just do as I say, Seiko replied. Naomi, under normal circumstances knew that Seiko wouldn't treat her like this. But, under these cirmumstances, she didn't give it a second thought. She lifted her dripping, red hand over the hole she had dug, and let a few drops of her blood fall in. Her blood made contact with her friend's skin flakes in the pit. All of a sudden, the pit began to fill with a mysterious black substance.
"I don't understand how this is possible." Naomi said. It's a ritual that I came across. Now put the stone of darkness in it's spot. "What stone?" she asked. "I don't see any stones of anykind." Look at the pit. She looked down at where the pit used to be, and saw a stone as black as night just sitting there. Now put it in it's spot. She cautiously picked up the stone, and placed it into the space that was left behind in the wall she had arranged the other stones. It fit perfectly. Almost immedialty after making contact with the rest of the stones, the interior area of the stones became as black as night.
"Naomi, stop!" she heard Satoshi's voice. She turned around, to see all three of her friends running down the tunnel. They stopped aonly a few feet away from her to catch their breath. After they had caught their breath, one of them spoke. "Do you have any idea what your getting yourself into?" Ayumi asked. "It's too late," she said. "You can't stop me from seeing my best friend again!" Satoshi walked up to her, motioning for Ayumi to come with him. He whispered something in Ayumi's ear, and then she handed him a book she was caring.
"Do you recognize this?" he asked her, holding it up. "Give me that!" Naomi shrieked, ripping it from his hands and opening it. After a few seconds, she looked up at her "friends". "How dare you read from my diary?!" she screamed at them, throwing at them. Satoshi and Ayumi ducked out of the way, and Yoshiki was struck in the face. "What the hell?!" he said, falling over. "Yeah Naomi," Ayumi replied. "What gives?" She glared at her three friends. "What gives? What gives?!" she screamed at them. "You can't invade my privacy!"
"We just want to help you!" Ayumi said. "If you want to help me, just stay away!" she said. "Look, I know that Seiko is the one speakin to me!" She grabbed her hand in pain, as the blood kept coming. For the first time, her friends noticed this. "What did you do to yourself?" they all asked, with concern in their voices. "I cut myself with my dad's knife so I could complete the ritual." she explained, still holding her bloody hand in pain. "Well, Seiko is obviously not talking to you." Ayumi replied. "Think about it. Would Seiko ever ask you to hurt yourself for any reason?"
"Well, I suppose not." she replied. "Now get out of here! I have stuff to do!" She turned back to the dark portal behind her. "We're not leaving until you abandon this silly idea!" Satoshi spoke up. Stop listening to them! If you are really my friend, you will go through that portal. Right now! She stepped forward, ready to step into the blackness. "Naomi!" Satoshi said. "I wouldn't advice you step into the portal! You have no idea what you could find in there!" She turned around to respond, but she never got to. She heard a cackle from the shadows in the room, and then a supernatural force pushed all four of them into the blackness.
A/N: So, for those of you who are curious: Seiko has not been speaking with Naomi. It's been someone else. You may take a stab at guessing who has been speaking to her, but it really doesn't matter. In the next chapter, the four friends will awaken in an all too familiar place. Until next time people!