***The Ritual Tool Shed***.
The inside of the shed looked about the same as I had imagined it before: full of the same strange and gruesome blades and tools that I had seen in my family's underground chamber. Chains hung from the ceiling. Ropes and leather restraints lay in a bucket in one corner. A gigantic pincer-tool hung on the wall. Hanging next to it was something resembling a meat beater with cruelly sharp tips. Two weapons like sickles were propped up to the left of the offering table. I also noticed a long table for victim's bodies, an Iron Maiden shaped like a demon, and a terrifying, multi-spiked iron ball on a chain.
In spite of this, my impression of the shrine was that it was nicer looking than my family's underground chamber. A thin layer of dust covered most of the weapons. The other relatively "nice" thing about this shrine was that it featured an amazing, eight-feet-tall bronze statue of Oyashiro. In this image, compared with the idol in the underground chamber, Oyashiro looked kind instead of bizarre, regal instead of monstrous. The face was so soft-featured that I couldn't tell if the person depicted was male or female. It had a stone veil covering the top of the head and hair. The robes were gender-neutral. I entertained the thought of a female Oyashiro for a moment before remembering an obvious fact.
"Screw you, Oyashiro," I hissed silently at the statue. "If you were real… if you were really the one who 'spirited away' Satoshi… I'll never forgive that. If you're real, you are an unforgiveable god of injustice!"
Not that it mattered. Oyashiro was fictional. I wanted to look for clues about Satoshi. I didn't know how, though. What kind of evidence could I get from a place like this? Anything, I told myself. I could look for bloodstains and collect samples. However, they would be useless unless the police agreed to perform DNA analysis. Perhaps I might find finger prints on any of these tools. Then again, how would I collect the prints without my kit? There might be papers or documents somewhere—maybe even a list of victims! I kept searching. Meanwhile, Takano informed Keiichi about the truth behind Wataganashi and some of the folklore about Oyashiro.
"All of the people of this village have some demon blood in their veins," the researcher went on in her woozy voice. "It's said that, every now and then, this Man-eating Demon Blood awakens inside them. It compels villagers to 'spirit people away.'"
"Spirit away?" repeated Keiichi, unfamiliar with the terminology.
"The victims disappear," explained Takano. "And in the old days, they were used as sacrifices to Oyashiro. Watanagashi celebrates the dissection, devouring, and savoring the victim's flesh. Yes, it's scary when you think about it. According to my research, the hoe that Rika uses in her dance is actually a tool for ripping open a human stomach."
As I listened with one ear, I thought about that adorable little Rika and I wondered how she could handle the weight of the hoe she wielded. I wondered if she knew about that tool's original use. What exactly was Takana's deal? Did she suspect the Three Great Families for modern crimes, or was she just an obsessive researcher? How could she talk so graphically and in such a cheery, droll tone? I started to tone her out and keep searching for anything that might be evidence.
Then I heard a few rapid footsteps behind me—I definitely, distinctively heard them. When I whirled around, I saw nothing, and everyone else… they hadn't reacted. Could only I hear that sound?
Takano prattled to Keiichi: "With enough weight, it would only take a single strike to kill someone with one of these tools. But remember, the people were part demon. The shrine dance was created to show the way to cut up the victim while keeping him alive as long as possible. In Ancient Rome, there was a method of execution…"
The footsteps started again, but I couldn't tell the direction from which they came. The sounds were loud and distinct. Why—how—could Takano and Keiichi not hear this?
"Satoshi-kun!" I whispered, as if sensing his presence from this ghost. "Satoshi-kun!"
Takano kept talking. "Now, you may think a person would die right away from having their intestines removed. However, when it was done carefully, the Ancients could remove most of the innards while keeping the victim fully conscious!"
"You're Satoshi," I whispered to the ghost. "Aren't you?"
The footsteps thundered all around me, echoing on the walls. It didn't feel like Satoshi anymore. Why was the spirit running around? Out of fear, or anger? I definitely sensed anger. Why?
"You're not Satoshi-kun!" I whispered hoarsely.
Suddenly I felt more afraid than I had of anything in my life. What was this following me? A chill shook my spine. Another running foot slammed against the wooden floor. The resulting (violent) startle reaction sent me jumping forward and right into Keiichi. To be honest, I clung to him like a little girl.
Takano was just saying, "…much more horrifying than actually painful. The method used in the village up until a hundred years ago is almost identical to the Roman method."
Keiichi exchanged glances with me to make sure I was alright. The footsteps stopped abruptly.
"Well," asked Takano, "how is it? Knowing Hinamizawa's dark secrets?"
"Even if that happened the past," said Keiichi bravely, "it has nothing to do with villagers today."
"Oh, Keiichi-kun," said Takano, looking awake for once. "It's too bad. You liked Hinamizawa, didn't you?"
Hearing that brought me out of my trembling state and back into reality. It sounded like Miss Takano had developed the same suspicion as me.
"Hang on, Miss Takano," I said, back in the game. "Do you think some of those old customs could still be going on today? Is that what you're really researching?"
Takano smiled by way of answer. "I only told you about this, Shion, because I figured you would understand. If anybody else in the village heard it, they would call it blasphemy and gang up on me. It's best if both of you keep this a secret." She took a light, sarcastic air. "If they found out, I might be 'Cursed by Oyashiro,' or I might become this year's Watanagashi sacrifice."
Just then, Tomitake opened the door. The performance down at the Furude Shrine had ended, he reported. We all stepped out of the shed and Tomitake closed the doors. He told us he and Takano were going to the stream to watch the cotton drifting.
I sat on the stone steps and chatted with Keiichi for a while. As expected, he said he didn't hear any strange noise while inside the Shrine. In other words, I must have experienced a hallucination. There was no time to dwell on this, however, because I heard Mion and our friends coming up through the woods. I didn't want Mion to find me alone with Keiichi, so I told the boy goodnight and hurried away.
***Mysterious Deaths Year Five***
That night, I agreed to stay with Mion at the main estate (just this once). She wanted me to attend "the family dinner" too, which meant, among the Three Great Families, there would be a lot of drinking, gossiping, flirting, and maybe fighting (if my mother wanted a kendo bout). Torturers and abusers didn't make for good party companions, yet I was supposed to pretend to like them. Screw that. Dressing up nicely, catching up with old man Kimiyoshi, and showing gratitude? No. That was all up to Mion.
Well, at least there were some perks to being the inferior child. Since I wasn't representing the family, nobody cared if I drank alcohol at sixteen. They didn't even care if I got completely drunk, which is what I did that night. I wanted to forget about the fact pressing on my mind: something was wrong with me. Twice now, I had experienced frightening auditory hallucinations. Lately, my mind was swung rather rapidly between moods, but none of my other personalities had come out in a while. So was this a new problem, something even worse than having Dissociative Identity Disorder? I didn't want to think about it. So, after getting black-out drunk on sake, I passed out in the main dining area.
My first thought as I woke up was the strange knowledge that someone had bothered to move me onto a futon. How nice of Mion, I thought. Looking up, I saw that it was quarter after two in the morning. I heard voices from the next room over. I decided to walk out into the hall, figure out what room they were in, and tell them to be quiet. I was naturally quite cranky, developing my first hangover.
As I treaded lightly (and clumsily) down the hall, the words became vaguely clear. Oryo was speaking. I stopped moving and listened…
"They deserved it. The young 'uns went too far." That was definitely Oryo's voice.
"Of course. They incited the wrath of Oyashiro-sama." Was that Mion? "It just can't be helped."
"The cops are still checking it out, but there's no mistake about it."
"Yes, you're right." Mion sounded pious. "It must be Miss Takano."
The pieces came together in my mind. The Curse of Oyashiro had struck for the fifth year in a row, and this time Takano was the victim. Then, why were Oryo and Mion talking about Takano inciting Oyashiro's wrath? Even when the evidence was placed before me like this, I didn't want to believe it. I especially didn't want to believe Mion had anything to do with killing people, but what was I supposed to believe in such a situation?
Wait, I thought, and my knees began to tremble. If Oryo Sonozaki or someone close to her ordered this killing… then they must have known about Takano entering the ritual tool shed. That meant I was in big trouble, too. Who could have seen us? Mion? But—my mind raced wildly—I had planned ahead for something like this. Keiichi was supposed to be my insurance. But Keiichi wasn't here… and if Mion was capable of killing, I was fair game for being 'Spirited Away' by her.
The phone rang.
Such a commonplace sound should not be so terrifying, but it was. Someone would have to answer the phone. If Oryo or Mion came to pick it up, they would instantly see that I had been spying. They would see that I had learned things I was not supposed to know. I took a single quiet step toward the phone, thinking I would get to it first and lie about it waking me up.
The moment I turned, however, someone was there. A shadowy presence loomed behind me. I suddenly remembered what Rena Ryuguu had said to me that day after the baseball game. "I'm talking those footsteps that follow you everywhere. Something is always standing by your bed. Someone watches you from above in the day. I'm talking about that experience." She described in more that same day. "Someone is always watching you from far away. Someone is always following close behind you. Satoshi experiences these things too. It's a sign he will be hit by Oyashiro's Curse."
I turned halfway. I saw the shadowy figure approaching. This thing that had been following me… could it be a hallucination… could it be the spirit of Satoshi… or could it possibly be Oyashiro? That wild, scared thought only stayed in my head for a brief second. Then the shadow reached out an arm and grabbed me by the nape of the neck. I was forced to my knees. Now that the figure was next to me, I could recognize it… as Mion. She stared down at me coldly. I stared back with widened, terrified eyes.
Keeping one hand at my neck, Mion picked up the phone. "Hello. Sonozaki house. This is Mion." For a moment she stayed silent, listening. Her grip was insanely strong and I kept trembling, wondering what punishment my family might have in mind for me this time. "Yes. Very well. I'll leave the decision up to you concerning the necessary countermeasures. And make sure you silence them. Yes. Alright then."
My eyes were wide. What did Mion mean by "silence them"? Had she really just ordered someone's death? Perhaps she authorized a cruel torture to keep someone silent. Either way, I felt more desperate by the minute. I prayed for the demon inside me—Haruka—to wake up and save me.
"Were you listening?" Mion asked without looking at me.
"Huh, me?" I shakily lied to try to save my life. "I didn't h-hear a thing. I—"
Mion turned back to me. She moved her hand quickly to the front of my neck and gripped it. She lifted me a few inches of the floor with just hand. She brought her face so close to mine so suddenly that I thought our heads would collide. Her teal eyes looked like those of a starving predator who had finally tasted meat.
"It's just as you heard," she said in a voice, deep and very similar to Mari's. "Mr. Tomitake and Miss Takano were struck by the Curse of Oyashiro. It is highly unfortunate for them."
"Um, Onee," I said with a breathless, petrified attempt at a laugh. "What are you talking about…?"
"Mr. Tomitake died from self-inflicted wounds to his neck," stated Mion, letting me put my feet back on the ground, but keeping her hand ready by my throat. "Miss Takano was stuffed into a drum and incinerated somewhere in the mountains. How did they die like that, you wonder? There's only one explanation. It's the Curse of Oyashiro."
Haruka answered my prayers and woke up. She grabbed my Taser and sent a strong volt directly to the back of Mion's neck. She collapsed. Haruka—or was it me?—stood trembling and panting for a few seconds.
***The Madness Begins***
It's true that Haruka's will and personality had taken dominance over my usual self. This time, though, something felt different. I, Shion, could see what I was doing as Haruka. It was like watching a movie of myself from far off. Our personalities had melded, just in that one instant of attacking my sister, enough to allow me to stay partly conscious. That's why I will refer to us as "we" whenever Haruka takes over.
"Satoshi-kun," I prayed in my head. "I finally have some evidence of the Sonozaki family being involved in the mysterious deaths. Based on what they said, they must have killed Tomitake and Takano. I am now completely convinced that the Three Great Families are responsible for Oyashiro's Curse. I will avenge you, Satoshi. And I won't let them kill me like they killed you."
"How will you protect yourself, though?" Haruka's voice barged into my head. "You can't rely on the police. Anyone could be the next target of Oyashiro's Curse. In other words, the only people who can confirm these crimes are you and the other alters. And I'm the only one of us who can bring judgement on your murderous family for what they've done. So you can leave most of it to me. The main thing you must help with is simple: just pretend to be Mion again."
"Of course. That makes perfect sense. I'll just say Shion was 'Spirited Away by the Demon,' and Mion is the only one left. But wait. Will I…?" The hair follicles on my arms and neck erupted into goosebumps because of the thought that had just occurred to me. "Will I… be able to fool Oryo? I think she sees the difference between us. For that matter, how do I keep Mion herself silent and out of the way?"
"Kill Oryo Sonozaki," ordered Haruka, "and finish killing Mion. She's only unconscious."
"I refuse to kill people who are valuable witnesses," I said, fighting Haruka down. "But… we'll go knock out the old Hag, at least. Just so she can't move while we decide what to do with Mion."
Something deserves to be said here. At this point, I had experienced two strange symptoms that seemed unconnected to my Identity Disorder. First auditory hallucinations and then a sense of growing paranoia. In my mind, everything that everyone said served to prove my fear that my family was made of killers. If I had been smarter, maybe I would have figured out that I had started to suffer from a different kind of disease entirely. But I had no way of knowing. Nobody could have known, since the existence of the Hinamizawa brain parasite was top secret. The third symptom of parasitic possession was usually irrational violent behavior toward others. However, when I knocked out Mion, I had yet to experience violent impulses except occasionally when I became Mari. I didn't want to kill anyone. As much as I hated Oryo the Monster, I didn't want to kill her either.
We silently tiptoed into the room where I had heard Oryo and Mion talking. It seemed the old Hag had gone to sleep in a futon. Even in sleep, though, her senses remained sharp. As I crept closer to the head of the futon, Oryo sat up. (Luckily, she was facing the other wall and not me.) Muttering something about the hour, the Hag must have also sensed my presence. She started to turn her body and head in my direction—and at that moment, the Taser found the back of her neck. The sickening zapping noise was followed by the thud of Oryo's body hitting the floorboards.
"Now," Haruka said, "take Mion to the underground torture chamber."
