"Shrouded"

"The rural country really is better than the city," said Duos aloud as he made his way to Okinomiya.

He never really found the idea of living in the countryside appealing, but now that he was here he knew he'd made the right decision. Hinamizawa was lush and beautiful and the townsfolk were nice and greeted him with affection when he told them he was moving into the new lot in the summer.

However he found that the cry of the cicadas was the most entrancing thing about the land. It was so loud and rhythmical. He could imagine the cries as words and messages being passed onto him. It truly was a beautiful thing to hear…

(Sigh)

All his thoughts of Hinamizawa made him remember his old life in Tokyo, the life that he should never have had but a life that was his own to live. He missed his family; more than anything he missed his family.

(Sob)

He was going to cry if he kept remembering the past. It was too painful and he had already promised himself that this would be a fresh start, that he could leave the past behind and make a new life.

"I will live…and I will be happy…" He mumbled the words through his face mask.

He was about to enter the city of Okinomiya when he noticed something.

"Low on gas…damn…"

He pulled in to a gas station just before the city limits and started refueling his bike.

He decided to hum a tune his father taught him when he was young. It was the only thing he never felt bad about when remembering his father.

"I walk, I walk, I walk down this street, with courage in my hand…"

"I stand, I stand, I stand on my feet, with no fear for this man…"

"He looks, he looks, he looks through my eyes, like a man ready to die…"

"He speaks, he speaks, he speaks to me, I'll be damned if he tells a lie…"

"I-…" he stops humming the tune.

Did I just hear something…?

He could have sworn he heard something, a light taping of some sorts. He thought it might have just been an animal scurrying across the pavement. No. He could tell now that it was more a clicking than a tapping, like footsteps. He listened intently, but heard nothing, just the cry of a few cicadas.

Probably just imagined it…

He ignored his curiosity for the moment and went to pay for the gas.

He went in the store and paid the owner the amount due. He was just getting the change when he asked the owner…

"Did you see anyone else besides me outside?"

The owner replied saying, "No, sorry kid I haven't. You're the only person who's come by in the past half hour and I haven't left this store all day, hahaha."

That's weird, I could've sworn I heard footsteps, but no one else is here, just me.

He thanked the owner and went over to his bike when he heard it again. Footsteps. They had almost been in time with his own, they were just slightly off. He was getting an ominous feeling, like he was being watched.

Screw this…

He realized it was getting dark and jumped on his bike and headed into Okinomiya. He had only been driving for a minute or so when he got the feeling again.

Is someone following me?

He thought he could hear another vehicle other than his own and that the sound always had the same intensity. If the vehicle was following him it was keeping perfect pace.

Got to make sure…

At that moment he slowed and stopped abruptly in the middle of a street and pretended to adjust his face mask. He only took a few seconds but that was all he needed. In the short time after he stopped he had heard it… The sound of another car also stopping… He was being followed…

He restarted the engine and sped away. He decided to take a detour through a busier section of Okinomiya. The area was full of restaurants and stores and there was some mild traffic with people coming home from work.

"This is my chance!" He said as he drove towards a busy intersection. He had seen the traffic light on green for a while so it would be turning red soon. If he could get through then he would lose his follower.

"Come on." The traffic light was now yellow, he had to push it. He sped up slightly and managed to go through as the light turned red. He looked back and traffic was already advancing across the intersection.

Success! He thought to himself. He took a few side roads until he reached the apartment complex where he was staying. He parked his bike on the other side of the building so if they followed him they wouldn't see his bike. He booked it into the building and was greeted by the landlord.

"Oh! Hello Duos-san, why the rush?" He inquired.

"Just need to use the bathroom, had to go since I left Hinamizawa."

"Oh alright, just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong." The manager was completely unaware that he had been followed by someone halfway through Okinomiya.

"Thank you for your concern but I best head up now," he said with a grimace on his face.

"Hahaha! Yes I bet you should!" The manager laughed at his consternation and went back to reading a book he had put down when he ran in.

After his conversation with the manager he rushed up the stairs to his apartment where he unlocked the door and locked it behind him with the latch for good measure. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy to be back in his apartment.

He looked around at the furniture and the other things that lined the apartment. They had all come from his old place in Tokyo but they seemed to fit in a bit better with this apartment.

He didn't have much because he never needed that many things. His old place had had more space and appeared to be missing something every time he looked around. However now it all fit in quite well with the little apartment.

He liked the apartment a lot but he wanted a house. He was going to get more stuff for the house when he moved in. More furniture, bigger bathroom, large kitchen, nice futon… The thoughts swam around in his mind for a few moments before he remembered today's instance with the person following him.

He lay down on his couch and pondered the day…

He remembered the joke he pulled on Keiichi's class. He thought it was really funny. The kids there didn't think so though; especially that girl with the green hair…

"Mion I think was her name…" He thought of how she tried to stick by Keiichi during his fake intention to kill him.

"She was protective of him…nice girl. Maybe she has feelings for him? That would be nice if someone liked him like that."

No girls paid much attention to Keiichi back in Tokyo. Then again neither did they do so with him. He had been socially reclusive and didn't concern himself with relationships. He was never interested by them.

Then he thought about the person that had been following him. He found it kind of funny and almost carmatic that it happened to him. However it still un-eased him. Why would someone be following him? He hadn't done anything wrong, he might've sped a bit through the yellow light at the intersection but that was the only wrong that he could think he'd committed since he came here…

The questions swirled in his mind asking why, but while he came up with different answers to these questions his thoughts turned to a desk in the far corner of the room.

He got up off the couch and walked over to the desk.

He ran his hand over the smooth surface of the desk. It was one of his favorite possessions. He had bought it back in Tokyo for school and he had worked and wrote numerous assignments on this desk over the years…

His thoughts changed again as he bent down below the desk so that he could see the bottom. To the untrained eye it would seem like nothing was different about the desk but beneath it there was a small keyhole to a secret compartment he had installed in the desk.

He kept the key with him at all times and so removed it from his pocket and opened the compartment.

He reached up into it and pulled out a fair sized case from the compartment. The case looked like any ordinary business man's suitcase, with a five digit numerical lock on the front with a code needed to open it. However there was one exception. On the side of the case where many chose to inscribe their names or initials there was instead a large smiley face, painted in red on the side of the suitcase.

He took the case and held it up in his hands and said a few faint words before putting it back in the compartment.

"I hope it's not because of you…"

With that he put the case back, locked the compartment and went to bed.

Author's Notes

I like this chapter a lot and I had a great deal of fun writing it.

Readers get to know Duos a bit better and his thoughts on coming to Hinamizawa.

I'm in the groove for writing right now so I expect to post the next chapter shortly :)

Also I'm sorry if in past chapters there was an abrupt transition from one character to the next. I'm having a hard time trying to separate them so if I can't figure a way around that problem I'll just add an extra space from now on.

Hope you're all enjoying the summer :)