Chapter 17 – A Panicky School Day Fight
Kyoko's POV
It was the next day and I was feeling (physically) well enough to go back to school. So I was dressed in my uniform and had my schoolbag in hand as I met up with my mom in the kitchen.
"Morning..." I said.
"Morning, sweetie. Feeling better?"
"Yeah…somewhat better. My fever's definitely gone down. So, I have my friend to thank for that."
"Your friend…her name was Yoshikawa, right? I wasn't expecting her to offer to stay with you until I got off of work. What a nice girl she was."
"Yeah…it was definitely nice of her."
I'm even still shocked about it…
"A-Anyway…I'm feeling well enough. I'm going to school today."
"Well, enough?" Mom asked as she turned away from the kitchen sink to face me. "Wh-What does THAT mean?"
"W-Well, you know…physically, I'm okay. B-But mentally…" I then began to shutter in absolute fear due to me thinking of the nightmare-ish trauma that's been on my mind recently.
Which led Mom to come over and hug me very tightly. I even felt tears run down from her face to mine as she was also shaking in fear.
"Kyoko…please. Be careful."
"Y-Yeah…I-I will, Mom." Was all I replied with before heading out the door.
It was a bit humid outside today. Which is to be expected during the summer months. I heard that the season this year is going to be the hottest in recent Japanese history. So, we're all expecting it to be brutal this time.
For a few blocks, I was walking alone. Passing by buildings and crossing streets...often looking at all angles to ensure I don't get ambushed or something of the sort.
Mainly because…
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, KYOKO~! I'LL ALWAYS BE IN YOUR LIFE~! AND SOON~…I'LL BE THERE TO END YOURS~! BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK…DEAR DAUGHTER~."
There's no way in hell he would joke about that. He's coming for us…he's coming to kill us. I really gotta be on guard from here on out…
"Hey! Kyoko!"
Ditching that thought for now, I noticed Yui, Chinastu, Sachiko, and Akari running up to catch me.
…
The latter of the group…was struggling to stay in a straight line.
*BANG*
"Ow…"
*BAM*
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
*PING*
"OWIE~! *moan* That's the 4th streetlamp in the past 10 minutes~…"
"Y-You sure you don't need any help, Akari?" Sachiko asked her as we witnessed her bumping into multiple things and even a few passing students.
"I'm fine, Sachiko. Really. If I have to adapt to walking with only one eye, then I need to do it by myself. I won't be able to learn if you guys keep holding onto me."
"We get that…" Chinatsu said. "…but it wouldn't hurt to at least rely on us for that. Seeing you bump into things constantly is rather hard to watch."
"Sure, it's hard to watch…and the constant pain I receive is really starting to get to me. I think I may have a hematoma somewhere…"
"Uh…" We all gained sweatdrops.
"…But none of that's gonna deter me from making this work. My end goal in all of this is to make the universe SUCK IT!"
"S-Suck it?!" Yui and I said in absolute shock from hearing Akari say that.
"*sigh* Seriously…you really gotta stop repeating the stuff that comes out of Sakurako's mouth." While Chinatsu and Sachiko gained even bigger sweatdrops while facepalming hard.
Must be a common thing for them…
"A-Anyway…" Yui then said to me. "…you seem to be feeling better today, Kyoko. What was going on with you?"
"O-Oh, uh…j-just a minor cold. Nothing to worry about, really. Hehhehhehheh…"
*RUSTLE*
"KYAAAA! D-DON'T HURT ME! LEAVE ME ALONE~!"
"K-Kyoko, calm down! It's just a cat!"
"H-Huh~?"
"Meow."
I then noticed the small grey cat coming out of the bush. Taking one small glance at us before running away in the opposite direction.
"O-Oh…i-it really is just a cat." I said with huge relief.
I'm starting to get paranoid over this…
"What the hell was that freak-out for?" Sachiko asked.
"U-Uh…w-well…I-I…uh…"
"W-We…watched this scary movie yesterday and she's probably still jumpy from it all." Chinatsu said.
"Scary movie?"
"But I thought you hated scary movies." Akari said.
"Uh…"
…
…
…
"Kyoko made me watch it."
"Wh-What?!" I yelled in shock.
"Ah. That makes sense."
"Why do you always got to make Chinatsu do things she doesn't want to do?" Yui asked me with an exasperated look.
"N-Now wait just a freaking minute! Why are you guys so quick to assume that I did something to…"
*RUSTLE*
"K-KYAAAAAA! H-HE'S HERE! HE'S COMING TO GET ME! L-LEAVE ME ALONEEEEEEEE~!" Hearing another rustling sound, I didn't wait to see what or who was actually in there. And I ran away in a panicked fit from the four girls.
"K-Kyoko! Wait! Wh-Where are you going?!" I heard Yui shout out to me.
But I ignored her. I just kept running and running. Tears of absolute fear and sadness flowed from my eyes as I took each traumatized step.
I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I DON'T WANNA DIEEEEE~!
I managed to reach the school WAY earlier than I normally do. Not many students were arriving yet. So, I was safe and clear of anybody noticing my panicked teary-eyed face.
I took this rare opportunity and made my way to the restroom to calm down and look normal.
…
Well…at least try to.
"*sniff* O-Okay, Kyoko…y-you can do this. Y-You gotta *sniff*…pl-play it cool. I mean…y-you're at school…you're safe now. There's no possible way that a *sniff*…psy-psy-psychopathic murderer can sneak onto schoolgrounds and…k-k-kill you. N-Not with so many people around, that is. Y-You'll be fine…pr-probably. I hope. I'm pleading to God. GAAAH! I'M SO SCARED~!"
"Well, it depends on how psychotic this person really is."
"H-Huh?"
I looked behind me (away from the toilet and underneath the stall door) to see someone doing something no girl wants to have happen when they're in a bathroom stall.
…
Yes, even I'M that sensitive towards that.
"KYAAAA! K-Kaede, what the hell are you doing here?!" I shouted at the younger Furutani sister as I held down the bottom of my uniform to block the panty view.
"The air-conditioning at my school isn't working. So, it's closed until they can fix it. Onee-chan brought me with her because there's nobody to watch me."
"And you're peaking under the bathroom stall…WHY?!"
"You're taking too long in there. I really gotta pee~!"
"There are other toilets! Use one of them!"
"Shiro checked all of them~! They're all broken~!"
"Sh-Shiro?"
"*spider noise*"
After hearing that noise, I gained the instinct to look above me and, sure enough, there was Hiro's abnormally huge pet spider looking back at me.
H-How the hell did I not notice him?!
"*sigh* F-Fine." I said while highly irritated. "J-Just…get out of the way so that I can open the door."
"Th-Thanks…K-Kyoko…GAAAAAH! IT'S COMING! MOVE ALREADY!"
As soon as I opened the door and got out of the way, Kaede rushed past me and did her "business". Meanwhile, I waited outside the bathroom for her to finish. Not sure why I did, though. After freaking out in front of my friends earlier, I kinda wanted to be alone right now.
But with an 11-year-old girl and an oversized spider now with me, that's probably not going to happen.
"Haaah~…what a relief~…" Kaede said after she had finally come out of the bathroom.
"Geez…you were in there for a good 10 minutes. What the hell did you drink?"
"Oh. Well…Akane-sama gave me this soda to try out called "Mountain Dew". Saying that it'll help me play video games longer. She said that it's based in America."
"I see…" I gained a huge sweatdrop.
So, she CLEARLY hasn't learned from the 5-Hour-Engery incident…
"So, Himawari really brought you here? Is that even allowed?"
"Hmm…not sure. But she said it would be fine. After all, Hiro brings Shiro here on a regular basis. So, by that logic, it should be fine for an 11-year-old girl, right?"
"*spider noise*"
"See? Shiro agrees with me."
Why the hell does Hiro bring a giant spider to school?! I mentally yelled with a petrified look on my face.
"S-Sure…whatever works out best, I guess."
With nowhere else to go, I decided to take the girl/spider duo over to the Student Council room. I knew that at least Ayano would be there already. So, she could keep them busy until classes started.
…
Though, I'm not entirely sure what a spider would do in here…
"Hey, by the way, Kyoko…what were you talking about back in the bathroom earlier? Somebody trying to kill you?"
"Tch! A-Aw, crap…"
Did she hear me while I was in there?!
"Uh…i-it's nothing, Kaede. Absolutely nothing. I-It was just…m-me talking to myself."
"In the bathroom?"
"Y-Yep! In the bathroom! Just talking to myself in the bathroom at 8:00 in the morning! Hahahaha…"
"Oh…okay, then. I guess being an otaku makes you act like a nutcase sometimes."
"Hahahaha…"
I'm going to ignore the fact that I pretty much got insulted by an 11-year-old…
"…In any case, here's the Student Council room. See you guys around…I guess. Tell Himawari and Hiro I said hi."
"Okay." Kaede replied. "Bye, Kyoko."
"*spider noise*" I had no idea what Shiro said (or if he even said anything), but I wasn't in the mood to question it.
I was still in a mental panic attack from earlier.
Classes today were a bit of a struggle to get through. I managed to stay up for all of them…when I'm normally known for sleeping through most of them. But as for actually doing the work…yeah, that was still out of the question.
Traumatized mind or not, I still couldn't be bothered with it…
But now it was after school. And I had to make my way home with the same panicked-as-hell mindset I had this morning: hoping and praying to God that my monster of a father doesn't show up out of nowhere and kill me right on the spot.
Hopefully, I don't get spooked by a cat again…
"Kyoko…"
"KYAAAA! D-DON'T HURT ME! L-L-LEAVE ME ALONE~!"
"H-Hey! Calm down! It's me!"
…
"O-Oh…h-hey, Nishigaki…" I said once I realized who it was that touched me on the shoulder.
"Geez…what was that just now? Sounded like you were being attacked or something."
"O-Oh, uh…I-I was just…st-still reeling from a scary movie I watched yesterday. Has me a bit jumpy still. Hahahaha…"
"Huh…well, okay then."
Ended up using that excuse after all…
"S-So, uh…did you need something, Nishigaki?"
"Oh, right. Well, the Principal wants you to clear out the stuff you left in the Tea Ceremony clubroom today. It's in the way of them closing the place."
"What? Seriously?" I complained.
I already knew about the clubroom being locked up and the Amusement Club being permanently disbanded. It was the punishment we all got for holding an unofficial club for so long…and then having that lead to Akari's injury. It was either that or a week's suspension for everyone that knew about it. Which included the Student Council, Sachiko, Hiro, Aoi…hell, Nishigaki was threatened to be fired for not taking action as a teacher.
In the end, I took the blame for it all. I didn't want to drag everyone down into something I neglected to do for nearly 2 ½ years.
Although…not having a place to hang out is going to suck…
"It was better you heard it from me. The Principal wanted to take a harsher approach to it. He's still pretty pissed that the accident happened under his watch."
"*sigh* Yeah, I get it. Tell him I'll get it done today."
"Do you want any help? I can tell the others."
"No, it's fine. After all, it's MY stuff that's in there. I should be the one to clear them out."
Another thing I neglected to do for nearly 2 ½ years…
"Well, okay then. See you tomorrow." Nishigaki said as she began walking away from me.
"Y-Yeah…see you tomorrow."
And so, with an empty box in my hands, I made my way to the now former Tea Ceremony/ Amusement clubroom. Seeing a bunch of barriers and signs plastered on the nearby trees.
All of them saying the same thing:
*This area is PERMANENTLY OFF-LIMITS to students, teachers, and faculty. DO NOT ENTER!*
"Damn…so, this is blocked off forever, huh? Now I ruined any chances of an ACTUAL Tea Ceremony Club coming back to this school. I've gone and done it this time…"
"Yes…it appears you have. Kyoko."
…
…
…
I didn't say anything for a while. More like…I COULDN'T say anything. No matter how much I wanted to. That voice just now…it brought me so much fear…I was having a mental panic attack so large that it could shatter my sanity forever.
N-No way…h-he found me. H-He really found me!
And before I could even have a chance to release this mental panic, I had an arm wrapped around my petite body and a huge sharp knife just inches from my neck.
"You scream…and I'll kill you right her right now. Got it?"
I nodded my head "yes". Mainly out of fear for my life.
"*evil-like chuckle* My, my~…you've sure grown over the years, dear daughter. Looks like that useless bitch Airi can do something right after all."
"H-How…h-how did you find me? I-It's been 10 years…y-you shouldn't know that I go to this school."
"*chuckle* Oh, PLEASE…when you're a professional serial killer like me, finding your victims is as easy as a lion stalking its prey. And quite similar, too~. Since they both result in death~. You know~?"
I made a sizeable gulp of fear as tears began running down my face. The knife inched closer and closer to my neck in a slow yet torturous manner. One false move and my neck will be squirting all over the ground.
But with my evil father's arm tightly wrapped around my pre-pubescent body, there was no way I was going to escape.
I'm going to die…I-I'm really going to die…
…
N-No…No, God, please no! PLEASE! DON'T LET ME DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE! NOT BECAUSE OF HIM! MOMMY! ANYONE! SAVE ME! PLEASE!
"*sigh* What a nice little reunion this was." My father said as the knife was now touching my neck. "It's too bad that it'll ALLLLLL end here~. Right here~. Right now~."
The knife then moved slightly to the left…as he got ready to make that one deep cut that would end my life.
"I've been waiting for this moment, Kyoko~. You were the biggest mistake of my life~. And now~…with this sole chance to FINALLY get rid of you~…I'm sure you've come to terms with it now~."
He then lowered his head to my right ear. And whispered in a sadistic tone what would be the last words I hear from anyone in this world:
"Daddy never loved you~."
D-Daddy…n-never loved me…
"*evil-like chuckle* Goodbye forever~. Kyoko Toshini-"
*BONK*
"OW! The hell~…?" My murder was stopped at the last second after a medium-sized rock had hit him in the head.
"HEY! LET GO OF HER!"
As to who threw it…I was shocked to even hear her voice.
Ch-Chinatsu?! Wh-Why is she here?! RUN AWAY FROM HERE! PLEASE!
"Tch! You damn brat! Who the hell are you?!"
"NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS! NOW LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW!"
"Grr…you've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that. Don't you know who I am, girly?"
"Of course, I do. You're the RTM Killer. A psychopathic bastard whose been shattering the lives of girls all across the country for 10+ years."
Chinatsu then went silent as she was trying to hide the EXTREME amount of fear she had inside of her. Looking back with a serious face.
"You're…You're also Kyoko's father. Are you not?"
"Hmph. So, she's blabbed her mouth about me." My father said before grabbing me by my shirt collar and making me face him. "You just couldn't keep your damn mouth shut, huh?! Had to go telling people about my existence! I SHOULD USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
"Pl-Pl-Please~ *sniff*…I-I-I don't wanna die~." I began pleading for my life. "I-I-I really don't want to die~. Pl-Pl-Please just~…"
"SHUT UP!"
*SLASH*
"G-Gah…!"
But none of that worked. As my cold, heartless, sociopathic father made one deep slash with the knife across my neck. It was so fast that I didn't even see it.
…
Then again…why would I want to see such a thing?
"*sadistic chuckle* Now~…OUT OF MY SIGHT!" He then threw me with all of his might at a nearby tree. Slamming my head on the hard-as-hell bark before falling to the ground hard. Blood now pouring from both my neck and my head.
"KYOKO!" Chinatsu shouted as she rushed over to me.
"Chi…Ch-Chinatsu…"
"Don't talk! You'll leak out more blood!"
"Ch-Chinatsu…r-run…pl-please…r-run away from here…leave me…"
"A-Are you CRAZY?! You're covered in blood!"
"Ch-Chinatsu…pl-please…I-I don't want *cough* *cough* *cough*…I-I don't you to get hurt…"
"I don't care about getting hurt! I'm not leaving you here! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER PERSON I CARE ABOUT!"
"Ch-Chinatsu…" What Chinatsu yelled out just now…with her teary-red eyes to boot…it surprised me. To hear from her own mouth that she cared about me…it was honestly the nicest thing she's ever said to me.
…
But what did she mean by "another person"?
"*chuckle* You should've listened to her, Pinky." My father spoke out as he inched closer to us with the bloody knife still in his hand. "She was trying to save your stupid-ass. But now you'll both DIE by my hands."
"You think I'm scared of you?! I've dealt with someone whose far more psychotic than you! You're nothing compared to him!"
"Hmph. Is that so? Then I'll just have to rape and torment you until you fear me completely!"
"Ch…Ch-Chinatsu *cough* *cough* gasp*…Ch-Chinatsu, please leave *cough* *cough* *cough*" I tried pleading with her one last time to save herself and run away. But the deep gash on my neck was making it harder to speak…breathe, even. I felt my body getting weaker as more and more blood continued to leak from my wounds. Slowly losing consciousness…my last moment alive was going to be me and my kōhai friend being murdered by my father.
*sniff* A-Akari was right…th-the universe is evil…
"*sadistic laughter* Say your fucking prayers~! You little~…"
"Shiro! String Shot! Now!"
*STICKING NOISE*
"Wh-What?! What is this?!" My father yelled after something sticky had wrapped around his hand. Preventing him from moving it.
It was the same hand he was holding the knife in.
Wh-What the…
"Nice job, Shiro! Keep a good grip on it!"
"*spider noise*"
H…H-Hiro? Wh-Why is she…
"You sure took your time, Hiro!" Chinatsu yelled.
"Sorry…Shiro's a heavy sleeper."
Well…m-most spiders are nocturnal. I-I'll give her that…
"Tch~! You've got to be shitting me! ANOTHER brat getting in my way?!" My father shouted in anger.
"W-Woah…n-never thought I would be face-to-face with the RTM Killer. It's so surreal…" Hiro said while shaking a bit due to fear. But then gained a serious look. "…B-But that won't stop me from saving my friends! Get ready, Shiro!"
"*spider noise*"
"You think you can stop me, bitch?! I'll slice you just like I sliced my own mistake of a daughter! GRAAAAAAAAA!"
"Ready, Shiro?! Net Work! Go!"
""Net Work"? Really?" Chinatsu and I gained huge sweatdrops.
Even though the name was basically a cheesy pun, the move itself was pretty powerful. As it increased the amount of sticky web around my father. Spreading all over his body and eventually trapping him in a giant cocoon.
W-Woah…
"*giggle* Good job, Shiro." Hiro said as she began patting Shiro's head. "You'll be getting an extra serving of dead bugs for dinner tonight."
"*spider noise*"
"Uh…hey, Hiro. Not to interrupt your bonding session with your pet or anything…BUT KYOKO'S BLEEDING RAPIDLY OVER HERE!" Chinatsu yelled as she was still holding onto me. Trying to prevent any more blood from leaving my body.
…
But by that time…it was too late. I was seconds away from losing all consciousness. My body was completely pale…and I was surrounded by a huge puddle of my own blood.
And as my eyes began to close…seeing Chinatsu, Hiro, Shiro, and eventually more of my friends circle around me…there was only one thing I could say before I left this world forever:
"I-I'm so sorry…e-every…o-one…"
Author's Note: After recovering from her sudden fever, Kyoko (still filled with fear) attempts to have a normal day at school. Unfortunately…it doesn't last long.
So, to be honest…this was supposed to go up a few days after I had posted the previous chapter. But I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote and postponed it right when I was about to post it. And it's been sitting on FanFiction's Doc Manager ever since.
I'm definitely more satisfied with what I wrote here. It's honestly better than what I originally wrote.
Thanks for reading. Later.