Author's note:
Hey guys, I'm back.
So I may have left this story high and drew for six months in pursuit of *cough*porn and videogames*cough* other life goals but I'd like to think I will be more regular with my updates. This likely never would've been updated at all if I didn't notice an email the other day from fanfiction saying that I had a new review, favourite story and favourite author alert. I was honestly suprised that anyone enjoyed this but hey, give the people what they want.
I have my girlfriend nagging me to release at least one chapter a fortnight, let's see if that actually works for my lazy ass.
Enjoy.
12th of August, 1994
Sleep did not come easily to him that night. Images of red eyes floating in the darkness and the sky aflame with the horrible chanting of demons echoed through the night haunted him, robbing him of any rest. However, that was a small price to pay for a second chance. Rising from his warm bed, Tohru prepared for a full day, for he had much to do.
Entering the kitchen he noticed his mother groggily sipping at a mug of coffee.
"Hrrrmmmmmm?" she moaned lazily, eyes blinking slowly.
Gazing up to the clock he realised how early it was, nearly six o'clock in the morning. He must have been in bed for all of two hours… At least as a shiki he didn't need to worry about fatigue, but it was just another reminder he was human.
Cheered by this thought he responded with a laugh, "thought I'd get some exercise in the morning, I can't let Natsuno score better than me in phys ed."
"Rrrmmmmmmm," was the only reply he got followed by a loud sip.
Forgetting about the horrible morning person his mother was, Tohru began working on his breakfast and thought of his coming mission.
Kill Chizuru Kirishiki
How the hell did he go about that?
With a frown he spread butter on his toast.
I can't possibly take her on at the window, one bite and it's over. She may not be a jinrou but shiki are nothing to sniff at…
Vegemite followed the butter on his toast.
A cross would work to even the playing field but what if it worked too well? What if she ran off and told the other Kirishiki's at Kanemasa? Quite simply, he would be fucked. He and his whole family to preserve the secret, none would be spared and none would be allowed into the life of the dead for fear of betrayal.
His toast was promptly served to his mother as he left the house, eyes narrowed in frustration.
School was suffered through with impatience, his foot tapping with no rhythm in a continuous loop with nothing to show. Such was the state of his mind as well, bouncing different ideas and shooting them down as impossible.
He couldn't afford to screw this up. He had no idea if what he saw that day in the temple was a premonition sent by God, or his soul leaping from one reality to another. He had no idea if the phenomenon was a one time saving grace offered by a merciful God taking pity upon him or if it was a super power borne from a hiccup in his genetic code. As such, he couldn't afford to squander this chance unduly and irresponsibly.
But on the other hand, if he was being truly responsible he would take his family and flee from Sotoba for good. That would be making true use of his one chance at relife, a guaranteed chance of surviving this nightmare.
His foot stopped tapping as he steepled his hands in front of him.
No.
No, he couldn't turn his back on the village. Not on Natsuno and Masao. Not even on Megumi, bitch-demon that she was.
Not on Ritsuko. Never could he abandon Ritsuko knowing that she would be tortured by herself and murdered by the villagers she refused to harm. He could never abandon the beautiful woman who had taught him to drive, who had nursed him to health, who he gave his heart to and ultimately, who he died with.
He couldn't leave any of the people of Sotoba behind, he had the responsibility to try and save them with the knowledge he held. But to do that, he would have to truly put in everything he had to murder another being to save so many others.
Night came far too quickly. The sun gave way to the moon and the chirping of crickets gave way to the hooting of owls. The sound of tractors and laughter gave way to the howling of wind cutting through leaves and warmth gave way to cold.
All alone in the dark sat Tohru, clutching a makeshift cross dangling from his neck as the wind cut through him like a knife through butter. He was vaguely aware that he was shivering, although he wasn't sure if that was from the cold or fear. The shadows around him seemed to crawling ever closer and red eyes pranced about him before he forced himself to blink and find they were not there. Again, he was not sure if that terrified him or relieved him.
From his perch in the bush overlooking Megumi's bedroom window, Tohru wondered if he could sneak away and hide in his room. He could simply walk away and he would be safe. He could be safe and warm in his house, surrounded by family and not potentially by creatures of the night. He could be sleeping easily under his rug instead of fighting against the shivers that robbed him of breath. He could simply cower and leave in the morning.
These thoughts repeated over and over when a movement in the corner of his eye halted his breath, his shivering and his mind. Something danced from the shadows into the moonlight, silhouetting it against the white painted walls of the Shimizu household. Long legs wrapped in crimson ribbons lead up to a tight cocktail dress of the same colour that was cut far too low for a modest woman. A slender, pale neck lead to blood red lips twisted into an alluring smile with flashes of ivory. And finally, floating in the middle of the abyss were two orbs of red peering through the window.
Tohru's hands clenched on to the hammer he had lifted from his garage cupboard, causing the handle to creak. She was here, Chizuru was here to drain her victim. Sweat dripped down his brow and he watched the demon knock daintily on the window.
Barely a few moments later Megumi greeted her and allowed her in, the two disappearing from sight.
Tohru's breath came back to him then, as did the rest of his functions. He could feel his heart hammering inside of him so loud he could hear it. He sucked air in with shallow breaths and his head hurt from the cold. Now was the moment. He could get up and leave, pretend this was all a dream and escape in the morning. He could forget that demons really existed and he could bleach the name Kirishiki from his mind forever.
He stood up and began walking as quietly as possible, his feet carrying him one slow step at a time. His breathing calmed as he made his decision and the cold didn't seem to affect him as it had before. The dark, whilst impenetrable did not seem so threatening anymore as he made his journey away from his hiding place.
In the back of his mind he could hear himself asking what the hell he was doing as he peered through the window to Megumi's room. It was dark, extremely so.
Pink hair drew his attention, illuminated by the moon followed by bleary cherry red eyes staring back at him. The small girl with a demon hunched over her was crying, staring at him with pleading eyes. He lifted in his finger in front his mouth with a shushing motion before lifting a foot into the window seal.
Gripping the window frame he swung his foot into the dark.
Crunch
With a deafening crack the world seemed to float for Tohru. He watched as Chizuru whipped around, red eyes wild and wide before narrowing on him. He watched as more tears streamed down Megumi's face as she closed her eyes and passed out. Idly, he noticed that he had put his leg through Megumi's study table down to his knee and he was falling to the floor. All of this happened in the span of a split second before his face collided with the hardwood floor with a mighty crash.
Pain rocketed through his body as his legged burned with the immense sensation. The world blurred in and out of focus as something supported his head.
Something unbelievably cold pressed against his neck before a voice came from the darkness, "Give me those, Child. You won't need them anymore."
He felt the fingers clenched around his hammer part against his will before it was whisked from his grasp along with the stake in his belt, soon followed after a brief hesitation by his crude crucifix. Soon after his meager defence of a pair of sticks bound by zip ties and he were seperated something cold gripped him on either side of his face before forcing him to look up.
"Such a waste of a cute face," the demon before him mused.
The last thing Tohru saw were two blood stained lips perked into a small smile before his head was whipped to the side… crack
…
…
…
Before he opened his eyes once more.
Author's note:
Poor Tohru, died looking like a perv sneaking into a girl's room before tragically breaking his neck during a fall. Poor boy not only dies but so does his village reputation. You can never know can you?