Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Reflection [Jukko-hen]

Continuation from Tsumihoroboshi-hen. "Everyone has been claimed by the fateful June and I stand the lone survivor. Clouds pass over the sun, abandoning the village of Hinamizawa; my home - reclaimed by demons".

That feeling she had experienced there, her head resting against his chest, his arms around her, she mimicked the action. She would never experience it again, this warmth that exceeded all bright days in the remote village. Ryuuguu Rena had led Maebara Keiichi up there - onto the roof of the Hinamizawa Branch School - using that bomb as bait. He had been clutching Houjou Satoshi's bat, she herself held the hatchet she had discovered in the mounds of trash at the dump. Together they fought, with the truth at stake, the fate of the village and everyone in it, more specifically the children.

She had spoken of the invasion that was to come, the aliens that would descend from space and create clones of everyone - insisting that she had been copied by the foreign creatures. They would come and erase everyone in Hinamizawa. The scrapbooks that Miyo Takano had given her egged her closer to insanity, uncovering the horrific secrets that the young woman had stumbled upon before being brutally murdered and her corpse dumped in a barrel, set alight until her skin was charred and left little behind. They had been after her, everyone. She had killed two people and Mion had confessed to her family. No, that was how she believed it had played - the reality had been that she had been sinking further into the inescapable spiral of self-destruction.

Inescapable… until he showed up.

He promised he would believe her if she won the final charge, promising to listen to her words of the impending doom of Hinamizawa's humans. That was the final trigger - his acceptance of her story if she could come out victorious of that water gun fight they had resumed with real weapons. She wished for the wager to match his - that the loser would become a servant to the winner, to greet them and wish them a good night's sleep. To make them feel warm and happy in between each link of the chain that was the Watanagashi's deaths that came and haunted everyone through the end of June. He gave her his word that he would believe her if she won, even if she were to become the next victim and descend into complete meltdown, tearing the flesh of her neck open with her own nails, just like the cuts that already opened, kept from exposure by roughly placed bandages that clung to her skin. Holding the blood inside, keeping her from seeing the maggots that crawled around inside of her. Even if she were to kill herself to fulfil the requirements of the chain.

And with that, they dashed towards each other, bathed in the light of the full moon that hovered almost level with the roof.

The bat soared.

That one moment she knelt triumph over him, she couldn't lower that hatchet. She was glad she hadn't - she would have defeated herself in the ultimate game of fate. He had reached out to her beyond all limitations; no-one had reached for her in such a way. They were together, alone, on that roof. He spoke of friends and how they would be able to confide in each other. He kept his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest.

She wasn't alone, she had never been alone.

She finally felt… loved.

「ひぐらしのなく頃に」

熟考編

Chapter 1 - Shadow

Those were days of old, those precious moments had been months before, eight months in the past to be precise. That same Ryuuguu Rena gazed at the ceiling of the chamber she sat in, alone, having been admitted to a hospital following experience of Level 5 phase of the Hinamizawa Syndrome. Taken there to calm down, to recover from the deadly symptoms of the regional disease. She would never forget the look on Keiichi's face as Detective Ooishi led her away gently the morning following the incident; at least she had experienced time with her friends following the incident, an opportunity to plead for their forgiveness. She had endangered their lives in more ways than one, she had tried to crack open the head of their club's leader, the woman she felt closest to - Sonozaki Mion - yet they had welcomed her back with open arms. Without a shred of remorseless, like they understood just the mental suffering she had gone through. The hell she had descended to and climbed back up from. She glanced over her shoulder at him, the expression he gave had been one of sympathy - the Rena he had known before that day had not been the girl he had seen over the previous weeks, the Rena that introduced him to Hinamizawa and became his first friend. A smile broke through, one of silent wishing luck to her; she returned the expression faintly, the strongest smile she could give in her haunted state - her slim body racked with guilt and fatigue, both physical and mental. That had been the last time she had seen him, there had been no word from him or her friends following that occasion. Nothing from Keiichi, nothing from Rika, nothing from Mion, nothing from Satoko. Nothing…

From the opposite side of the door, a tapping sounded - someone had come to check up on her. The beat brought her back to the room around her - to the present world, a time outside of her vivid memories rattled with guilt and stained in blood. Her eyes diverted to the door, her face expressionless, it was common to be empty of any feelings on the surface with the post-Level 5 Rena; she would no longer giggle or squeal at something she deemed cute - the attraction remained inside of her, simply… empty - not like the previous Rena. She was reverting back to the younger girl she had been just before her return to Hinamizawa, that depressed and emotionally puzzled girl - Ryuuguu Reina.

"Come in" she bade tonelessly.

The silence lingering incessantly within the four walls became invaded by the creaking of the door opening gradually, the large grey-haired man familiar to Rena stood on the other side - Detective Ooishi. He had been the only one to visit her since being admitted to the facility - sometimes for questions, sometimes simply to check that she was stable, only for a time when he'd require to question her again. She sighed, her eyes a dull azure; the once-dominant black pupils that gave her the same innocent look she had shared with her friends having faded, setting them on the elderly officer. The door creaked behind him, a gentle click pronouncing its closing. The sound went unnoticed while Ooishi proceeded towards the girl seated to his left and pulled out the chair opposite, seating himself before her and presenting a consoling smile.

"How have you been feeling, Ryuuguu-san?" he inquired cheerfully.

"I'm fine" Rena exhaled faintly, dropping her eyes from the sight of the man, she had come to despise the small talk he would generally begin with, something gentle to bring her round to talking. "Are you here to question me more about the fight with Keiichi-kun or that day? It's been so long… you must know everything by now".

"No, no. Not at all" Ooishi answered, waving his hands defensively against the accusation, palms flat as he waved as though rubbing against the glass of an invisible window between them. That was how visiting Rena could feel - like a barrier remained there, a barrier preventing him from coming close to the frail girl - to understand her - someone convinced that anyone near her would come to harm. "I've simply come to see how you are doing".

"Like I said, I'm alright here" Rena murmured in response, keeping her eyes from the officer whose gaze remained upon her. "This place took me in after… everything that happened. All the people I hurt are safe while I'm far away here".

The detective released a disheartened sigh - Rena had incessantly blamed herself for descending through the destructive spiral that the Hinamizawa Syndrome, the thing she had claimed was the Curse of Oyashiro-sama. Silence fell over the chamber while the guilt gripped the broken girl's heart, the elderly man unable to respond until she would listen to his claim that would leap to her defence.

"Has there been anything from Keiichi-kun and the others?"

Ooishi lifted his head; Rena had broken the silence before he could divert the topic, making continuing much easier for him. Her azure eyes remained from him, unable to look up at him and expect forgiveness… no matter how many times he had insisted that everyone had forgiven her. She wished to hear the apologies from them, yet no-one came. It was the final fragment of her guilt - no-one had come so no-one cared, even her father had little to say, trying to keep going in her absence, apparently depressed without his young princess by his side. Perchance he was still devastated over the loss of his girlfriend, unknowing that it had been Rena who robbed her of her life.

The girl leaned back in her seat, back touching the fabric that acted as a comfortable divider between the wooden base and the seated individual. Ooishi coughed lightly, Rena usually brought up her friends and family, more specifically Keiichi after what had been an astonishing act to rescue his classmates. The sheer length he had gone to protect his friends and the self-destructing girl had never departed from her dreams or her heart. But such a subject was sensitive on raw wounds; the officer would normally attempt to divert the topic once again from it and to something that didn't fill the girl with bitter loneliness.

The cough was like a cue, Rena expected the new question or statement from Ooishi - someone who Mion had spoken of as a corrupted man, someone who couldn't be trusted, yet someone that Rena had confided in when she found the mysterious notebook in her hands following her meeting with Takano in the library of Okinomiya. Why would he always do his best to evade the subject of those she held so dear to her heart? Those whose smiles kept her going while separated from them. Such acts aggravated her, all she wished was words about or from her friends, her family, yet the man was hiding their lives after the morning of their departure from Hinamizawa like they were unimportant, hindering Rena's recovery.

Like he was holding something terrible back.

Had they forgotten her?

The loose fists on her knees tightened, gripping at the skirt that she wore - the school uniform that she would wear to attend class alongside her friends. Her eyes hardened into an impassive glare as she gazed at the floor, unable to rise and direct her anger towards the man who had brought such emotions to life.

"Forgive me, Ryuuguu-san. I believe my mind travelled elsewhere" he replied, a hint of hollow repent. "But there has been little. While they care, they have their own lives that they must resume. I cannot say anything more, not yet".

His eyes descended to the small coffee table between the seats, the flat surface shimmering as the sunlight reflected off of it, void of beverages or nourishment.

"Ooishi-san?" Rena uttered, concern shining through in her voice, eyes softening when she moved them to the officer, seeing their downcast nature.

"I don't mean to change this subject deliberately, but I have a favour I'd like to request of you" the elderly officer proceeded.

"A request? What kind of request could I fulfil?" Rena inquired.

"I heard that the staff here believes you're ready to be discharged from this place, ready to live outside these walls with regular check-ups to ensure you're truly capable of living the way you once did. In Hinamizawa" Ooishi uttered softly. "Though it may take longer for a decision to be reached, but I'd like it if you were to remain here for another month".

"'Another month'?" Rena inquired, eyebrows lifting to give the perplexed look that she had lost some months ago, shrugging off the lost, stern look she had worn for many days since the incident. Expressions of loneliness, of a lost and frustrated child. "But… why would you need me to stay here a little longer if they reach that kind of verdict?"

"As you know, I will retire from my position as an officer in Okinomiya shortly" Ooishi recalled. "I would like to escort you back to Hinamizawa. At that time, I can explain about the uneasiness around the subject of your friends there. I know you've been worried about my reactions to your want to know what your friends are thinking and saying without you around in their lives".

"I will do so then" Rena muttered, casting her eyes towards the carpeted floor. "I'll see Keiichi-kun and the others again; we can resume life as it once was. I just hope they don't hate me after all that I have done to them, all the pain I caused".

Sorrow at the thought of losing her friends lingered in her heart, tearing her apart from within when guilt overwhelmed her. Her fringe fell over her eyes as she tilted her head forward, hindering any view of her eyes Ooishi had. Tears trickled down her cheeks from the shadows cast over her azure eyes, gathering at the base of her chin and slipping down her throat.

"Maybe that's why they haven't come".

"Ryuuguu-san, that's not true" Ooishi protested, leaning forward and over the table that separated them. "The boy… Maebara Keiichi, I believe. He requested that I tell you something, something to calm you if you ever felt abandoned by your friends - something that I felt didn't need reliance upon before now. He told me 'if Rena ever feels alone or dejected, we'll be there for her… we'll be inside her heart, and she'll be in ours. We won't give up on her. We'll wait for the day she returns to Hinamizawa as the Rena we know and love. We can never hate her from what she has endured and what actions it caused for her to commit. We won't hate her for who she is and what suffering alone made her become. We know she'll be Rena once again'".

The pure words from Keiichi's mouth had burned themselves into his mind since that day so long ago, carving each one into him like a message into the bark of a tree, to remain for a child to return later in life and see it rise as the tree grew. Rena's head rose, revealing the streams of tears that flowed from her eyes, her brow furrowed as she put everything she had into keeping her sorrow silent, not to sob uncontrollably.

"Keiichi-kun… he said that?" she asked, a rising tone giving away her astonishment. Love? He had uttered the world "love". She wished she could express the affection she held for him mutually. That was if he truly loved her on a separate level of those they called friends. Her fists tightened again above the bones of her knees; they would meet again, she would tell him…

Ooishi gave a nod, smiling gently when he could recognize a glimmer of hope in Rena's eyes, her face no longer screwed up in despair, but rather stunned by the message that had been passed on. Perchance she was recapturing the light that had been absent from her life for the past eight months.

"Ooishi-san… thank you" she muttered, allowing another tear to slip from her eyes. The girl that had been alive previously, almost like a former version of the girl, was gradually reawakening, she would live once again. The clash between Reina and Rena would slowly turn in favour of the latter, the girl reborn upon her return to Hinamizawa in the summer of 1982 - a year before Keiichi arrived, the year when Houjou Satoshi vanished.

"It's nothing. A simple message that Maebara-san wanted passed on" the officer mumbled humbly. "Before now, there was little chance of you deteriorating into a complete state once you claimed to be strong enough to talk of your friends. However, with such little time remaining, I thought now was the only opportunity I would have to tell you what Maebara-san told me before you return to Hinamizawa. It'd mean more to you if you heard it here, before you stand just outside the borders of the village".

"I guess… I just needed to hear those words" Rena whispered, hands together on her lap catching her eyes. "Those words telling me that Keiichi-kun and everyone are still waiting for me, still believing in me. I don't want their beliefs to go to waste, I want to show them that I have returned to the Rena that they were waiting for, show them that I'm sorry and I want to resume life as we lived".

Ooishi smiled at the girl, relieved that her fighting spirit was slowly coming together, fragments building upon one another to form what was one a young woman. Determination flashed across Rena's eyes, the eyes still searching the past to grasp the same kind of flame she possessed during the club activities - occasions to prove her worth to the others with the bonus of something cute waiting for her at the end of the day. She wouldn't fail in telling Keiichi how she truly felt, the emotions that she had kept bottled for almost a year, even if he and Mion had grown closer in her absence, even if they stood hand in hand as a result of Mion's affection for the brunette male.

"They've been my inspiration… I wanted to make them proud. And I haven't let them down, I want to prove that".

The detective continued to beam at the words of hope that departed Rena's mouth, his eyes falling to the hands on her lap that had withdrawn from the knees beside each other and keeping a strong grip on the other. The same fists that had thrown those that threatened her chances of obtaining something cute aside with the sheer power for her love of the object or person. Her voice also grew from the toneless muttering, hinting the lighter innocent tone of voice that she would usually speak in.

"Ryuuguu-san, I will do whatever I can to help you restore your life when you depart from this place" he added, bringing the brief silence to an end.

Rena's eyes rose to meet the face of the man, someone that Mion had spoken of ill after his involvement on the other side of the Dam War that had threatened Hinamizawa's existence, a time in which she had left the village and moved into a new life - one much more suited to her mother than herself, a life that she had discarded in favour of Hinamizawa and her father, her friends and those she was familiar with.

"Th- thank you" she squeaked, feeling taken aback by the offer from such a man - someone that often intruded on Hinamizawa's soil for the sake of investigating incidents, set mainly on uncovering the string of deaths that accompanied the Watanagashi. "It means a lot to me that you want to help so much".

"It's the least I can do" Ooishi replied, gradually closing his eyes before proceeding on. "It's my duty to protect citizens of the area in which I've been station, Hinamizawa is included in that. And you are a resident of Hinamizawa; I'd prefer to take you back where you'll feel safer on the journey back. But for now, I will depart".

"You haven't been here long, you're leaving so suddenly?" Rena asked, watching him with puzzled eyes.

"I'll depart so that I can have a cigarette outside" Ooishi chuckled lightly. "It wouldn't be fair for you if I promised is much for the future then started smoking in front of you where you could inhale some of my second-hand smoke".

Rena smiled at the joke the officer had uttered, grateful that he had taken even smaller details into consideration for the sake of the bigger picture - promising a bright and content future and then evading the small possibility of erasing such a prospect. Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in despair, but rather in enjoyment of the man's company for once - even though her friends and family had yet to visit and see how far she had progressed, a familiar face felt enough when it brought a warm and cheery aura with it.

"Don't let me keep you if that's the case" she insisted. "You should have one now before your urge grows".

"Alright then" the detective replied, standing from his seat, towering over Rena while his shadow fell on the wall behind him. "I'll be back shortly".

Rena kept her eyes on the man as he turned his back on her and approached the threshold, opening the door discretely. He paused before passing through completely, turning his head and setting his eyes on her brightly. Immediately, regret washed through him when he observed the bright smile on Rena's face, not as bright as those she had shown in the past during those carefree days amongst her friends; riding on their bikes to Okinomiya or the club activities they played, the results usually seen by several villagers, but one much more optimistic than she had given since leaving Hinamizawa. He gave her a hollow smile in return before completing his passage through the doorway, bringing the wooden barrier to a close behind him.

A click declared the door had been shut completely, allowing Ooishi to set his eyes upwards, giving a sigh. He was lying through his teeth and those lies were what was keeping Rena going, it sickened him to think that he had messed with the girl's mind for so long, using the excuse that it was for her own good. Usually, he'd have no trouble acting professionally, but Rena's state was far too severe at the time and telling her would only reverse the progress she had made, there was always the possibility that she would turn on him, spitting on his words and screaming that he was a liar. That was something he had come to learn about her, when a lie was given to her in the place of the truth, she would protest fiercely, she despised lies as though she were an agent of Oyashiro-sama, doing whatever she could to avoid losing those that the Shrine God could select as worthy sacrifices during the next Watanagashi.

Keiichi had uttered the words that Ooishi had passed on to Rena, but they were about the only shred of truth there was. Rising her hopes and prolonging her dreams felt like the right act to commit for now, to let her learn and see for herself rather than inform her in a place so far from where she felt safe, where she belonged. He felt like he was slowly ripping himself apart inside, she had turned to him when she felt there was nowhere to go while clutching Takano's scrapbook, the notes in the journal entitled "File No. 34". She had confided in him what she feared, no matter how ridiculous and fled when she feared that he, the last person she felt she could trust, could turn on her because of her delusions that Sonozaki Mion had confessed to the killings that the girl had committed. He felt sympathy for her, feeling as though he had developed a bond with the girl. But all he was doing was watching aspiration grow inside of her, waiting to be shattered when reality smacked her, and that was what hurt the most.

Behind his back, was an innocent and fragile girl that lived on lies and had done so for eight months. He closed his eyes remorsefully, wishing that he hadn't strayed down the path of deceit, that he hadn't let his sympathy for the girl intervene with his professionalism. Why was telling her the truth so difficult? Because of their past attempt of trying to uncover the conspiracies in the remote village?

As an officer, he was meant to face difficult times, and yet… something about this one was different. He felt a connection to her, the survivor of the deadly disease that torn so many lives apart in the past. He had been the one that escorted her from the school that day, from her friends that watched with high hopes that she would return soon as the girl they adored. He was the one that could had spoken about it before, yet failed. He felt… terrified for her.

"Forgive me, Ryuuguu-san" he sighed, disheartened by the dilemma he had brought himself to.

His body finally departed from the door, clearing the threshold behind him. A box of cigarettes rose from the pocket of his black shirt between his fore and middle fingers with his thumb holding the opposite face, in the other hand, a lighter accompanied the sheets of paper and tobacco. Bringing the two hands together, he couldn't help but think about the day that he would return Rena to Hinamizawa, almost fearing what may happen.

She had advanced to Level 5 of the Syndrome following a series of stressful situations, not only once - but twice in the past. There was nothing holding her back from descending down the vicious spiral once again, leading her back into madness. Perhaps there was still time…

Time to atone for his lies…

Sin.

Reflection - Rena

Rena had crossed the room to the window, watching the sun shining brightly over the serene view of the town outside, over the park that was located down the road from the hospital. She smiled gently, unsure what it was that made her do so, perchance the tranquillity of the scene, the warmth of the sun caressing everything beneath. It wasn't uncommon for some of the younger patients of the wards to visit the park, remind the world that they were children before suffers. She had joined them on more than one occasion, watching the youngsters playing contently, the scene both lifted her spirits and struck her heart - some had yet to suffer true madness, whether they would encounter such a period in their lifetime or not. The dew-soaked grass glistened as it remained bathed in the warm sunlight, it was a perfect day. Keiichi's words mixed with the aura of the peaceful and uplifting day.

Her head slowly tilted backwards, bringing her eyes to the sky above the earth, a turquoise sea overhead with the occasional cotton cloud of pure white floating about like a fish swimming in water.

"Keiichi-kun, wait for me" she whispered. "I'll come and see you all again soon".

She remained frozen, unable to take her eyes from the heavens above, the tranquil gateway between the earth's citizens and the sun that beamed from so far away, extending its power to the planet. There was something about it all that drew her in, trapping her in its embrace; like someone was watching over her. Why she had focused above whilst she spoke to her distant friend was beyond her, like the sky was a line of communication that would carry her words back to him.

Her thoughts turned to her father, the man she was protecting by slaughtering the two victims she had. Overtime, she had come to assume that Ooishi or Keiichi, perchance someone else, had explained to him what had happened after her departure, sugar-coating the true extent to what she had endured. She imagined the empty fields of Hinamizawa, that man who made a half of her standing there with his hand raised high, welcoming her back with open arms, just as he had when she chose him over her mother, her other creator. The woman who had brought her into the world and then torn her from all she knew, dragging her into the first experience of the Syndrome and angering Oyashiro-sama.

The world was like an opposite to the place she stood, a distant place that shared nothing with the city she had lived in for almost a year: the urban busy lives that the residents lived, stressing as they continued to be pressured by their confided lives, Hinamizawa had no such atmosphere. That was what she loved about it.

A tapping clapped from the door behind, dragging her back to earth, drawing her eyes to the accessible barrier, could it be that Ooishi had rushed his moments of smoking? It couldn't be, he had nothing to worry about - at least, that had been what he showed her. Maybe it was just a nurse who had come to see how they were getting on. Anyone could be standing on the opposite side of the door. Anyone…

"Come in" she offered.

The door creaked open, revealing the being on the other side, a man far younger than Ooishi. It was boy, one whose eyes brought Keiichi to mind immediately. His hairstyle was surprising similar to the brunette's, dyed black. The eyes that met hers were of a chestnut shade, the mouth curving into a moderate smile. She watched him curiously, neither smiling nor frowning, though she recognised him as another patient on the ward, recalling his smiling face from the visits to the nearby park as he stood by the child that had called for him to play with them. Though he seemed to be the same age as her, they had never looked at each other in the same instant, never exchanging words, few of those around them were their age - some younger, some older, a varied collection of individuals - they couldn't be further apart.

"Excuse me for intruding" he started, bowing formally before her. Sapphire eyes simply watched in bewilderment, attempting to identify the meaning of his sudden appearance in her room. "I was hoping we could speak".

Rena hesitated, suddenly shrinking with the social ability of a shy child beginning at a new school. "Er- sure. Hello".

"My name's Jouichirou" the boy stated tenderly, rising from his physical greeting. "I remember seeing you about, then I noticed that man leave your room here. Is he a relative of yours? An uncle perhaps?"

Was that the reason he had come? To pry into her private affairs? Because someone had visited her? Inwardly, a sigh drifting through her body, her eyes fell from the boy.

"No, he's not. That was Detective Ooishi-san. He would come frequently and visit the village I lived in". He was still watching. Eyes on her. Boring into her. "Is that all you wanted?"

"Huh? N- no. I apologize, you probably think that I came just before I saw him and want to pry into your life" the boy panicked, "I- it's just that I've seen you around, but I never really approached you. I noticed that there's not many people around our age".

Azure eyes moved back to the boy, he had denied any suspicion in his sudden interest. But why had he not come before? She crossed the short distance between the window and the seat she had taken during Ooishi's visit, placing herself in the chair opposite the male.

"Honestly, I thought that man was someone who had come to arrange plans for when you leave" the boy answered. "You've been here for some time now, maybe long before I arrived. I've always been curious about your story".

"My story?" Rena asked, raising her head as her suspicion fizzed among puzzlement.

"Everyone's had something that's pushed them over the edge, something that caused for them to come here" the boy answered solemnly. "I was wondering if you felt comfortable sharing yours with someone, you've seem to avoid making contact with many people".

Rena's eyes narrowed and fell slightly, he had been observing her while they lived together in the hospital, seeing her lack of advances to befriend others like the younger patients that had beckoned him to play with them. Sitting alone and gazing out of the nearest window as though she felt trapped when not outside the protective walls.

"It's a sensitive matter" she uttered.

"They always are. Isn't it better to confide in someone?" the boy asked, smiling warmly. "If you don't want to go first, I will. But I can always leave and drop the subject altogether if that's what you'd prefer".

"Are you sure you'd be okay with talking about something so personal with me?" Rena asked. "We've never met before today".

"It's fine. I feel I can trust you" Jouichirou replied. "We've both been through something terrible to land us here".

There was no response from Rena, the girl keeping her eyes low, unable to meet the chestnut eyes fixed upon her, head sinking slowly between her shoulders.

"No… if you prefer to talk, then I'll play your game" she whispered. "How long have you been here then? I've seen you a number of times too".

"I guess it was around four months ago" Jouichirou began in a solemn tone. "I was feeling low and developed depression. When a doctor visited, he decided that it was too likely I'd bring harm upon myself. And when they decide I'm able to leave here… I'll have to find the new life waiting for me".

"What about your family? What about them?" Rena asked, lifting her eyes to view the boy whose eyes narrowed sorrowfully.

The black haired shook his head gradually, forcing his eyes closed as he did so, Rena's brow furrowed apprehensively at the reply she anticipated with dread.

"We were heading home when a storm swept past. The roads were terrible and before we knew it, the car skidded out of control" he proceeded. "The car smashed into a nearby tree and… left me alone. Their terrified screams never left my head, I hear them still, even faintly". The two hands on his lap rose, each laying over one of his ears in the feeble attempt to block out the chilling sounds of his past, the demise of his parents. "I did harm myself once, that's what pushed them to bring me here - they feared I'd repeat it and continue until my wrists would be littered with cuts".

The day in Okinomiya library came back to Rena - the day Takano had handed her the notebook entitled "File No. 34" for the first time. When Rena confided in the nurse about hw madness grasped every fibre of her, birthing maggots inside of her body and tainting her bloodstream with the foul larvae. Those things that crawled out of the cuts she made in her skin as she committed the same sin, unleashing her blood for the creatures wriggle free and force them out of her. Even recalling it had recreated them in her mind, seeing the creatures on her wrists, crawling out of the scars that had been left from the dark nights, carrying her blood with them.

"That's terrible. I'm sorry you lost your parents like that" she uttered regretfully. "I didn't mean to sound cold before, I-"

"You've nothing to apologize for" Jouichirou intervened, raising a hand to bring her to a sudden halt. "There were things happening outside of everyone's control - black ice is a deadly thing. Concealed by its nature".

"That happens a lot, it seems" Rena mumbled.

Jouichirou set his eyes on Rena who continued to gaze downwards, fists clenching tighter against the skin of her thighs. Her expression bore nothing outside of despair and regret, the face of a broken girl - exactly what he had seen her stand alone as, hiding away from the eyes of those that watched her.

"I came close to a year ago. There was a curse in the village I lived in, and it seems that I was the next to inherit it" she mumbled, trailing off, her voice a disheartened manner as she recalled a small fragment of the time aloud. "It's like being damned to suffer total madness, that's' what one goes through. I killed people, hurt my friends and almost slaughtered the whole school. Ordinarily, when one reaches the final stage as I did, they claw their throat out, their sanity erased as they do what their paranoia leads for them to before ripping open their throat and dying from blood loss - yet I'm alive". In the corner of her eye, the black haired boy stared at her with wider eyes than before. Fear? Surprise? Disgust? Rena turned her head slightly, aligning her eyes with him and watching through the hairs of her fringe. "You're afraid of me now, aren't you".

"No… not at all" the male responded gradually. "It's a surprise that someone with your face could kill another, but you said this curse had its hold on you, you weren't yourself at the time, were you? Then I don't fear you, I fear that curse. But you're not like that anymore, you've moved on from it".

"What we call Oyashiro-sama's Curse, other people call the Hinamizawa Syndrome - a scientific way for them to talk about the curse of a God that they don't seem to believe in" the girl added.

"Curse or Syndrome, you weren't yourself. You've grown from suffering whatever it was and now you seem like any other person I'd pass in the street" Jouichirou continued. "I could have never guessed you'd been through something so horrendous. I wish there was more I could do than just stand here and talk".

Rena gave no immediate response to the boy's wish, but simply open her eyes slightly more while she watched him sigh. In his eyes was the same helplessness she had seen in the brunette boy's azure eyes as he gazed up at her in the dump following the revelation that she had killed.

"You remind me of my friend" she commented. "Maebara Keiichi-kun. I think you two would get along, but I can't stand in your way of finding where you want to be".

"Family. Friends. Classmates. Your life sounds pleasant outside of that curse" Jouichirou chuckled lightly. "Maybe I'll make an effort to find this home of yours and visit it with you".

"Visit Hinamizawa?" she echoed. "Why don't you come with us?"

"Go with you?" the boy half-gasped.

"When you're discharged from this place, we could come and see you again" Rena elucidated. "I could show you what Hinamizawa looks like".

"You're leaving here now?"

"No. In about a month, Ooishi promised me he'd take me home".

Jouichirou smiled at the gesture made by an authority figure to a vulnerable girl. "He really is nice, isn't he".

Rena gave a nod, the corners of her mouth raising to almost forge a smile. Jouichirou's expression softened from the one of surprise at the offer to one of contentment. The same optimistic sparkle in his eyes that had shimmered when he first opened the door shone again."When are you going to leave?"

The question caught him off-guard, he had yet to learn himself. Deep inside of him, the wish to leave shortly, as early as Rena if fate was to smile upon him. Only time could tell.

"I don't want you to feel alone, I'll show you what kind of life you could have by showing you the lives of Hinamizawa, the life I was given back when I returned to live with my father".

"I can't be sure when I leave" Jouichirou replied. "But I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see this Hinamizawa. To see what you and your friends see and feel everyday".

From behind the dark haired boy, a knock sounded from the other side of the door, drawing both sets of eyes to the wooden barrier. Both of the teenagers fell silent in the seconds that passed like minutes.

"Come in" Rena called.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing the Okinomiya officer that had returned from his break from the institution, smoking the cigarette he had been in the process of putting together as he exited the building.

"Ooishi-san" the girl commented.

"Ryuuguu-san, have you been making friends and keeping them a secret from me?" Ooishi chuckled, settling his eyes onto the boy who watched in silence. The same man he had witnessed leaving the room and taking a moment to collect his thoughts before moving away.

"Ooishi-san, what are you insinuating?" Rena asked, lacking the blush that would have coloured her face in any other situation. "This is the first time we've spoken, he came here when he saw you leave the room. You said your name was Jouichirou, right?"

"Yeah" the boy replied with a nod before he turned to face the officer and bow. "Yamamoto Jouichirou, sir".

"Ah, a fine young man" Ooishi chuckled. "Detective Kuraudo Ooishi".

"Ah, Jouichirou, I never gave you my name" Rena suddenly commented. "It's Rena. Ryuuguu Rena".

The boy turned to face Rena, smiling in gratefully that he had been capable of learning the girl's name. That was when the officer's hand touched upon his shoulder, twisting his neck as though the man had physically turned his head to face him.

"You remind me of someone, a man that came to Hinamizawa a few years ago" the elderly man stated with a smile. "A very skilful, reckless man: Akasaka".

"Physically, he may look like your Akasaka, Ooishi-san" Rena responded. "But there's something about him that makes me think of Keiichi-kun. Though I can't put my finger on it yet".

"Maebara-san? I'm sure he would get along with this young man. I'm sure that he's a lot like that young rebel" Ooishi commented, locking his eyes onto the boy standing to his left.

"Ooishi-san, you made a request for me to stay a little longer to suit you, now I have a favour to ask" Rena uttered, dramatically altering the direction of the conversation. "Jouichirou would like to see Hinamizawa, he's nowhere else to go when he leaves this place. I'd like to show him Hinamizawa when he is discharged from here. You know the way between here and the village, could you bring me here to meet with him and take him there when the times finally comes?"

"Ryuuguu-san… alright then" Ooishi answered, slightly uneasy. The request was one that had caught him off-guard and struck. At the same time, the two could learn to grow by being there for each other. Jouichirou could become Rena's support and visa-versa.

"Thank you, Ooishi-san".

Jouichirou echoed the grateful appreciation towards the officer - an aging man going out of his way to transport the both of them to Hinamizawa to begin rebuilding their existences outside of the walls that surrounded them. The boy turned to Rena and flashed her a smile, she had been the one to step forward and make the request, as an acquaintance of the man, someone who he had worked to protect in the past.

In response to the beam from her new companion, Rena forced the same expression back at him, dragging the corners of her mouth to form a smile - a real smile. As painful as it was, as inexperienced as she had become, fate had smiled down upon the three for just a moment, perhaps as many as those that Jouichirou had been present for. Rebuilding their lives and entering the flow of life in Hinamizawa life was no easy task, but the others would be standing there with arms open for her to run into. Mion, Keiichi, Satoko, Rika, and Shion - they would be there. She hadn't seen any of the news reports regarding the incident at the school, unable to see what people made of her in the phase of absolute madness, unable to see just what they had captured of the incident, what people said. She hadn't been strong enough to face reality, that she had risked everyone's lives over something that seemed impossible when she looked back.

Much time had passed and some may have agreed to bury the incident, no matter how dramatic and terrifying it may have been. She would walk into the village again with Jouichirou by her side, ready to show everyone that she had grown as a person, that she wasn't insane. She was the sole survivor of those that had experienced the final level of the Syndrome that the villagers called "Oyashiro-sama's Curse". Stronger than before, holding a sense of belief in her friends and those that waited for her, eager to feel her father's arms around her. She had made a new friend on the other side of the barrier that the Shrine God had placed around the village, just as Keiichi had been, someone that could make her stronger. Old and new times would collide, mixing and entwining to form the spiral of her life, the one pointed towards the sky rather than to Hell, to the Onigafuchi Swamp. The sunlight bathing the city extended over the future ahead.

What you were; was irreplaceable. What you said, still burns in my soul. What your fate became, I cannot forgive.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Reflection, Chapter 2 - "Return".