June 14, 1999 -- Yamane Household (Locked to Maria), after school

[all_onis_are_true]

[They needed to search the forest. The note had made that pretty explicitly clear. Someone had lured Souji out to the forest sometime between the time they last saw him and the time they saw that note. The only question was, had he disappeared before they did the ceremony, or after? And what would it mean either way?

His parents weren't back yet when Hiroshi and Maria returned. He'd barely been able to appeal to have Maria stay over; thankfully, his mother was much more understanding when he'd explained that she had nobody back at her place to take care of her, even if his father was clearly unhappy keeping THAT girl in his place. Sorry, Dad, but some things just overwrote filial piety.

He'd gotten the mail as they entered, flipping through it idly, if anxiously.]

...? This is odd...

[Behind the envelope with an emblem of a certain school was one that was completely blank beyond his name. Almost as if somebody had stuck it in at some point. He looked at Maria.]

Ah, my mail probably isn't too interesting. Why don't you go and round up what we'll need to go searching tonight, Maria?

Comments

[happyhalloween]

Okay! [So Maria scurries away to find flash lights and red string and rope and matches and a canteen and snacks in case they get lost and other useful things. She hopes Tomosuke will be okay with Maya tonight. Hm. She should probably see if Hiroshi has a baseball bat. He'll be okay punching the bad guys, but Maria couldn't punch that hard, so having a bat would be better.]

[all_onis_are_true]

[As she's digging around, she might hear the sound of a chair falling over very sharply. Sounds like it came from the kitchen.]

[happyhalloween]

Hiroshi!!!!

[BACK TO THE KITCHEN.]

Uu. What happened?

[all_onis_are_true]

[The scene is odd. A chair lies on its side on the ground. Hiroshi stands about a couple feet away, staring at a letter clutched tightly in his hands, his face white(er) and eyes wider. He shakes, the paper rustling in his hands. He doesn't seem to have noticed Maria yet.]

[happyhalloween]

HIROSHI!

[OH NO, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

Maria is just... gonna take the letter from him.]

[all_onis_are_true]

[He starts, suddenly backing up so fast his back hits the wall. The letter drops from his hands as he does so, falling to the floor. He curls up into himself against the wall, shaking.]

I knew it, it's me again, it's me, it's me... Maria, you should run before I do something bad... It's just like before...

[The letter reads the following in red printed text:]

SHIGETSUNA IS DEAD. I WILL CARRY OUT THE CURSE IN HER PLACE.

[happyhalloween]

[Maria looks at the letter.

Then looks at Hiroshi.

Then looks at the letter.]

... uu? But this doesn't look like Hiroshi's handwriting?

[all_onis_are_true]

[He holds his head in his hands.]

Didn't write it last time... threatening letter showed up, suddenly seemed like everybody was against me... it's happening again, it's happening again...

[happyhalloween]

Ssshhh. Maria will protect Hiroshi!

[all_onis_are_true]

[Protect him... shouldn't she worry about herself more? About him snapping? How an she be so unconcerned?]

M...Maria...

[Rationally, there's a part of him that remembers that it's different from last time. He couldn't think outside of himself then. All that mattered at the time was that one of them was planning on killing him, on one of them trying to prove the Shigetsuna myth true. That he had to stop them at any cost.

The text had been different too, right? Stuff about the "ninth" and all. That wasn't here at all. But did that really matter?

It takes him a while to get his breathing under control. Right. It's not like last time. Maria knows... Maria knows a lot. He's not alone. He's not.

He's not.]

I... forgive me. The letter... it reminded me so much of what happened in that memory...

[Ugh.]

Just... promise me that if you see me acting threatening in any way, you will get away, Maria. For your own safety. Warn everybody else. I cannot... I will not let myself hurt others again, all right?

[happyhalloween]

But this time the letter is real, Hiroshi! Maria can read it too!

[But she sighs.]

Maria still thinks she should stay with Hiroshi to help him... but keeping other people safe is important too, Maria guesses. Does Hiroshi want Maria to get a helper?

[all_onis_are_true]

[It helps less than Maria would imagine, since it never would have occurred to Hiroshi that nobody COULD have read the note at this time. Still...]

...if you feel it necessary. I do not... I do not understand what is going on, or if my mind is trustworthy at this point. Just... be careful, please.