Don't Fear the Reaper

[Okazaki Tomoya]

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Otomo Koji. Kichiro Haru. Fuukami Ivanova Iryna. Dead. More specifically...murdered. Absentmindedly, he pulled at the tuft of hair in front him, concentrating on the enigma with a distant look in his eyes. He just couldn't fathom who...or what would be capable of the horrors he had witnessed in the past three weeks. While he had spent his days solving many a mystery...nothing had come close to the gravity of this. However, the worst part of the entire thing wasn't even the murders themselves...it was the reaction of all the others. Or rather, the lack thereof. They were oblivious. He had always known this city had been a little...off. After he had become a "delinquent" it became abundantly clear how wrong the school, and by extension the city, felt. Every student, teacher, and citizen of his small town lived there lives completely closed off from one another, only giving a damn if they were personally affected. As long as there day to day habits were allowed to remain the same, so too did they. As a matter of fact, it seemed that the entire town still lived in the stone ages - he couldn't ever recall a time this town had changed, both personally and from the stories heard from elders. These lives that had been snuffed away...nobody cared. Nobody noticed. An empty seat here or there meant nothing. Therein lie the true mystery of it all. These people must have meant SOMETHING to SOMEBODY. Even the most shy, most outcast person in the world should have had at least one friend. One family member to cry out for justice.

"Yo, Okazaki."

Youhei Sunohara. The only true ally he could rely on through this madness. Another delinquent. The only other person he had met who had noticed how disturbing this place was. Had it not been for Sunohara, he may have thought himself insane for noticing what he had - crazy for being the only one to realize the darkness that this town was steeped in. Maybe had even convinced himself it was only him who saw the world in such an awful way and *he* was the issue. But he had not. And that was thanks to Youhei.

"Sunohara...there's been another."

"Another death? That's three now!"

"I know...and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon"

"Who was it?"

"A girl this time...a freshman."

A moment of silence. He then proceeded to divulge the details to him, making sure to recount everything he could remember.

"We're going to have to get more involved from here on out. The facts we have present aren't enough to determine what's going on. To begin with the severe lack of a reaction is...disturbing to say the least. I know this town is messed up but...this is too far. I'm not sure what's going on here, but we'll have to be more proactive...even if that means potentially being targeted. We have a week...and there's two of us."

His eyes met Sunohara's, both of there expressions as grave as there tones.

"Don't be stupid Okazaki, you're the only one who has any hope of solving this. Or the desire to. If you go, everyone is as good as dead"

"Hmph..."

He couldn't exactly deny it...they had solved mysteries together in the past and it was usually Okazaki that put the pieces together. But Sunohara was vital. Without anyone to bounce ideas off of it was far too easy to become stuck in a loop. Not only that, but Sunohara had a fantastic memory. Almost like a database, he could recall thousands of small details, details which were often crucial in solving any mystery. Often the last piece of the puzzle he needs to fit in with the rest comes from an off hand remark or unintentional action...this aspect of randomness, combined with his impeccable memory, is what Sunohara brings to the table.

"Give me the status quo once more."

"Alright...I'll start from the beginning then. We know members of the school are being targeted. For who or what purpose is unknown. Three have been killed. The first to die, a boy named Kichiro Haru. Following a grave fortune by Fujibayashi Ryou, he was found in the field on all fours, a spike protruding from his head. Someone had even gone so far as to etch in a crude, bloody symbol on his upper thigh. A star. While this caused quite a commotion for a few hours...by the next day everyone had moved on. By the next week he had been completely forgotten...which is when the next occurred. Otomo Koji. Found in the gym storage facility his body was severely bruised and bloodied, his face barely recognizable. The bruises ranged anything from large purple splotches to thick blue rectangles. Again, a commotion arose...only to be soon forgotten. The last death...Iryna. Her body had been found in the middle of the road, face down in a rather large puddle that had formed the day before."

Rain was all too common in this town. It seemed to complement how everyone keeps there head down and moves along.

"She had no external injuries...but her lungs were filled with water. Though this death was open to the entire public to see, and not just within the confines of the high school...this too was forgotten."

It was sick. The whole thing. The murders were bad enough...but just what the hell was wrong with this place? He hated this hell hole.



"Are the deaths just random? Where's the pattern...gah I can't understand it at all!"

They had no leads. No direction to follow. They didn't even have strings to grasp at. They just needed...something. Anything.

"...let's approach Fujibayashi"

"Which one?"

"Ryou"

"Why? We already questioned her before. She said she knew nothing more."

"No...we're going to ask for our fortune"

"Whaaaaaaaat?"

Sunohara exclaimed baffled. Okazaki? A fortune? Sunohara was certain Okazaki didn't even believe in fortunes, and now he was actively seeking one out?

"B-but why? You know as well as I do there's no evidence in a fortune. It's meaningless!"

"Take a look around Sunohara. People are dying and we don't even have a suspect. Nor a theory. Not even a clue. Any knowledge is good knowledge at this point"

"Yes but if we accept what she says as true...you know the implications of that don't you?"

"I do...but don't worry, I won't let a fortune sway my judgement, simply let it point me in a direction. The fortune isn't to help solve the case or to be used as a clue, it's to hopefully point us to a clue so we can have *something* to go on. A bit like intuition"

"Oh I get it...it's a long shot...but we haven't made any progress yet. Let's give it a shot."

The two delinquents moved off as one, towards the one impossible hope they had left to save this world...or at the very least, save themselves.

[Okazaki Tomoya]

Fujibayashi Ryou. She was one of the more unique inhabitants of this school. What had once started as a fun game the girls liked to play had evolved into so much more. Ryou's "fortune-telling" was infamous across the school, and because of this she actually held quite a bit of clout among the students. So much so that a few had attempted to emulate her to gain some popularity- but unfortunately nobody could rival her knowledge and, more importantly, talent. She didn't always use one method, yet yielded an accurate result time and time again. Sometimes she would use tarot cards, while other times a crystal ball. At first she would listen to anyone who had qualms, but over time, as her words gained more and more validity, she gained more and more recognition. For a time she tried to entertain as many as possible, but before long it became far too many and she detached herself from the whole thing, only agreeing to help on a case by case basis. Students continue to line up to see her, asking her for advice, help, or what there future will entail, but only a select few are ever given anything. Even when she does, the answers are often unclear or vague, so often times it will only come true after the fact. Compared to other students, she was more aloof. Almost as if she wasn't entirely tied to this world...but seeing and communicating with others, things that most people could not see. She was a true mystery, even to her closest friends.

The two boys had just made it back in time for third period. Ryou was the class representative and sat in the front, but one wouldn't know this from simply attending class. If she was detached to her life as a student, she was even more detached as the class rep, doing the bare minimum to qualify for the position and avoid getting yelled at. Tomoya and Sunohara took there seats side by side in the back corner of class waiting for there opportunity to approach, the former still lost in thought over the mysteries of the deaths while the latter was filled with questions as to what was to come and what steps they could take to solve this entire mess. When people were dying, learning English just didn't seem like much of a priority.

Eventually the period ended and the two were able to approach Ryou, attempting to get her attention before there other peers. However, before they had even introduced themselves, she spoke up.

"I know why you two have come. Let us talk elsewhere."

She arose from her seat and exited the classroom without looking back at them. Confused at the abrupt response and departure, they quickly followed. Ryou took them quite a long distance, which was baffling for the boys, for if it was privacy she wanted there were plenty of places where students were not active. Was it because she had something to show them? Was there another death? These questions raced within Sunohara's mind as Tomoya's mind instead questioned Ryou's motives. Why help them? How did she know of there inquiries? Was this a trap?

Eventually they arrived at there destination. It was a room in the old building that was now used mostly for club activities. It was more or less devoid of students and seemed to fulfill the role for privacy, however she continued walking and took them all the way to the last room of the top floor, a room filled with boxes and general clutter. Was she really so paranoid of being discovered? To Tomoya's knowledge, this was the first time she had ever gone to such lengths to do a telling. He had the urge to voice his concerns many a time, but instead the two continued to walk behind her in silence, unable to break out of her rhythm.

"This...is the Drama Club Room."

There was an air of silence. As if her statement was meant to carry a degree of weight to it.

"The...Drama Club? Did we even have a club like that?" Sunohara looked around, confused that a club could use a room so messy.

"No. We do not. The drama club has ceased to exist for some time now. But I did not address this room in the past tense. It is still the drama club room."

The two boys stared back, unsure of how to address her words.

"Sit. I will tell you what you wish to know"

Since there was nowhere to sit, they sat right on the floor, and it was here that Tomoya was finally able to find his voice.

"How do you know what we've come to you for?"

She smiled. It was a gentle smile but...empty. As if the innocuous question deserved an answer but was ultimately a meaningless one

"I just do. There's no logical reason as to why I do, but it is perhaps because my knowledge lies outside the realms of logic I may be able to help you."

"Help us? Then perhaps you don't know our true purpose as we don't wish to-"

"You. Me. This school. This world. It's all the same. Now let us do away with meaningless details and allow me to tell you what I must. Fourth period is going to begin soon"

That put him off yet again. Why would someone who seemed to exist so apart from this world...and potentially above it, care about something as mundane as school? He had come here for answers, but every action she took or word she spoke simply spawned hundreds of other questions. He had always dismissed her as a sensationalized lucky guesser in the past, attributing her popularity to yet another failing of the students in this school, but it seemed she was much more then what he had originally anticipated.

Sunohara, on the other hand, was less composed. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way that he just...couldn't put his finger on. And her words did little to help. How had she known? This wasn't a premeditated decision by any means, Okazaki had just suddenly decided upon the visit. Was she truly a clairvoyant of some kind? Did she really have information to solve this whole thing? Or...perhaps she was the murderer herself?! His mind jumped from one extreme to another, but he remained silent, knowing any random outburst may break the heavy air. If he had to, he would be back to question her later...but really, he would have preferred if he never had to interact with her again.

"The following words I am about to give to you are not a fortune. For a fortune to be possible, I must have you two participate in a ritual, be it tarot cards or some other manner of power. These words are merely the truth. Whether you choose to believe them or not is irrelevant to there authenticity, but keep well in mind that it is a gift, and ignoring them may do you more harm then good. Listen carefully, for I will only give them to you once."

The room was silent as the two waited with breathless anticipation. She closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. This breath pulled in all of her thoughts, feelings, and sensations. In that moment of peace and solitude, she gathered whatever other sensations happened to exist and breathed them out of her, leaving only one thing left. The truth. She finally spoke, breaking the silence, and as she did, her words seemed to carry authority behind them. Her soft spoken tone from before was now replaced with a neutral, firm, and strong one.


"This town is dying. The lights are disappearing. Most have accepted there fate. If you wish to change the fate of this town, you must find the others that still cling to this place.

"A lost mouse, on the brink of surrender, looking for nothing more then the warmth of others. An excitable dog whose precious secret holds them back rather then fulfill them, struggling between love and love. A fierce bear, now tempered by a cub and struggling to refocus there strength to fulfill a promise. A quiet deer, who's peaceful demeanor holds back a ferocious hurricane capable of rejuvenating or destroying them. And finally...a small but bright light, wanting nothing more then to fulfill it's one purpose."

"Find them. Free them. It is only then you will find the answer you seek."