like a bitter stranger

[samuraiwomen]

Who: Everyone
What: Our monthly family meeting.
When: March 5th, 2000.
Where: Yogen dorms common room.
Warnings: Discussions of murder, suicide, child death...more?



[ A message goes up on the forums late Friday evening.

S.chidouin: Group meeting in the dorms Saturday. 12:00. No punching. No stabbing. I'll bring stickers.

If your character would not find a post from Sara worth listening too, Bonnie is wandering around, vaguely noting how important this meeting is, and how very much you should attend. No further details are forthcoming.

The meeting itself is a quiet affair. The fireplace is not lit, there are no snacks. Sara waits in the corner for everyone to arrive and get settled and then she clears her throat to speak. ]

As most of you know... [ It's hard to start, but her voice gets firmer as she goes on. ] We spent the last two months investigating Maya Arisu's murder. That case is solved. A few weeks ago, Bonnie-chan and I found the culprit.

Rantaro Amami killed Maya Arisu, Hiro Arisu, the vice principal and is presumably responsible for the scene with Keigo Arata. He is also dead. I just figured...everyone should know. To many people got hurt the last few months. I'm sorry.

[ She fiddles with her hair. That's all...she really has to say. There's not much more then that as the gist of it. ]

Comments

[commences]

( there's something about alice looking away, and it makes komaeda curious if he's being honest. it isn't just them, but given komaeda's willingness to accept murder, whatever alice says... it won't look as bad as komaeda. )

It is, it's one that make people act... if it's someone they can save, they'll do it. I can't hate him, because no one will understand... but it's meant to bring hope, it'll be worth it.

( he smiles, leaning to the side where alice looked away so he can see him better. )

Being elaborate means nothing, it's what comes out of it!

[shimashima]

Hope...

[ Glancing around, everyone is upset and angry, arguing. Rantarou Amami himself is gone, and many hearts are wounded. And if it was all for Keigo Arata's sake, did that go as far as— ]

I don't hate Rantarou Amami, and I shall continue to visit the fish, but did he succeed...?

[commences]

( he doesn't hate him, he'll still visit.

...

...

komaeda accepts that with ease as he thinks on how to answer his question. how does he explain, because komaeda can no longer feel his aura, it's gone... so whether he succeeded or not... )

...I can't tell you now, but when he returns. At that very moment, I can give you an answer. Are you willing to wait?

( personally komaeda believes that it worked, but no one is as hopeful as him because his views hardly make sense. )

[shimashima]

[ Alice turns back to Komaeda now, pensive. True, death isn't final... It doesn't really soften the impact, but anyone can return, right?

Finally, he nods. ]

Well... It's his business. I merely hope that his important person will be safe. That was his goal, yes?

[commences]

That person will be, it was his goal. Hey... it's because someone was going to die.

( his voice lowers, and he looks to the side. )

No... die is too kind, we were going to lose them forever.

[shimashima]

[ Outside of this place, someone dying is the same as losing that person forever, but here... Following Komaeda's gaze this time, Alice cocks his head. ]

They would have been erased from existence altogether, you mean? With no way to return?

[ No wonder Rantarou Amami may have grown desperate... ]

[commences]

Don't you think dying would be nice... you might come back, people could see you again.

( but when you're erased, there's no chance you can see that person ever again. )

In a place like this... once your soul is officially out, you're out. Might as well erase our memories of that person so that we never knew they existed, then none of you will be sad.

[shimashima]

[ Erasing memories of people hits rather uncomfortably close to home, and those circumstances absolutely sound distressing for the parties involved! ]

Not dying at all is best, but if it's a choice between dying and nothing whatsoever remaining of a person's life... The answer is obvious!

[ Staring at Komaeda, Alice can only look utterly perturbed by the whole thing. ]

What makes that person's soul different from ours? Shouldn't the same rules apply to everyone here?

[commences]

Did I say something wrong?

( how lint caught me when i was being evil... thinking about that. komaeda blinks slow, looking towards the other, wondering had he slipped at the tip of the tongue.

he reaches out, patting the other's cheeks to calm him down. )

They gave away their soul to save someone dear.

( he looks off to the side, a small smile as he speaks softly. ) That someone happened to be their brother, they gave up everything just to have him again. So when they die, their soul, would be payment to keep their family member fine.

[shimashima]

[ Such good evil in several ways... Alice, meanwhile, jolts slightly as Komaeda's chilly fingers connect with his cheeks, but he shakes his head to dismiss the question. Komaeda didn't say anything wrong... He's speaking in general terms, explaining the situation. ]

I see...

[ But the splinter of selfish decisions is there; it changes nothing that it's different, and Alice swallows in vain against the tightness in his throat. ]

So they had someone precious to protect, too. Rantarou Amami simply wished to save them in turn — otherwise, it would spoil the sibling reunion, wouldn't it?

[commences]

The sibling reunion happened! Think of it as... they were given their request early, and upon their death... they would owe payment, but if they broke their contract they'd lose everything.

( having came to yogen, their selfish wish saved their brother, also plummeting him into this abyss. there's no way out, no matter how much he dies, and keigo asked komaeda to please save his brother from this place if he had to give up his contract. that plea of how it'd be nice if they could still see their brother, but even if not that... knowing he wasn't stuck here, knowing he was happy out there was more than enough. )

Amami-kun wanted to protect them so that they didn't lose their life at the end forever. Kogamo-kun... ( a different nickname, but stands for the same child of discussion. ) wanted to protect their brother from disappearing.

( he let's alice's cheeks go, dropping his hands down by his side. )

On New Year's Eve, I told Kogamo-kun lots of ideas, because I didn't want their soul to leave this endless loop we're in... things like reincarnate, or I would kill someone, and swap their bodies, maybe whoever wanted their soul would get confused...

( he pauses, looking at alice for a moment. komaeda knows he won't get scolded, but it's still, he doesn't like telling his business. most of his life, he's a mystery, and so he doesn't want to be an easy read. )

Then I said... relinquish your role, become a student, then they could start over just like us.

[shimashima]

[ All these contracts and horrid timers hanging over people's heads, souls erased, disappearances... Listening, Alice can't claim that he fully grasps why any of it began, but that seems less important than the threads linking others to Keigo Arata's fate. It doesn't cross his mind to react with horror as Komaeda admits to his New Year's Eve brainstorming — plainly, Keigo Arata meant something to him as well, enough that he wanted to act on the child's behalf, much like Rantarou Amami did.

In other words, all of them were truly desperate to save a cherished person, using any means possible. That feeling shouldn't be difficult for most people to understand. ]

...I don't know why that family has suffered so much. They had their sibling reunion, but it couldn't last... unless the wish that you and Rantarou Amami pursued came true. What the two of you wanted is natural to feel...