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

[samuraiwomen]

That's about it. Killed Maya for the contract. The contract for Keigo...I guess now that thats out I can say he was paranoid about the blame for the murder getting back to them. That's why he killed Hiro.

[ She counts out two fingers, pausing on the third. ]

The vice principal was a bit stranger... Apparently when Aiko-san died, the VP put out a reward to find her murder. Amami killed her to prevent that from happening. It's silly...like we'd give up when so many of us were friends with Maya Arisu.

I have no idea why the suicide took place. I didn't even investigate the scene...I guess someone else can figure it out. I can't wrap my brain around his motivations anymore.

[waitingforplayer2]

Why Maya? Was the contract a life for a life? An existence for an existence? Or will she be back too?

[ The pieces are coming together, finally. But she still wants to know the last few things she's missing. ]

[samuraiwomen]

Ishimaru would know more... But no, Maya's soul is fine.

[ God actually said so. ]

We discussed how the contract works a bit the last few meetings. From how I understand it, its with the school, you can't talk about it, and you can only make one if you're the student council president.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Okay, so this is what she gets for missing the contract meeting, that's fair. Sometimes meetings are A Lot. ]

So everybody's okay, kind of? Or... they're going to be. Once they come back.

[samuraiwomen]

None of this is okay Nanami-san.

[ She doesn't want to forget what murder is, just knowing people will show up again. The pain it caused them, the people who loved them...the mysterious fate that befalls students stuck in the tree. ]

But yes...I even prayed for it. All things willing they should all show up in this school again.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ She bites her lip. The rules are different now, aren't they? But she holds her tongue on that one. She's still figuring things out. And people are in pain, including her. ]

We should have a welcome home party when they all come back.

[samuraiwomen]

Please don't invite me. I might punch Amami again.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ She can't promise anything, but she makes a mental note of it as she goes back to her game. ]

[starrypoint]

[MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,

subaru catches sara's eye, and then away.]

[samuraiwomen]

[ Please she's so tired WHAT are you looking at...do you have something you want to say? ]

[starrypoint]

[yeah... it's not that perked up dog energy though.]

... So~o, I know that too. If you wanna hear it and not chase someone around 'til they spill.

[samuraiwomen]

...?

[ She would love too...she scoots a little closer to Subaru. ]

I would. The only thing I can think of is he didn't want to be at this meeting...

[ With how poorly its going...she almost...ALMOST understands it. Amami got a nice movie night with Keigo and they all have to get upset about five people being dead!! ]

cw suicide

[starrypoint]

[oh my god... his sibling!!!! she's gonna wanna kill him in a bit so that's perfect!!!]

Mitzy-sensei said that if Keigo died, he could get them to be a student instead of a shopkeeper -- pretty much voiding the contract God set up with them. [...] And with third years being able to repeat, the most surefire way to stick around without someone you wanna be with is killing yourself. I asked about it, too, and that's the answer I got.

[he aint lookin for SHIT at natsume]

So he killed them for that, and then died so he could spend next year with 'em.

[dokkans]

[ .............

So love doesn't exist, but on the other hand. ]

Isn't that romantic?

[ Tragic lovers...! ]

[starrypoint]

More romantic when both parties agree~.

[which

his intended never would've so!!!]

Keigo didn't wanna die, for pretty much the same reason as a few of us third years might be hesitant to move on: 'cause we've got attachments to the person we are now, and we don't wanna forget the people we met. But that's the only way Amami thought to save them, so... Yeah.

[...]

[shimashima]

[ Still listening, Alice can't help the remark that slips out here. ]

Hold on— When they return, they'll forget everything?!

[ That's like a factory reset button, wiping every single memory, not even leaving any good ones behind. What a mess... They both clearly knew so many people who cared for them in kind.

But if it really was the only way? ]

[starrypoint]

50-50, I guess...? They might, they might not. They were pretty scared of the second.

[he'll lift his hands, fingers lifting on each as he speaks.]

For the people who remember their last time here, I know of Baachan and Yuki-chan. Rocchan does too... The ones who don't didn't were Kou-chan, Akkichi, Matsu-chan... from the sounds of it, maaaaybe some others here too? But they were before my time, so they'd have to speak up themselves~. So there's no guarantee one way or the other, and as much as I want 'em to remember I'm prepared if they don't.

[... can one really prepare for that? to see someone and then not be seen in returned? subaru drops his hands, tucking them back into his sides as he rests his head aside as he mutters the last:]

That's why I wanted to do something without killing them, stupid.

[shimashima]

I see...

[ So Keigo Arata is saved — if returning is guaranteed — but the price to pay went against their wishes. Keeping one's memories seems rather rare. ]

I suppose they'll be free to make new memories, and meet all of their friends again, but...

[ It would be somewhat uncomfortable and strange, wouldn't it? That's probably inevitable. ]

[starrypoint]

To be honest, I don't really mind making new memories with them or anything like that. I'd do it a thousand times over, 'cause Keigo's important to me -- 'cause it'd be fun every time, even if it's just the same thing over and over and over again.

[like how they had so many of the same sort of outings, watching the stars, just the same activities with minor variations. subaru doesn't mind it, he likes that, he'd do it all over again.]

But they seemed more bothered by it. I sorta get it though, 'cause... memories don't like, make a person or anything -- they'd still be the Keigo anyone'd ever known here, I think -- but they're still important. It's still sad to lose them.

[he doesn't look at natsume while he says this, doesn't look at helena. subaru keeps his eyes to alice, and then to his hands.]

They didn't want to forget everyone they'd met, everything they'd learned. Because even if they could do it all again... it still wouldn't be the like, present them. If that makes sense~?

Re: cw suicide

[samuraiwomen]

Dammit...what the hell...

[ The complete opposite reaction.

In a weird way, it is a relief? So much of her anger and guilt had been about the sudden abrupt end to this, with no clear resolution. Amami just killed Keigo out of what could only be spite? Because Sara confronted him, maybe? What was the point of all the hard work everyone put in...how could anyone get justice?

He did have a plan. He did still have that reason. And at least the nobody had really been hurt in that last suicide. It doesn't soothe the aches of the lies, in fact it makes everything with Maya more awful in the pointlessness of it. He could have just done that all along. He could have told anyone...not her...when she'd been so mad at him...or Subaru or...who knows... maybe he really didn't have anyone left to tell. That hurts worst of all.

This all sucked... ]

How did everything turn out like this?

[starrypoint]

[... oh... no harm to him? he can't be relieved, and he hesitates a moment before leaning against her.

... does he have the right to, when "everything turning out like this" includes his own...]

Sorry~. I should've told you a little sooner, too. Maybe... if I had, or if I hadn't been away that day... it wouldn't have happened.

[samuraiwomen]

I keep thinking the same thing... If I'd done something different.. if I'd confronted Amami alone when I first suspected him. Maybe then...before all the lies really started we could have understood eachother.

[ Everything compounded, a million little pieces that rolled up into eachother. Snowballing down and down, till all they're left standing in is the remains of everything crushed under that weight. ]

Or when I did it again...I lost my temper. If I hadn't done that...or... [ She leans back, rubbing her face with her sleeve. ] I'm mad at Amami, but I'm mad at myself too.

I don't know Subaru... I think we both really messed this one up.

[notsosou]

None of us knew what would happen for certain... It's easy to say these things after the fact, isn't it?

[There's that part of him he doesn't like hearing from, that's saying if he'd just left Rantaro bleeding there, or told... anyone about it... Even as he knows he wouldn't have made any other decision at the time. He hates this so much.]

Why did it go this far...?

[Keigo, he can understand... Horrible, hard to look at, but he can. But the Vice Principal, Hiro... that was just... what, to cover his tracks? Why did he draw things out this much? Who was he, really?]

[starrypoint]

[sara's got the right of it and it makes him laugh, throat tight-- shin's response surprises him though, because it really is easy to say these things after the fact.

... he levels a stare at the other, pressing his lips together, before reaching over to pull him closer. come sit with them okay.]

If that bastard comes back, let's keep a good eye on him. He'll never leave our sights so there's no way he could get into trouble again, whether he wants us or not. I've gotta level my fist into his face for framing me anyway.

[commences]

( stares at his hand...

they liked that idea so much. )