Doki Doki Literature Club - The Taste of Sunshine

Sawa Higashi

Genji couldn't remember the last time that he and Monika had spent the entire day together.  If he was being honest, it was a great time, even if he did grumble along the way at times.  There was a pang somewhere deep inside of him of guilt for enjoying his time with her as much as he did, but that was only normal given his strong feelings for Sayori and now spending time with another woman (even if only as friends).  They started their day with a bike ride, but it wasn't just any kind of bike.  Monika had a small dirt bike that she enjoyed riding around the neighborhood, and asked Genji if he would take her around to some of their favorite places they used to go as kids.  So, with him driving and Monika sitting behind with her arms locked firmly around him, they rode off into the crisp cold air of the morning, first to visit an old comic book shop that they had always enjoyed going to.  Luckily for them there was no snow or ice on the ground, the temperature was cold enough to not be pleasant but warm enough to still make it safe for something like riding her motorbike.  The sign outside the shop looked less spectacular as they remembered, but it still had its charm.  The Galactic Archives, it wasn't the worst name in the world, in fact when they both thought about it, it was pretty cool.  The pair had always considered the place a comic shop but the truth was that they dealt in comics, manga, and books, all new and used.  Going inside it became evident quite quickly that business had really picked up over the years, they'd actually rented out the space next door and expanded the business to be double the size.
"Natsuki would die seeing this" Monika said as she eyed an entire wall of manga all the way in the back.
"I think she already shops here, I'm not sure though.  I know she's always talked about getting deals online ordering her manga but this is incredible.  We'll have to tell her about it" Genji replied.
Monika rubbed her hands together for warmth and then pulled them back into the sleeves of her hoodie.  Every ounce of warmth this morning was invaluable to her as she was still waking up.  The cold pierced her jeans and fur lined boots, she would be glad once the chill was off of her.  Genji on the other hand seemed almost immune to it, despite wearing almost the same thing (except in place of a hoodie he wore his leather jacket).  At times Monika wondered what Genji would look like if he cut his hair and shaved, but then again he really wouldn't be Genji anymore if he did that.  Besides, that was more of a Sayori suggestion to make as his girlfriend, Monika was just happy to have some time out together (even if they did have things of exceptional gravity to talk about, but that could wait until later).  Shaking the thoughts off, she and Genji wandered the entirety of the store before making their way back up front with an assortment of Marvel and DC comics, a used hardbound copy of the Berserk manga, along with a cookbook, Taste of Rio De Janeiro that Monika was particularly interested in.  At the cash register they each bought a small bottle of Pepsi before heading back out into the cold morning air and heading to their next destination.
"Seriously, Monika?" Genji said as they arrived at their next stop. 
Getting off the bike he could hardly believe they were back, but here they were at All-Star Indoor Batting Cage and Go Karts.  Go-Karts seemed like they would be fun, even now, but Genji wasn't so sure about the batting cage.  He knew that Monika had continued with her love of athletics throughout her childhood and high school.  Tennis, Cross-Country Track, Basketball, and Softball were the big ones that she not only loved to take part in but enjoyed watching on tv from what he remembered.  But him?  He traded in his baseball bat for a guitar a long time ago.  And the last time he did anything remotely athletic was when he was interested in getting into shape to attempt to get into wrestling.  And that hobby ended with him being screamed at by his mom as she stitched up his back after it had been ripped open by a barbed wire wrapped trash can.
"It'll be fun, I promise" she said as she walked ahead of him into the facility.
Genji groaned and followed Monika inside, as he did he found himself really missing Sayori and just relaxing on the couch with her while they debated things like "Is it acceptable to start eating a burrito from the middle, just taking a big bite out of it right at the start?" or "If the Earth is flat, then where do all the reptile people live?".  At the same time, just slightly, he was enjoying this, not so much because Monika was dragging him everywhere but because it was nice getting to spend time with her again.  It reminded him so much of when they were kids and were inseparable to the point where their mothers would joke that someday it wouldn't surprise anyone if they got married someday.
"Two please!" Monika said excitedly to the clerk at the counter.  She quickly paid with her credit card so Genji couldn't protest and try to insist on paying for her.  The clerk handed her two batting helmets, two bats and pointed out the exit to go through to reach the batting cage just outside.  She nodded excitedly and returned to Genji, handing him a bat and helmet.  "This is going to be awesome!"
"Do you remember when we used to come up here as kids?" he asked her as they made their way outside.
"Mhm!  It was always so much fun!" she said and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her.
The inside of the cage was quite expansive, large enough to accomodate twenty batters at a time.  Monika was actually a bit surprised that they were running the batting cages today, especially considering the cold.  But, there wasn't snow or ice on the ground, and if there were customers willing to pay then the owner was more than happy to let people enjoy.  There were only a few others in the cage at the far end, a handful of younger teens just enjoying themselves on this relatively quiet morning. 
"So what's the bet?" Genji asked.
"Oh, so now you want to take this seriously?" Monika replied, laughing.  "Alright, how about this, whoever hits more can pick our next activity"
"You're on" he said, smirking. 
Two pitches in, and Monika was already losing two to nothing.
"Hey I thought you haven't done this since we were kids!" she exclaimed.
"I haven't, that doesn't mean I'm not just naturally better than you" he said, a smile slowly coming over his face.
"Ohhh, so it's like that huh?" she replied, a broad smile coming across her face as well, "Alright, no more playing around.  Time to take you to school"
The next hour seemed to vanish as the pair found themselves swallowed up in random conversation before finally winding down and realizing that neither one of them had been keeping any meaningful score.  It was alright though, they had fun and ultimately that's all that either one of them cared about.  They turned their helmets and bats back in at the equipment counter then headed back outside before heading off for their next destination.  This time they made their way to a small diner on the outskirts of town, not the most widely known but they served the best coffee that Monika had ever drank in her life, and it was almost lunch time so it would be a good chance for the pair to have some time to sit and talk.  Arriving just before Noon, they were happy to find that it was not particularly busy.  Parking just out front, Genji and Monika went inside and took a booth in the back corner of the diner.  Monika ordered coffee, orange juice, and salad while Genji ordered a tuna fish sandwich with fries and water.  There was a bit of silence between the pair before Monika finally spoke up.
"So...have you been watching any of the news?" she finally asked.
Genji eyes her up for a second before responding.
"Yeah, but...honestly?  I haven't given it much thought" he finally responded.
"You're better than me then I guess.  I haven't really been able to get it off my mind" she admitted.  "I just...I mean..."
"Don't overthink it," he said to her.
"Yeah but Genji...how are we not supposed to overthink this?  I mean..." she said and then lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "You do realize what the worst case scenario for us would be, right?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess I just don't care as much as you do.  I mean...think about it, really.  As far as anyone knows, it was a horrible event and whoever did it is long gone"
Monika sat in deep thought for a moment.
"I guess..." she said.
"I mean let's be honest.  We both know what Sawa did to Sayori, she deserved to die" he replied.
Monika thought further and then nodded, she knew that he was right.  But the fear that she felt taking root deep inside of her and continually expanding, was heavier than anything she'd ever dealt with before.  As she thought, their waitress brought their food and drinks out, and after thanking her they returned to their conversation.
"I have to ask you something, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way..." Monika said.
"What is it?" Genji asked.
"Does Sayori remember any of what happened?  Like...any of it" she said, hoping that she was approaching it in the most sensitive way possible.
Genji shook his head.
"She hasn't said a peep about anything.  I think she blocked the entire thing out honestly.  After that day, I've never heard her speak about it.  Honestly it's like a black hole exists where those memories should be for her" he replied.
"Well...good..." she said, sounding a bit relieved.  "It isn't that I don't trust her...it's just that...well sometimes it's those extra details that cause problems in the end"
"Trust me, it'll all be fine" Genji said to her.
The level of wickedness contained within Sawa Higashi was characteristic of villains seen in comic books, or movies.  For someone so young, she had seen enough violence and betrayal within her family to last a lifetime.  Unsurprisingly, this manifested itself early in her life, manifesting in her inability to maintain friendships, her overly aggressive nature towards classmates and even exhibiting violent tendencies at home (destroying her own possessions out of anger when not getting her way).  Sawa's catalyst however, the event that launched her from problematic to being a monster, was when she discovered that her mother was having an affair with the father of a student in the class ahead of hers.  An affair with a married man whose wife was dying of cancer.  Sawa's mother was having an affair with Sayori's father, unhinging her fully and sending her on a path of destruction that would have consequences that no one could have seen coming.  Despite the fact that Sayori had nothing to do with the affair and was struggling with the fact that her mother was dying, Sawa seized the opportunity to engage Sayori and blackmail her.  Regardless of the level of pressure that Sayori's parents had put on her to exceed all expectations in her academics, she loved her family and was willing to bend to Sawa's demands so she wouldn't spread the details of the affair around school.  Sawa knew that she had Sayori in the palm of her hand and took every chance she could to either take advantage of her or humiliate her.
Sawa's favorite pastime quickly became tormenting Sayori in any way possible.  One of the more cruel pranks that she had pulled was mixing a large bag of M&M's with fishing hooks so when Sayori reached her hand it was stuck with multiple barbed hook ends.  Another horrible prank that Sawa enjoyed playing on Sayori was keeping a small, handheld spray bottle filled with spit that she would randomly blast into Sayori's mouth while she was talking.  And Sayori, rather than fight back, loved her family so much that she was willing to endure the abuse to keep her family's name safe.  And then?  The inevitable happened and Sawa's father found out about the affair and divorced her mother, leaving the family and moving to another city to take a new job and start over.  With this, Sawa's aggression went from merely cruel to diabolical.  It had been during a study hall one afternoon that Sawa realized that she could lure Sayori out to Blackwood Park where she could take her full aggression out on her new nemesis without having to worry about prying eyes.  And so this new routine went almost like clockwork, with Sayori receiving countless beatings from Sawa deep in the park, alongside a stream where an old fishing shack stood.  It was as good a place as any to Sawa, just as long as it was isolated and provided her with all of the privacy she wanted to beat Sayori.
There finally came a day when Sayori's behavior and mood had become skittish enough for Monika to notice, and she insisted on Sayori having breakfast with her at the school cafeteria so they could talk.  And what followed?  It horrified Monika, as Sayori did her best to keep herself composed, she couldn't help but begin crying.  Monika was shaking so badly that she actually ended up spilling her chocolate milk on her blazer which Sayori profusely apologized for causing.  Monika assured Sayori that she had nothing to do with it, she was just extremely upset with what was happening to Sayori, but was determined to stop it here and now.

"You're going out to Blackwood again today?" Monika asked.
"Y...yeah..." Sayori responded.
"Well, wait for Genji and I after school, we'll come with you.  This ends today" she said resolutely.
"Monika...I...thank you, but I'm going to end this today, you don't have to come" Sayori tried to protest, but Monika wouldn't have any of it.
"Genji and I are both here for you.  You aren't alone in this anymore, ok?" she said before hugging Sayori tightly.

By the time the afternoon bell rang Monika had already linked up with another friend of hers a grade ahead to borrow her blazer for the duration of the day since they were leaving early and hers had chocolate milk on it.  She thanked her friend and said she'd have it back to her the following day, it had been a stroke of luck that she was able to borrow it as it would have been against the dress code to not have one (although one of her teachers did question why she had a blazer of the grade ahead of them's color).  She caught up with Genji and together the pair made their way to Blackwood Park on his bike, Monika holding on tightly as she sat behind Genji.  Sayori hadn't waited for them, and the pair were in panic mode worrying about what Sawa was going to do to Sayori next.

"Oh good, you're here" Sawa said as she pulled a can of dog food out of her backpack, "A bitch needs to eat right?  Well, you're gonna eat every last bite of this"
"...No" Sayori said, her hair covering her eyes as she looked down, but the tears streaming down her cheeks could still easily be seen.
"What was that?" Sawa said as she approached Sayori.
Sayori's fist was clenched in her pocket.  Sawa saw the glint of something only for a moment before the world around her began to spin.  There was a slight stinging on the side of her head followed by the feeling of floating.
"Did...I think something hit me..." Sawa said as she took a step back, a huge open gash on the side of her head gushed blood down her hair to her shoulder and down her arm.  "I...think I'm bleeding..." Sawa said slowly as she seemed to regain some sense and looked at Sayori.
Sayori had her father's brass knuckles firmly around her fingers, and drew back her arm again, delivering another blow that echoed the sound of cracking bone as she hit the side of Sawa's head.  This time Sawa went down, her skull was visible behind a flash of flesh and muscle that had been torn loose by the blow.  Sayori looked over Sawa with panic and rage.  Sawa's right eye had popped from its socket after the second blow, and there was a gurgling sound coming from her mouth as red bubbles began to foam out.  Despite the gravity of her wounds, Sawa began to slowly feel around with her left arm, as if her body was desperately fighting back against possible death.  Sluggishly Sawa rolled over and attempted to crawl, but it was short lived as Sayori got on her back and in one final deathblow struck the back of Sawa's neck.  With a sickening crack Sawa's movement's ceased.

"Sayori!!!" Monika screamed.

Drop after drop began to hit the ground and Sayori, Monika and Genji stood frozen, staring at each other.  She couldn't be sure of it, but in the rain Monika swore she saw Sayori smile.  Sayori sat on the porch of the fishing shack, near catatonic, as Monika and Genji began to feverishly dig a grave by hand for Sawa.  As the rain became heavier the stream began to pick up, and Genji took the brass knuckles from Sayori and threw them in, sending them away to somewhere far off that they'd hopefully never be seen again.  Monika and Genji dug until their fingers were raw, and as she cried from knowing what Sayori had been through, Monika helped pull Sawa's body into the grave before the pair filled it up and stamped it down, the rain washing any trace of their footprints away. 
It had been five years, and now the specter of Sawa Higashi had returned for justice.  And as Genji and Monika sat on her motorbike at the edge of town watching the sunset together, the pair wondered what the future was going to bring to them.  They had made a pact that day, that no matter what happened, Sayori would never be the one to pay for Sawa's death.  And it was for that reason that Monika had purposely left a blazer button in the grave with Sawa, to point the police in a direction away from Sayori should the body ever be discovered.  Genji and Monika were willing to do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant putting themselves in harm's way.  Sitting on the bike in the cold, Monika wrapped her arms around Genji from behind and hugged him as tightly as she could.  They looked out at the mountains together, and Monika thought back to when they were children, promising each other that one day they'd leave together, to see the world beyond together.  At the time it seemed like just a childhood promise, and now?  Now Monika wondered if the time ever came, would she and Genji have to make their journey if for no other reason than to keep Sayori protected and safe.  It was in that moment that Genji and Monika both began to realize what love really is, being willing to sacrifice the things that mean the most if it means protecting the ones you love.