Divide and Conquer (A Higurashi When They Cry FanFic)

Prologue: A Solemn Blood Oath

The long serrated knife glinted evilly in the light of the moon. It spoke of evil, and yet did no evil. It hinted at tales of great terror, as a weapon capable of rending skin and spilling blood, and yet it spoke of peaceful times, when it was used as no more than a tool. But it was not meant to be used for peace. Not this time.

The same malicious glow reflected in the eyes of Takano Miyo as she sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sleeping village of Hinamizawa. It was so quiet, so peaceful, the only thing giving life to the streets being the flickering of street lamps and the buzzing cry of the cicadas. She imagined the thousands of people sleeping, content, unsuspecting of anything wrong in the wold. Definitely not suspecting the horror she was planning to unleash...

It was a while since she'd last been here, and that was when she was planning to unleash the Hinamizawa syndrome upon the village, in response to those men and women who merely laughed at her grandfather's studies on the parasite found here, and only here.

As he had discovered, the parasite remained dormant as long as the person in question remained in the area. But if they left, they would be driven to paranoia, and slowly descend into madness, ultimately killing themselves. But, if the Queen Carrier, the one person who kept the parasite in check by discretely giving off a certain pheremone, just so happened to die... She giggled in delight at the prospect. That was the best way to attain what she wished for. In the end, all she wanted was for people to admit that her grandfather was right. That these parasites existed, and needed to be taken seriously. She'd show them. She'd show them all...

Then she scowled, remembering how she had failed so miserably. It was those kids, that stupid club. How they did it, she had no idea. It confounded her to no end. Every move she made, they had been at least two steps ahead of her. It was unreal... It was like they knew from the very start what would happen and when...

Takano growled in frustration. Was the Furude girl really more than she seemed? Was it true? Could she really be the incarnation of Oyashiro-sama? It seemed impossible to her logic driven mind, but looking back, she couldn't deny the possibility of some kind of supernatural force aiding those children. There could be no other explanation, other than it was damn luck.

Damn. Luck.

Takano gripped the handle of the blade and grinned maliciously.

Her companion, a dark haired, beefy man who preferred only to be known as Kirei, winced at the sight. He was a man who'd done many unspeakable things, and rather enjoyed his work as a mercenary. He had no conscience, which definitely made his work easier to accomplish. He felt no fear, but when he looked at Takano as she smiled, he could imagine what fear felt like. This was pure evil, bordering on the edge of insanity. That grudge she held ever since last summer hung in her mind, bordering on obsession. When they had met in the underground criminal circuit, he had agreed to help her. Why, he had no idea. Perhaps it was as simple as being bored and the fact that it could give him something to do. Maybe even simply because he could.

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Kirei pondered on what tools he would need for this job, and if any could be found locally. Takano thought on how to avoid failure this time, and achieve her long awaited goal.

She brought her hand up to scratch at her neck, leaving behind red marks where her nails dug into the skin. Kirei had noticed this habit, and was wondering if it was a nervous tick, or if it was something else. Whatever it was, he was sure it couldn't be healthy.

She turned to look at him. "Kirei," She said, her voice grainy from not talking so long. "I want to ask you something."

He nodded at her. He long ago made a point of not speaking unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Have you heard of a blood oath?" she asked, a wicked gleam in her eye.

He tilted his head to the side. What the hell was she talking about?

"I suppose I'll take that as a hint that you don't have a clue..." She mused. "I'll have to change that.

"A blood oath is simply that. An oath made with blood. Two people shed their blood and shake their hands in a promise to hold true to whatever task is given to them. Sometimes it's to make sure a certain person is safe, other times it's a promise to stay together for as long as possible." She winked. "But we don't intend to do either of those things, do we?" she giggled.

She then offered him the blade, her face suddenly serious. "I'd like to swear a blood oath with you, Kirei. We cannot fail, not like I did last time. I want to finish this. One way... or another. Too much is riding on this for me."

"But," Kirei said, in his gravelly voice. "Did you not say your failure was a fluke? An accident?"

"It was a fluke!" Takano screamed, her face suddenly becoming savage. Several birds flew out from nearby trees at the sudden disturbance. "It was an absolute, fucking fluke and it cannot, WILL NOT, happen again!" The blade she held in her hand was suddenly pointed directly at his chest, and wavered ever so slightly, as if she was strongly willing herself not to kill him just yet.

Kirei was taken aback, but the fierce expression on her face disappeared as quickly as it had come. Takano smiled. "So, dear Kirei, what do you say? Shall we swear that we will fulfill our pledge, kill the queen carrier, and finally bring about an awareness of these parasites?" She offered him the blade, sounding strangely formal.

Kirei stared at it for the longest moment, thinking his employer was surely insane. But, hey, at least she pays well.

He took the blade, and braced it against the flesh of his palm. He could feel the teeth digging into his skin, braced himself, and slid the blade across. He had readied himself for it, but it still hurt as the knife sliced his hand open, splitting skin and sending waves of agony through his body and mind. Blood began to instantly well up in his palm, but the cut wasn't too deep, so it was manageable.

Takano grinned, taking slight pleasure in seeing her companion in pain. When he returned the blade, she took no time slicing her own hand. She didn't even so much as wince. As they shook hands in their agreement, their blood mixed together, further cementing the promise.

"So, how do we do this?" Kirei asked her. "You have a plan?"

She grinned up at him as she bandaged their wounds. "Simple. Divide and Conquer. That little group that interrupted me last year? It seems as if they have two columns of support. A boy and a girl. Everyone else seems to rely on them heavily, and they follow their lead without question. So, if we eliminate those two columns...?"

"The roof will come crashing down," He finished. "and they won't be able to come together to stop us as we take what we want."

She grinned. "You're a lot smarter than you seem, Kirei. You shouldn't be so quiet all the time."

He grunted.

She looked back out at the village, the quiet, unsuspecting village. All in due time. The Feast of Watanagashi was almost upon them... And by then, everything would change.

Everything.