Divide and Conquer (A Higurashi When They Cry FanFic)

Chapter 10: Book of Fear, Part One

The downpour of rain drenched Keiichi as he raced on his bike towards the school. Thoughts racing through his mind, making the fire in his heart burn all the brighter. Takano wasn't satisfied with just driving him to his breaking point, she was going to do the same to his friends. She was going to hurt, and maybe kill Mion... and then Rika, and...

...wait a minute...

...Rika...

Keiichi gasped. So that's what this was all about.

Her entire goal had been to kill Rika from the start. It's what she wanted last summer, so what form of reason would cause her to abandon that goal now? She was obsessed with killing Rika and causing the village to go crazy with the syndrome so she could get her research completed. And now that she knew Rika's friends would protect her, it was only right that she would go for them first.

But, Keiichi couldn't find any clear reasoning behind how she went about eliminating her targets. She didn't kill Keiichi when she had the chance, and she'd had two separate opportunities in which she could've easily done so...

Was she losing her mind?

He flashed back to when she was talking to him before she started torturing him.

Takano began to scratch at her neck, drawing blood. "You have no idea how crazy I am. But it doesn't matter..."

He knew he'd seen that action somewhere before... where was it?

He gasped.

Hinamizawa Syndrome. That would explain everything. Her erratic behavior, her sudden cruel nature, her sudden outbursts, her scratching her neck incessantly, even making herself bleed. She was on the threshold of being what Dr. Irei called an L5. The last stage of the Syndrome. Where the person self destructed.

He gritted his teeth and pedaled harder. This isn't good. Mion is in serious trouble!

About ten minutes later, Keiichi arrived at the school. Panting, he threw down his bike, and ran inside, knowing that Satoshi would be waiting for him there. He patted his pocket to make sure the gun he had chosen was still there.

As he entered the building, he was surprised to see Rika, of all people, asleep on the staircase.

"Rika!" he cried, rushing to the little girl's side. "You're safe!"

Rika groaned. She didn't bother with the little girl persona anymore. There was no reason to. "Yeah, I'm safe, but my whole body hurts." She looked up at Keiichi. "Keiichi, this has to end tonight. Takano is-"

"-an L5. I know, I figured it out on the way over here." He finished for her. "And, yeah. It's gonna end tonight. One way or another." He smiled and winked at her. "I made a few calls."

At that moment, the door opened behind them. Satoshi Hojo and Takao Sonozaki walked inside, and looked expectantly at Keiichi.

"Alright, Maebara." Mion's dad said. "You called us here for a reason. What's going on?"

"First things first." Keiichi quickly explained to the two men what was going on. How Takano had contracted the Syndrome and had descended into an L5 status. He explained that she was trying to kill Rika because she was the one keeping the village sane, and that Takano wanted to exploit that for her research. He explained how they stopped her last summer, and how she was after them again.

"Also..." he started to say sheepishly. "I'm... also... dating your daughter now..."

Takao looked at him surprised, then laughed and clapped him on the back. "Well, it's about time! You're all Mion talks about when we talk to her on the phone! She must be very happy now..." He a serious look. "But, I gotta tell you something. As her father, it's my job to tell you that if you make her cry... I will kill you."