PREVIOUS CHAPTER: The Year Had Passed…
A/N: The second chapter is now here, there has been a major improvement in stories from the original version (like AO3 and Fanfiction), hope this one allows the reader to visualize the story in more detail.
“As you all already heard the news from the police, the rumors continuously spread through, we are indeed to confirm that one of our students, Tokio Kuryuu has gone missing.”
Tension hung thick in the air as the students congregated in the gym, flanked by their teachers and the principal, who stood solemnly on the stage. Among the assembled students, reactions varied. Some were visibly stunned by the news announcement, their faces etched with disbelief, while others murmured quietly, exchanging hushed conversations about the unfortunate news concerning a student named Tokio.
While it was a natural reaction for the principal to announce incidents, disappearances, or anything related to a student in their school.
But her reaction was unlike the others. Saika’s response diverged from the rest, setting her apart in the moment.
Her body tensed, sweat beading across her face as her eyes widened in shock. The intensity of her reaction was palpable as she processed the news. She hadn’t anticipated or prepared for the revelation of his disappearance, especially not in such a public manner. It wasn’t just the announcement from the school principal; the news had spread like wildfire across the internet and through various rumors.
“If any of his friends yours, even his classmates know about his wheredoubt, please let the police and his parents know,”
“All students dismissed!”
As the students began to shuffle their feet, making their way back to their respective classes, Saika remained frozen in shock. The mention of Tokio in the news had left her stunned as her classmates filed past her.
Saika was the sole keeper of Tokio’s whereabouts, and it dawned on her that his prolonged stay in The World, spanning over two days, had sparked concern among their parents. They had gone as far as filing a missing person report, escalating the situation beyond her control.
Realizing that her continued silence might raise suspicion about their classmate, she decided to leave. However, as she turned away, her steps faltered, her mind blank with panic, unable to regain control over herself.
As she walked through the school hallway, the cacophony of chattering students surrounded her from all directions. Their voices filled the air, discussing Tokio’s sudden disappearance. Despite the relentless stream of gossip, she pushed forward, her legs moving mechanically. Though she felt a tremor in her limbs, she forced herself to maintain a façade of calm. Deep down, fear gnawed at her, dreading the moment when the truth would inevitably come to light.
As she walked, she couldn’t help but overhear their conversation, feeling a sense of unease and heaviness settle in her chest…
“Did you hear that?
“Yeah, that guy Kuryuu went missing”.
“According to the police, he’s disappeared for a few weeks”
“Is he being kidnapped?”
“Can’t say for sure”
Suddenly, a flurry of chatter caught her attention, drawing her focus away.
“Wait, I just remembered, has Amagi-san invited him back then?”
“Yeah, you’re right, I saw her go with Kuryuu on the rooftop.”
“Did you think Amagi-san knew anything about his disappearance?”
Their chatter echoed throughout the hallway, her facade of normalcy failing to conceal the weight in her chest and the panic coursing through her. The fear gnawed at her, knowing she bore responsibility for what had befallen Tokio. The thought of being exposed as the cause of his disappearance filled her with dread.
Unaware of the consequences, she recognized the urgency of gathering the Chrono Core with Tokio’s assistance. However, the longer she delayed, the greater the risk of arousing suspicion, particularly since some had seen her invite him to the rooftop.
As she walked forward, the atmosphere in the hallway shifted from bustling to ominous. The once vibrant energy seemed to drain away, replaced by a heavy sense of foreboding. The sky outside darkened, mirroring the unease building within her. She could feel her body trembling with each step, a sense of impending doom hanging over her like a shroud. The eyes of the other students followed her every move, their cold gazes unwavering and accusatory, a silent sign that suspicion was beginning to brew among them.
Panic and fear surged within her, threatening to overwhelm her senses. The weight of their accusatory stares bore down on her, making it nearly unbearable to withstand. She couldn’t bring herself to meet their eyes, knowing that they held the truth she feared: she was the one responsible for his disappearance. Their piercing gaze felt eerily familiar, reminiscent of the chilling stares she had endured in her old school before she met Tokio. It was a gaze that haunted her memories, a constant reminder of the nightmare she couldn’t escape.
She was painfully aware of the time she spent with Tokio, realizing it was far too much for using him. Even if she tried to explain what had happened, she knew deep down that nobody would believe her. They would only see her words as lies, further fueling the sense of distrust, doubt, and suspicion that began to gnaw at her mind and body. It was a familiar feeling, one she had experienced before, and now it threatened to consume her once again.
The truth lingered in the back of her mind, undeniable even as she refused to acknowledge it.
“Amagi-san”
The female student entered behind her, her eyes cold but her lips curved into a smile. It was a smile that halted her in her tracks, freezing her body and locking her legs in place. Caught off guard by the unexpected presence, she slowly turned around, her heart pounding with apprehension.
“Y-Yes? Is something wrong?” She asked the girl.
“Amagi-san, do you know where Kuryuu-san is?” The girl’s voice, when she spoke, held an eerie quality, unlike anything Saika was accustomed to hearing from her peers. It sent shivers down her spine, filling her with a sense of unease. As she looked around, she noticed all the other students fixing her with cold, piercing stares. Saika’s gaze locked onto the student who seemed to be watching her with the most intense scrutiny.
But she tried to act normal and innocent and replied to her, “W-well, I… don’t know where he is”.
“But, didn’t you just invite Kuryuu-san a few weeks ago, I saw you with him back then,” the other student, who is a boy, came to her next to the girl whom she asked Saika first.
In a few hesitant steps, the other students began to draw closer to her, their cold stares piercing through the air like icy daggers. They didn’t approach too closely at first, but their movements were deliberate, a silent indication of their intentions to close in.
“H-he might already gone home fast, and of course, you didn’t see him,”
Saika’s constant stream of lies weighed heavily on her conscience, but as more people began to approach her, her body froze in place. The tremors coursing through her became pronounced, her heart racing as fear tightened its grip. Goosebumps prickled across her skin, a physical manifestation of the rising tension within her.
“We didn’t see Tokio come down from the rooftop but only you, the parents said that he didn’t go home for a few weeks,” another female student approached her next to two of them and asked her a question.
She could sense that her vulnerability might betray her. Perhaps she had let her guard down, allowing herself to be seen coming from the rooftop without Tokio by her side. The fear gripped her as she realized they might suspect her involvement in his disappearance.
“I-I don’t…”
She found herself at a loss for words, unable to conjure any rebuttal to defend herself against what had transpired. Anxiety etched itself onto her expression as the students closed in on her, their steps deliberate and measured. With each passing moment, her attempts to fabricate a response grew more feeble. She couldn’t evade their questions any longer; the truth was closing in around her, leaving her with nowhere to hide.
They took a few more steps, and then, as if synchronized, their words came forth separately yet simultaneously, echoing the same sentiment.
“Amagi-san, did you do something to Kuryuu-san up there?”
“You’re not the one who did it, right?”
“What did you two talk about?”
“Do you know where he is?”
“Why does it have anything to do with Kuryuu?”
The words, like relentless waves crashing against her, assaulted her from all sides, tormenting her from within. They formed a never-ending barrage of questions she longed to block out, yet they pierced through her defenses like arrows finding their mark. No matter how vehemently she protested or tried to speak her truth, the constant onslaught of lies drowned out her voice, leaving her feeling helpless and unheard.
“They are lying… of course, they are lying! Kuryuu-san might have been somewhere and they might lie to the police, or maybe he was in his uncle’s house, so that’s why she didn’t come to”
Desperation and fear mingled within her, rendering her incapable of maintaining a facade of normalcy. The incessant questioning and fabrication of lies had taken their toll, pushing her to the brink of madness.
Desperation consumed her, driving her to cling desperately to the shadows of deceit. Her expression twisted with selfishness as she frantically sought to conceal the truth, weaving a web of excuses to deflect any blame that threatened to fall upon her.
“No, Amagi-san… you’re the one who is being a liar”
The girl student’s face came into view, and the coldness in her expression toward Saika transformed into something beyond mere fear.
“Liar, you think we didn’t know what you did” the boy coldly says toward her.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant as rain poured down, lightning blazing across the dark, bleak sky. The cold, uneasy dread filled the air, and the students’ piercing gazes bore straight into her. Her eyes widened in terror, her hands trembled uncontrollably, and a chill ran through her entire body. Overwhelmed by fear, she collapsed to her knees, frozen in place.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from them for even a second. Clammy sweat broke out on her face as a dreadful sense of horror washed over her. The memory of their cold, unblinking stares was a terrifying experience she could never forget.
“You’re the one who made him suffer,”
“It’s all because your selfish, the world has suffered, we have suffered,”
“Your ignorance has brought him and us into the downfall,”
“If only you didn’t involve him,”
“She would be alive if it wasn’t for you”
“His parents wouldn’t be worried if it wasn’t for you,”
“If only you disappeared instead,”
“You lead her death,”
“What a selfish girl,”
“The worst!”
A nightmare can be a truly terrifying ordeal, and the images flooding her mind were born from words she dreaded hearing and truths she couldn’t bear to face. Unimaginable fear etched itself across her face as her heart rate spiked and her breathing grew labored. She felt her heart screaming in terror, desperate for help, but no one came to her aid.
Alone, she found herself the sole focus of the students’ intense, icy stares. She couldn’t find a way to move past them; they surrounded her, forming a circle that trapped her in place. Their intent was clear: to prevent her escape and close in on her with their unyielding, frigid gazes.
She covered her ears, her face still etched with fear, unable to avoid their piercing gazes. Then, she began to beg, her voice trembling.
“Please… stop… I don’t wanna hear this,”
But the students didn’t listen to her begging, they blamed her.
“Why are you still here? Just to make him suffer, to make us suffer,” the male student said in colder.
“It’s all your fault that everyone caught up in your mess,” the girl students said,
“Noo… stop… I didn’t mean to” Saika said
But the student began to speak, their voice breaking the tense silence.
“It’s all your fault,”
The harsh words continued to rain down on her, each accusation more cutting than the last, with no end in sight.
It’s all on and on, continuously.
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“Please… I’m begging you all, stop,”
No matter how she tried, her words failed to reach them. Instead, harsh accusations poured forth from the mouths of every student, their cold gazes piercing her like daggers. The relentless onslaught of blame and condemnation seemed to echo endlessly, each accusation a reminder of the sins and guilt they attributed to her.
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault,”
“It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault It’s all your fault”
“STOOOP, LEEAAVEE MEE ALOONNEEE!”
She closed her eyes tightly, a primal scream clawing its way up from deep within her throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the intensity of her emotions too overwhelming to contain any longer. She wished desperately for the chaos to cease, for everyone to stop… until…
“Aaaah!”
The place, the scenery, changes as she wakes up halfway out of sleep immediately.
Shock registered on her face, her breaths coming in heavy and labored. Tremors ran through her body, refusing to subside. With each slow inhale, she attempted to steady herself, gathering her thoughts and focusing her awareness. It took several minutes of concerted effort until finally, realization dawned upon her…
“Am I… dreaming,” She brought her hands to her head, trying to steady her breathing, but calming herself proved to be a challenge after enduring her nightmare.
The realization of her nightmare brought back a flood of painful memories she had tried desperately to forget. Memories of Tokio, the Akashic Records, Aura, Immortal Dusk, Geist, Schicksal… and AIKA. No matter how hard she attempted to bury these painful recollections, they continued to haunt her, resurfacing in her nightmares and clinging to her thoughts like shadows in the night.
Tears welled up once more as she began to cry out the names, “AIKA” to mourn her loss, and “Tokio” to bear the weight of guilt for how she had used him, inadvertently leading him into a coma. Clutching her blanket tightly, she recalled the dual burdens that had shaped her life.
She couldn’t contain her tears any longer, the urge to call out their name almost overwhelming. But they were no longer by her side.
“AIKA, Tokio… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”
Her hands touched her head, feeling deeply suffered by the guilt she committed.
In the end, she finds herself alone in her room, surrounded by memories steeped in sadness and regret. Guilt and grief weigh heavily on her heart as she recalls how it all began, the consequences of her actions haunting her every thought.
To this day, she struggles to forgive herself for the mistakes of the past, haunting her from a year ago.
Alone… Alone… and Alone…
Without solace or companionship, she bears the burden of her remorse.
The pain resurfaces as she awakens, its weight heavy upon her heart, a constant reminder of her solitude.
TO BE CONTINUED…
NEXT CHAPTER: Guilt, Grief, Despair
A/N: The second chapter, Nightmare is where Saika had to suffer from all the nightmares she had gone through with guilt, grief, and despair, but that’s the next title name lol.
Although, there’s something that caught me all surprised. When I bought .Rippon Doujinshi, there’s a certain story section focused on Saika, titled Complementary story, separated into two forms, Novel and Manga. The Novel parts took place during the .hack//Link event and The Manga part took place after that.
Surprisingly the idea of how Saika & Tokio’s classmates notice Tokio’s disappearance has already been written and this is the first time I’ve known about it, what a coincidence. But thankfully, those ideas that have already been added bring the connection of this fanfiction with Saika’s Complementary Story seems to make sense.
Luckily there’s an English translation for Saika’s Complementary Story (.Rippon), you all can read it, here.
This chapter is for all people who had made a first impression about Saika back in 2010 during the release of .hack//Link and how she treated Tokio harshly soon will finally be satisfied, but this chapter is only for the start, the next chapter is about how the true pain began for her.
Please be excited and see you later for the next chapter ;D
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