Numbered Days

[Leotrak]

Here's the next chapter for your reading enjoyment, folks!

Notes:
- Comments are most welcome, as any fanfic writer would say! Srsly, poke holes in it
- I'm starting to run low on ideas for chapter names starting from "fifth" and onward. Suggestions most welcome!

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=======Chapter 2=======
"Second-hand Information"


...

I wake up after what feels like only a second, but my bodily position tells me otherwise. I'm lying on my back.. I think. No, I'm on my side. There's something behind me, though.. probably. I'm quite sure I'm lying on something hard, though. Except my head. My head is definitely on something very soft, and warm. And whatever it is, it smells pretty nice, too. I have no idea what it is, but it's a nice smell.

It takes a while to register why it's still so dark. Oh, of course, my eyes are closed. I don't feel like opening them yet, though. Opening them probably means I will have to move, and this soft thing my head is on is pretty comfortable. There's some other, smaller, soft thing that keeps moving over the other side of my face. It feels really nice, too. Another reason to not open my eyes, but I can't help letting out a soft, contented sigh.

Damn, it stopped. More accurately, it froze in place, right on the middle of my cheek. I'm about to open my lips to complain when I hear a soft giggle, and the small thing starts to move over my face again. Curious. That giggle implies there's a human right above me. From the sound of it, a girl, too. I'd mull over this some more, but a soft chuckle a little in front of me brings my thoughts to a momentary halt.

"My, my, Hanako. You almost sound like you're enjoying this." Hrm... That's Lilly's voice, isn't it? Come to think of it, wasn't she with Yuuko, at the front desk? I'm starting to become a little frustrated at how sluggish my thought process is. Lilly was addressing Hanako, too. Wait, hang on... Ok, time to open my eyes now. Just the lower one, though, and only a little bit.

... Black stockings is the first thing I see. Hrm, Hanako was wearing those. I look around a little, and see Lilly sitting in one of the beanbags in this little corner. It takes a moment again to realize the small soft thing has left my face. It takes another moment to notice the soft surface my head is on has tensed considerably.

"Wh-.. What m-makes you say that, L-Lilly?" The voice saying this is coming from just about the same direction as that giggle I heard before. It sounds like Hanako's voice, too. I close my half-opened eye again, trying to put together the pieces.

"You know you can't hide sounds from me, Hanako." I can perfectly hear the totally smug smile carrying those words. "Taking care of Hisao like this must be quite relaxing for you to let out a giggle. Though, I do wonder what cause Hisao has to feel so contented." Oh, she's good. She's very good. Now if only this fog would clear up, so I could actually -think-...

Ah, there we go, somewhat. Now where was I... Soft surface under my head, hard surface under my side. Lilly on a beanbag right across, Hanako's voice closer by and above me. Black stockings like the ones Hanako wore on the soft surface my head is on. Oh, that means...

"Mmm, Hanako... You smell nice..."

As the last word leaves my lips, the last of the fog goes with it. Five seconds of complete silence follow, during which Hanako's legs tense up even more. The chain reaction that follows is unstoppable.

My eyes fly open at the speed of light, I bolt upright, almost causing me to topple over on my other side as a wave of dizziness overcomes me, Hanako yelps and scoots away from me, Lilly also seems to tense up and asks, "Hanako? What happened?" and right in the middle of all the commotion, Yuuko and the Nurse enter this secluded corner of the library.

I blink a couple times, slowly, as the Nurse starts to examine me for any signs of danger. Turning my head, I spot Hanako with her back against some shelves, her face redder than I've ever seen. Which is saying a lot. I blink again, and manage to ask her, quite calmly I might add, "You were letting me use your lap as a pillow?"

I didn't think it was possible, but Hanako's face gains another few shades of red. Realizing the impact of my own words, I feel the blood rushing to my own cheeks, and my heart cheerfully announces it will go into cardiac arrest again if I don't look away from Hanako right this instant. So I quickly look the other way, only to see Lilly trying to hide a rather gleeful smile. She wisely keeps quiet, though.

The Nurse, of course, grimaces and tells her, "Please try not to give him another heart attack, ok? I think one is as much as he can handle today. So, Nakai," turning back to me, "care to explain what you did to almost land you back in the hospital?" Ok, I can understand you're a bit miffed, Nurse, but please try to remember doctor-patient confidentiality for once? There are three people here who have no idea what you're talking about.

I just groan a little, rubbing my still sore chest, and respond with a shrug and a generic "I don't really know." The Nurse frowns at me, obviously not buying it, but what can I really tell him? 'Hanako asked me something she never asks until it's the festival day, and it blew my mind'? I'd be out of here faster than if I'd needed a hospital trip.

Hanako apparently thinks my explanation insufficient as well, as she suddenly interjects at an even faster rate Emi does whenever I have that flutter on the friday morning runs. "I'm sorry we were just sitting here reading and maybe looking at each other and then I asked him if he played chess and he just collapsed and I'msorryI'msorryI'msor-" Lilly apparently moved to her side during this outburst, and is now gently trying to get Hanako to relax as she begins to sob.

Lilly also picks up where Hanako left off. "Yuuko and I heard Hanako call out to Hisao quite vehemently, so we both rushed here first. I believe Hanako was trying to wake Hisao up until Yuuko and I managed to convince her that letting him wake up naturally would be better for him." Somehow I think Lilly did more of the convincing than Yuuko... "Yuuko then left to get you, Nurse, while Hanako kept fussing over Hisao. I decided to have a seat and wait for either you to arrive, or Hisao to wake up. As luck would have it, both happened at the same time." More like Yuuko got lost on the way to the Nurse. I really wouldn't put that past her. And it's the only way Hanako would have enough time to calm down.

When she's finished, the Nurse is still frowning. "Well, nothing to it. You're going to have to come to my office so I can make sure your heart won't explode or anything, Nakai." I meekly nod. Hanako still hasn't calmed down completely yet, but at least enough to catch what the Nurse is saying. As she turns to stare at me, I see the first hints of fear in her eyes, mixed with worry. I offer her a smile, and say, "Don't worry, I'll be fine." And as if to prove my point, I stand up on my own.

... A little faster than I should have, apparently, as I almost black out again. Luckily, the Nurse manages to keep me from planting my face onto the floor. "See? Perfectly fine," I manage to say with a rather stupid smile. Hanako lets out a nervous giggle at that, and I sag a little against the Nurse in relief. I keep the smile on my face until we're clear of Hanako's field of vision, and when we're out of earshot, I groan slightly again.

In his office, the Nurse gets me to agree to exercise, so I can strengthen my heart. He warns me against over-exerting myself, lest I end up here again, or worse. He also informs me of having a 'spy' on the track field in the mornings, in case I were thinking of sleeping in anyway. I wasn't. Starting morning runs on wednesdays instead of thursdays means I meet Emi six hours sooner. And who knows, maybe I can prevent her crashing in to me during lunch time tomorrow...

The Nurse follows me when I return to my dorm this time, again reminding me to go run tomorrow morning. I assure him I'll go, but only after I've taken my dosage of evening meds does he leave my room. And then I notice I forgot to bring those books back with me. Groaning a third time, I almost miss the timid knock at my door.

Opening it, I see Hanako and Lilly, carrying my bag and the books I'd picked out. "Um.. Y-you left these i-in the library, a-and.. Lilly thought you might want t-these tomorrow.. s-s-so we asked Yuuko t-to check them out for you.." I smile at her as she fidgets with the books in her hands, causing her to blush again. "Thanks a lot, you two. I thought I'd have to spend another night with nothing to do until I fall asleep. Here, let me..." I carefully take the books from Hanako, and my bag from Lilly, successfully preventing them from seeing into my room. Or, well, preventing Hanako from seeing...

"Hi.. Hisao? Are you r-really alright now?" Smiling at Hanako again - I seem to do that a lot this time - I reply, "Yeah, I'm just a little tired now." And right on cue, I let out a huge yawn. At this, Lilly finally says something. "Oh my, we'd best be going then. Sleep well, Hisao." She smiles at me, then starts to leave. Hanako blushes slightly, but smiles as she, too, wishes me a good night before following Lilly. I watch them go until they turn the corner, catching Hanako glancing back to me once. I smile and wave at her, and am rewarded with a timid wave in return.

Closing the door behind me, I pile the books on my desk. I'll sort through those later. I think there's one or two here which I never got around to reading. But for now, I best follow my own advice, and turn in for the night.
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Now where did I leave... oh, there we go!

[Wren]

Peter Griffin: Go on.

Again another great entry, keep up the good work . I am really interested on how things develop now.

[GG Crono]

And as if to prove my point, stand up on my own.

Think you forgot a word here.

That said, good stuff!

[Leotrak]

Nah, that sentence only sounds off if taken out of context like that

... *ponders it some more*

Drat, it doesn't -_-" *edits*

[GG Crono]

Hey, if my only criticism is little nitpicks like that, you're doing pretty well.

[Leotrak]

And yet another chapter! Hm, this might turn out longer than I first anticipated O.o

Comments are always appreciated
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=======Chapter 3=======
"Third Run of the Mill"

Sleep proved hard to attain last night. Too much had happened. Too many changes occurred, none of which made sense. Hanako, behaving as if she trusts me. Shizune's annoyance. Lilly's strained smiles in the tea room. Finally, Hanako asking me if I play chess. And that last one triggered the biggest change of all.

I'm in control of Hisao. No, I -am- Hisao.

My cage, forged of isolation, was shattered. Smashed in an instant. Gone faster than the thoughts I tried to sledgehammer out of me. And the shock of that threw me into cardiac arrest. Not only that, it brought me back in control. I haven't had full control since I started remembering things that hadn't happened yet. Even during the times I committed suicide to try bring an end to this, I wasn't in full control. I was the little voice in Hisao's mind, telling him to end it, convincing him life was no longer worth living. Those times were the most depressing, though. And the most desperate. So I stopped doing it when I found it had no impact at all.

But this time, I have full and complete control, as if this was the first round. I'm no longer two separate entities in one body, one the actor, one the observer. And this scares the shit out of me. It's also frustrating me to no end. Because with control, everything I've felt has also returned. Every. Single. Thing.

I'm back in love with every one of them.

I went to bed around eight. I didn't fall asleep until it was past midnight.

So naturally, when I woke up at 6 in the morning to run with Emi, I'm bleary-eyed and yawning every other minute. Damn, being back in control has its drawbacks, such as the need to actually freaking sleep. This is going to need a lot of getting used to. I almost don't notice the fact that Emi is completely stunned when she sees me arrive at the track field. She's quick to recover, though, and greets me with her usual cheerfulness.

"So you're the spy the Nurse was talking about?" I start.
She grins at me. "Yep!"
I yawn again, saying "Oh. I was expecting someone from the nursing staff, to be honest." That's a lie, of course. I know perfectly well that Emi was the spy the Nurse meant.
"What, are you saying I don't look like I could be a spy?"
"No, this is more like a relief. I was afraid he would have someone to watch my every move. Unless you are here to do exactly that."
She grins again. "No, I'm here for my own reasons, the Nurse just asked me if I had seen a 'messy-haired transfer student who looks like he's kinda lost' around the track."

Our conversation follows its usual routine, despite it happening a day early, and after a few more minutes of talking and yawning, we start to run. Something, however, is bothering her, made glaringly obvious by how she's running slightly slower than me, and with a heavy frown on her face. Her run still looks as if she's a gazelle running over the savannah. Before the first lap is done, I figure I might as well probe her thoughts.

"Hey, is something the matter?" She just frowns even more, shaking her head. I prod her a little more. "You're not very convincing. What's on your mind?" At this, she slows to a halt, and I stop a few paces in front of her, turning to look at her while she's shuffling her legblades on the ground.

Finally, she blurts out, "Why are you here a day early? You're never here on wednesday!" And for the second time in two days, I'm completely stumped.

Mental faux-pas right there. Sorry, Emi.

Luckily, there's only the shock of her question this time. Yesterday, I received the added shock of returning to control. That's probably what caused my heart attack. So while my heart does send me another brief flare of protest, I don't collapse. I'm too stunned to even move my arms, so Emi doesn't notice a thing, either. That said, she's still glaring at me as if everything is my fault somehow. Please stop that, I have nothing to do with this.

Well, ok, I probably have everything to do with this, but her glare right now is worse than her puppy-dog eyes. So after what feels like another century, I blink. Twice. A third time. And then I finally manage to get a word past my vocal chords. "Wha?"

Smooth, Hisao, smooth. King of wit, right there.

Emi finally looks away, fidgeting. She's visibly trying to figure out what to say next. It's almost as if she thinks herself mad for even asking, if it hadn't been for that baleful glare just seconds ago. "Ah, well.. You know..." she starts to mumble, shuffling her legblades over the track field again.

"Know what, Emi? You're not exactly making sense." I refrain from adding 'though, you're not the first this week', but only barely. "What did you mean by saying I'm here a day early?" And how did she even know -that- much? For that matter, how did Hanako know to ask about chess? Nothing is making sense anymore... If the girls keep this up, I'll be fit for the mental institutions for the rest of my "playthroughs".

She starts to frown again, looking both serious and confused. She doesn't seem able to keep her legs still, either. "I-I know it sounds weird, Hisao, but... I feel like... like I've been through this week before. All the way up to the festival. Like.. the same things keep happening over and over and o-over..." She looks me in the eyes again, on the verge of tears, but not even a train could stop her now. "And I a-always meet you today! At lunch time! I always run into you in the hallways! So why? Why are you here now? I don't get it! I don't get it anymore!"

Tears are streaming down her face now, and she falls to her knees in despair. Seeing her like this is breaking my heart. So I do what feels natural - I cross the distance between us, get on my knees and gently wrap my arms around her. Her arms are around my waist in a flash, and she cries in my chest as if we're two long-lost friends. Which, in a way, we are.

It's not long before I find myself stroking the back of her head, with my other arm around her shoulders, letting her cry herself out. I almost start to myself, though for different reasons. She remembers. Emi remembers everything. It doesn't make any sense that she can remember, but here she is, crying her eyes out, because she remembers. And knowing that she does makes me feel better than I have in a long, long time.

Heh, that's a little twisted. I'm feeling good because Emi is soaking my shirt with her tears. Ok, so it's not because of that exact reason, but close enough. But I can't exactly help it. Emi, sweet little Emi Ibarazaki, remembers! When she starts to quiet down a little, I hug her a little closer. "Emi," I start, but she shakes her head and almost breaks my ribs with her embrace.

"Don't. I don't wanna move. And if you talk you'll want to look me in the eyes, but I'd have to stop holding you, and I don't want that," she says, muffled by my shirt a little. So I just hold her, one hand on the back of her head, one arm around her shoulders.

We sit like this, in the middle of the track field, for what feels like an eternity. Please let it have been an eternity. I've wanted to hold her like this for so long. Ok, I admit, I've wanted to hold Hanako or Rin or Shizune or Lilly the same way, and preferably without the tears, but still. Eventually, though, Emi starts to pull back, and I let my hands fall away from her body. Hers grab onto my shirt at my chest level. "You know, Hisao.. this is the first time you held me like this..." I can't see her face right now, but her voice sounds as if she's inbetween smiling and crying.

"I know, Emi. I know."
"Do you know why?"
".. 'Do I know why' what?"
"Why we keep living through the same time... It always starts in winter, and ends with that stupid, stupid festival..."
I sigh heavily. "No, I don't know why."
"I don't want the festival to happen anymore..."
"Why not, Emi?"
"Cause.. every time it's over... I have to miss you for four months again..."

Her hands clench, pulling my shirt taut. Alright, she's definitely not smiling anymore now. I let out a sigh again. "When did you start to remember?"
"I don't know... I lost track..."
"Heh, the fastest girl on the track team losing track..."
She snorts at that. "That's a really lame joke, you know."
"Ouch, you go straight for the heart, don't you?"
"Maybe, but it leaves you with a leg to stand on."
".. Ok, you win. I can't think of any more bad jokes."
She giggles at that, a little bit, and finally looks up at me. Her eyes are a little red, but she's smiling again. Good, Emi without a smile just isn't the same. I grin back at her, she returns it in kind, and follows it up with something I didn't think would happen - she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly, pressing her small frame against me. It takes me a few seconds to register what happened, but when I realize it, my arms are already around her.

She starts sobbing quietly after a little while, so I hug her a little tighter. My heart breaks anew when she starts talking again. "Please don't leave me again... Please.."
"Hey, at least I have a pretty good track record for returning, don't I?"
"Do not... There's loads of times where you hang out with Rin instead of me... Or with neither of us..."
So she experiences three different endings. Makes sense, I suppose.
"Hey, Hisao..."
"Hm?"
"How long... have you known?"
I sigh again. I seem to be doing that a lot today. "I don't know. I lost track."
"So it's not just the track team member who does that, huh?" She giggles a bit again.
"Aaaah, I left myself wide open for that one."
She goes quiet for a little while, then asks me, ".. How many endings do you have?"

Crap. I don't know if I should tell her that. I knew she'd ask, but I think telling her would do more harm than good right now. Yeah, it's better that I don't tell her. "Come on, we should start getting ready for class. Who knows, maybe our teachers will do a little jig." Emi just nods, and removes herself from my lap. She refuses to look at me on the way back.

Question sidestepped, but the aftermath kind of hurts...
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Why, yes, I just made Emi cry. I'm such a mean bastard

[GG Crono]

Why, yes, I just made Emi cry. I'm such a mean bastard

I'm sure Kosher will appreciate that.

[nitpick]
You really shouldn't type "Ok" like so. It sounds like you're addressing a caveman. "OK" or "okay" is better, grammatically speaking.
[/nitpick]

And the plot thickens!

[kosherbacon]

You bet I did! I could totally see her realizing she's stuck in a loop, and her mind audibly breaking.

What I'm looking forward to is Rin showing up. I figure her to be the only character capable of fully understanding what's going on with the universe, due to her Rin-ness, but also the one least likely to give a crap.

[Leotrak]

Ask, and ye shall receive! Well, unless I don't feel like handing it out yet... Anyway, this chapter contains much Rin-ness! Enjoy!
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=======Chapter 4=======
"Fourthcoming events"

When we part ways in front of the dorms, Emi still hasn't so much as glanced my way. Granted, if it had been the other way around I would have likely behaved in a similar way, but telling the girl who just told you she doesn't want to be without you again that you experience the festival in six different ways, five of which are with a girl, four of whom aren't her... Honestly, there's no way to explain that in any way that's even remotely satisfactory.

Just before she enters the girl's dorms, though, I remember lunchtime. "Hey, Emi! Can you do me a favor by not running into me today?" I try my hardest to say that jokingly, but I'm not sure if it worked. She finally turns to look at me, though, and even gives me a smile, even if it's a little fake. Unfortunately for my ribs, that's all I get from her. I probably should have asked sooner, anyway.

Sighing, I make my way back to my room, get changed, down my morning meds, and head to the cafeteria for breakfast. The place is pretty much abandoned, which isn't much of a surprise. It's only seven. And after spending about ten minutes on a wholly unappetizing breakfast, I wander back outside. I really don't feel like sitting in class for nearly an hour when there's no one there yet anyway.

I just let my feet lead me wherever. Which somehow brings me straight to Rin's mural, which is still just a bunch of black outlines at this point in time. What's more surprising is that the artist herself is present, working slowly but surely. Chalk up another for 'things that went different this week.'

Saying nothing, I sit down in the place I usually sit when watching her paint. Five minutes pass, in which I'm revelling in the fact that I'm enjoying watching Rin paint again. It really has been way too long since I've felt emotions, if I'm enjoying it this much.

"Can you pour me some more black?" Rin asks, indicating the bowl holding black paint. So as naturally as if we'd been doing this for years, I pick up the can of black paint, and fill the bowl. And in her ever present deadpan way of speaking, Rin says, "Ah, so you do still know."
"Hm? Know what?"
"You don't have to play dumb. I know you know."
"I don't know if I know what you're talking about."
"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say I know you know. Or did you develop amnesia along the way? That would be less boring than your heart thingy." She ponders this a moment. "Not as scandalous as trouble in the pants, though. You're sure there's nothing wrong with your tackle?"
"Wha... Yes, I'm sure! How come you're always asking me about that, anyway??"
"Because I collect people. Which you already know," she says with a sly grin. Oh, right. If I really didn't know, I wouldn't know she always asks me about 'trouble in the pants'.
"Alright, alright, I give."
"I knew you would." Another sly grin, with a hint of a victory smile in the mix. "Besides, Emi gave you away already."
"So you only knew I knew because Emi told you? Isn't that cheating?"
"It would have been, had I asked her about it. But she offered the information freely." She closes her eyes for a short moment, then says, "She was upset."
I already knew that part, but hearing it again stings. I sigh again. "I know."
"So how many endings do you have? Emi said you wouldn't tell her."
I turn away from her. "I'm not sure I should tell you, either."
"Don't worry, Emi and I share a lot of things, but how we feel about you isn't one of them."

Turned down by one of the five girls I'd give my broken heart to, delivered in Rin's signature deadpan tone. That's... a lot more painful than I'd like. No helping that, I suppose. I think Rin noticed something in my body language, as I can hear her turn towards me fully. "I'm sorry, I had no intention of... doing whatever it is I turned out doing." I can't help but snicker a little at that.
"You're telling a guy that you have no romantic interest in him. The normal response to that is feeling hurt. How much hurt depends on how much affection the guy had for you."
"Hmm... I didn't know that. So how much hurt are you experiencing?"
"You don't want to know."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. And you still haven't said how many endings you live through."

Sighing, I get up. "I'm going to class now, Rin. Please ask Emi not to bowl me over during lunch time today, if you see her before then." I start to move, but for some reason decide Rin should know anyway. Eventually. "... Can you meet me in the third floor hallway for lunch today? If you could get Emi to join too, all the better. I'd like to make sure all our memories are at least consistent."

"Hmm..." Rin starts. "No, I don't think Emi and I will be able to join you for lunch today. We made plans, and disturbing these plans might turn out more dire than me not finishing this mural. Do you think I should paint some rabbits in here?"

So much for that idea. Well, I guess there's still a few days left in which I can confirm my memories with those of Rin and Emi. I can at least get that done with Lilly and Hanako today. "Alright. And sure." I give her a wave, then walk back to the main building.

I manage to get to class about five minutes before the bell signals the start of today's lessons. Hanako was already here, but I don't get much of a chance to talk to her, for an obvious, pink-haired reason.

"Hicchan~! Where were you? Leaving your bag all alone like this is bad, you know~! Wahahaha~!" Sigh. That laugh still makes me cringe inside. I just take my seat, then turn to face Misha and Shizune.

"How much do you two remember?"
"Huh? What kind of question is that, Hicchan? Ah, Shicchan wants to know that, too~!"
"It is what it is, Misha, Shizune. It is what it is what it is what it is."
"Hey, Hicchan~... You're still not making sense." Misha is obviously not feigning ignorance.
"...!" Shizune is looking rather annoyed again, but as always, I can't see if that's because I'm being weird, or if she just wants me to spill the beans.
"What's that, Shicchan? You want to know why Hicchan is asking such a weird question? Well, me too~!"
"Alright, how's this then. I've been living through the same four months and one week for thousands of times. This week, all the way to the festival this coming sunday."

Misha stopped signing somewhere halfway through, staring at me wide-eyed, and Shizune is frantically trying to get Misha to finish translating. When she notices, she and Shizune sign back and forth in complete silence, other than the swishing their hands make, right until Mutou enters and gets them to stop so they can pay attention. I can feel their eyes boring into the side of my head during the whole of morning classes.
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Bit short, but that's just how it ended up to be Comments/criticisms/holepoking welcome!

[That Man]

Despite drawing out some traumatic memories pertaining to Endless Eight,

this is Pretty Much Amazing.

[Leotrak]

Despite drawing out some traumatic memories pertaining to Endless Eight,

this is Pretty Much Amazing.

Well, much as I dislike spoiling stuff, I'll let you folks know that I don't plan on writing out a second repetition, so if you were fearing a true "Endless Eight", rest assured

Now, the next chapter, for your reading enjoyment!

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=======Chapter 5=======
"Fifth Disclosure"

When the bells signal it's time for lunch, Misha and Shizune immediately corner me. "Hicchan, it's time you explain why you were asking that weird question this morning!" For some reason, Misha's voice is cold. That's just plain creepy. Shizune's icy daggers coming from Misha's left don't help, either.

"Do you, either of you, remember the festival?"
"No, of course not! How can we remember the future?"
"...!" I don't even need Misha's translation to see Shizune is berating me.
"Shicchan says you need to get your act together! It's impossible to have memories of things that haven't happened yet!" Well, at least Misha is still loud. I'm still debating whether that's a relief or not.

I stare directly into Shizune's eyes as I continue. "You, me and Misha, sunday night, on the rooftop. Misha falls asleep. You, still holding on to that stuffed cat I won and gave you. You, trying your hardest to get me out of a rut, right when the fireworks start." Misha manages to translate everything, and I can slowly see Shizune's mask cracking. She remembers, alright. She's even blushing a little when I mention that cat.

What she says - signs - next, though, is very much not what I was hoping for.

"Shicchan says you're being an idiot, Hicchan. The festival did not happen yet. And I'm definitely not spending it with you now. Me neither, for that matter," Misha adds. And with that, they stomp out of the classroom, only barely missing Lilly.

"Hanako? Who just stormed past me? I'm afraid I couldn't quite make them out."
"T-they were H-Hakamichi and Mikado..." Hanako is, as always, quick to be at Lilly's side. I manage to join them just when Lilly says, "Well, no matter, I suppose. Shall we be off, then?"
"Mind if I join you two today?" Both girls give a start at that, Lilly only a little, Hanako almost going rigid. "Hi-Hisao! U-um..."
"Oh, and thanks again for bringing me my bag and those books last night," I add with a smile.
"That really was no problem at all, Hisao, I assure you." Lilly's smile seems to do much in helping Hanako calm down a little, and the latter gives me a small nod, before turning to me looking very sorry. If I ever live past this week, I just know I'm going to die by being given puppy-dog eyes one time too many.

"Um.. Hisao? I-I'm really sorry about w-what happened in the library..." 'I'm not', I almost say, remembering the feel of her thighs under my head... Oi, oi, stay focused, Nakai. There's something bigger going on, remember?

"Ah, well, about that... There was a little more to that little event than just your question, Hanako. It's part of the reason I'd like to join you two for lunch today." Lilly purses her lips at that, then nods in assent. Hanako's visible eye widens a little, but when she sees Lilly's nod, she says, "O-ok..." I think she even smiled a little right then and there, but she's turned away from me before I can confirm that.

The three of us enter the hallway, and I can see Rin lounging in the corner ahead of us. Huh, I thought they had other plans. I give her a wave, which she returns with her foot. Hm, that's an awfully long wave... Lilly, Hanako and I are almost rounding the corner when Rin puts her foot back down. I blink at her, and Lilly says, "Oh? What's that sound coming towards us?" which turns out to be a pair of legblades running towards us.

I grimace at Rin and only half-manage to say "Oh, now you're just do-OOF!" before Emi crashes into me once again. So much for my ribs staying intact. Not to mention the back of my skull, as Emi's tackle becomes a full-blown embrace which ends me on my back on the hallway floor. "Oh, dear. Did miss Ibarazaki run into Hisao again?"

Hanako has already knelt down by my side at this point. Wow, she's fast when she wants to be. "Y-yes, she did, Lilly." More confirmation. These two remember at least as much as Rin and Emi. "S-she f-floored him this time." Hanako sounds none too pleased about that, actually. Which is oddly comforting.

Emi tightens her hug just a little before getting off me, saying, "That's for not answering my question this morning." She follows it up with a very successful angry pout, judging by my heart. Wait, no, that's from the collision. My right hand starts rubbing at my sore ribs while I use my left one to lift myself up, helped by Hanako. As soon as I'm in a sitting position, I take a couple deep breaths, trying to force my heart to calm the heck down.

Steady. Steady... There, back to normal. My ribs are still sore, but that can't be helped. The back of my head will probably have a sizeable lump for the rest of this week. "Hisao? I-is everything alright?" I look to my right to find Hanako still there, one arm supporting me. Smiling, I tell her, "Yeah, just sore ribs now. And a bump on my head." She blushes again, but returns the smile in kind, relief fairly obvious in her eye. I wish she'd stop hiding her right eye.

Assisted by Hanako, I manage to get back on my feet, and I take a moment to glare at Emi and Rin. "I thought I asked you -not- to crash-tackle me this time." Emi, at least, looks mildly apologetic for a moment, right until she looks my way and sees Hanako still has her hands on my arm. The small girl almost explodes with rage, but actually manages not to shout Hanako off, settling for a very malevolent glare.

In response, Hanako half-hides behind me while hugging my right arm. Thankfully, not tight enough to cut off the blood-flow. I look from one girl to the other for a few moments, then raise my eyes skyward and offer a silent prayer to whatever god is listening. This is going to be very, very troublesome.

I spot my bag lying a little to my left, but before I can ask Hanako to let go of me for a moment, Emi picks it up and offers it to me. "Ah, thanks, Emi, " I say, and take it from her. "But if we live through all this another time, can you please stop crashing into me?" Again, Emi has the conscience to look a little sorry for her actions, but she runs off before giving me an answer again. Rin waves at us again, looking all sly for some reason only she understands, probably, and follows after Emi.

I let out a tired sigh. How I'm ever going to stay alive long enough to live to sunday this time, I don't know. It might be in my best interest not to go on a morning run this friday. Then again, Emi is liable to find my dorm room and wake me up every morning from now on.

"Hisao? Are you sure everything is alright?" Lilly reminds me I'm standing in the middle of the third floor hallway, still. With Hanako latched onto my right arm, still. Glancing at her, I notice just how close she is, and I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "U-um... Y-yeah, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
"Oh? Now why would you feel embarrassed all of a sudden?"
"Ah... It's.." Saying 'nothing' right now would probably be a bad idea. "Um.. that is... H-hanako is holding my arm..." And now I'm really blushing.

Lilly's eyebrows shoot up at my words. "Oh my, how unexpected." Ok, you're not very convincing. And stop trying to hide that smug smile. I scowl at her for good measure, before realizing the futility of it.

"Yeah, sure... How about we go for lunch now?" That came off a little sharper than I intended, maybe. At least Hanako didn't move away, embarrassing as it is to have her this close. Oh crap, I think I can feel her-

Don't think about it. Act casual, as if you two walk like this all the time. It'll at least prevent you from toppling down the staircase.

We reach the girls' tearoom without further incidents. Once inside, we take our usual seats, and Lilly prepares us some tea. The actual process of eating lunch goes by in complete silence. A somewhat awkward one between me and Hanako, and Lilly radiating a slight air of smugness. Please stop that, Lilly. You're really not helping.

"So, Hisao," Lilly starts, reminding me of my initial plans, "I take it you would like to know to what extent Hanako and I share your recollections?" At least she stopped looking so damn smug.
"Ah, yeah. Can you start by telling me if you can remember at what point you, well, started to remember?"
"Unfortunately, no." Lilly frowns at this. "I simply woke up one winter morning with exact knowledge of what would transpire that day, and the next four months. It was the same for Hanako." Who appears to be content to let Lilly do the talking for now.

I sigh tiredly. I really am doing that way too much. "So it's the same for you two, huh?" That leaves me with just a few more questions, really. "Can you recall how often you've gone through this?"
"Again, I regret to say no. However, often enough to know this week has many differences that repeat over time." Lilly visibly ponders her last statement when Hanako finally speaks up.
"S-some times, it's the three o-of us at the festival f-fireworks, a-and some times, we're p-playing chess here... B-but other times, n-neither of us sees you o-on sunday."
"Ah, yes, I have been wondering about that. I do not mean to pry, but are you willing to tell us where you are spending the festival when not with us?" Both of them look at me at this. Lilly's eyes hold nothing but curiosity. Hanako, on the other hand, looks withdrawn, as if preparing for the worst.

Damn it, why did it turn out like this? Why the hell are we living through the same damn time over and over?

And why did I have to fall in love with all five of them?

I lower my head, not looking at either of them, and start to talk. "I've probably seen more differences to this week than the two of you together. They start off small, like do I introduce myself to the class or not, but by sunday, I have six distinct endings. Two of those, you two know, because they're with you. Rin and Emi know two more, because those are with the two of them - with Rin, we spend the entire day sitting by her mural, and with Emi, I'm thoroughly prevented from eating fried food and I return to my room before the fireworks. The fifth ending is with Shizune and Misha, but Misha always falls asleep before the fireworks start." I snort softly before continuing. "And for the sixth ending, I get drunk off my ass with Kenji, on the school roof, and I end up falling off it, at which point I find myself back in.. winter."

There. I said it. I think I heard the bell ring somewhere midway, but I don't care, and Hanako and Lilly don't seem to, either. We all probably know these classes by heart now, anyway.

Several minutes pass in silence. I don't dare look up at either of them. I may not know how they really feel about me yet, but hearing all that can't have had a positive influence.

After what feels like yet another eternity, though a less enjoyable one than the one of this morning, Lilly hmms softly. I still don't lift my head up when she starts to talk, even knowing Lilly wouldn't know the difference. "That sounds rather painful, having to fall off the school roof so often." Oh, great, now she's just mocking me.

I must've made some sort of sound, as Lilly continues. "Hisao, I am quite offended that you are even considering we would think less of you because of how you are forced to endure these seemingly infinite repetitions. I would also much prefer you lift your head up when I am talking to you." Huh. She really is good with her ears.

I'm smiling now, though. Lilly's words were a bigger relief than I thought they'd be. So I look up at Lilly, to find her smiling softly in my general direction. I turn my head, and see Hanako looking at me a little anxiously still, but when she sees my smile, she gives a warm one in return. She also visibly relaxes, proving she was more anxious than her face showed.

"I do hope you're done thinking so poorly of us now," Lilly says, looking and sounding much less offended than her words could imply.
"Yeah, I am. I'm really sorry about tha-"
"I will have none of that, Hisao. You were concerned about our feelings, were you not?"
"One day, you'll have to tell me how you do that."
"I assure you, I have had a lot of practice." She frowns a little indignantly at that, but only for a moment.
"I-is that what miss Ibarazaki w-was talking about when she.. um.. r-ran you over earlier?" It seems you're not the only one who's had a lot of practice, Lilly.
"Yeah... Emi asked me the same question Lilly just asked this morning, but I didn't answer her. I didn't want to upset her any more than I already had." My heart would probably have broken quite literally if I had told her.

"Given her response when you did not answer, I am inclined to think you were right in not telling her." Another one of those smiles that somehow fills me with relief I didn't know I was due. I sneak a glance at Hanako, wondering how much practice Lilly had with those smiles. But my train of thought is interrupted when Lilly continues. "But perhaps we should let that matter rest for now. I would very much like to fully compare our memories of the current week."
"Sounds good to me."
"A-alright."
====================================

The next chapter might be a while in coming. You see, when I posted the prologue, I already had everything up to the second chapter fully written By the time chapter 2 was posted, I'd almost finished chapter 4. Now I've only barely begun on chapter 6 ">_>

So much for my backlog...

[Xuan]

How terrible. Even if Hisao dies he cannot escape his repetition.

*points at Fate/Hollow Ataraxia* This would be your guide for anyone who wants to understand where this story is going. SPOILERS INCLUDED (Since they can be very similar!)!

To Leotrak:
*points at Tohno Shiki* Do we get to see Eyes of Death Perception in action? ^^

[neumanproductions]

How terrible. Even if Hisao dies he cannot escape his repetition.

You know what that means, "ITS GROUNDHOG DAYS!"

[kosherbacon]

I'm really loathing Emi here, even more than usual. She should know by then how frail Hisao is. So what does she do? She gives him a life threatening injury. Not to maintan the status quo, which has been broken already, but because the little snot didn't get what she wanted.

And people say I'm too harsh on her.

[Leotrak]

How terrible. Even if Hisao dies he cannot escape his repetition.

*points at Fate/Hollow Ataraxia* This would be your guide for anyone who wants to understand where this story is going. SPOILERS INCLUDED (Since they can be very similar!)!

To Leotrak:
*points at Tohno Shiki* Do we get to see Eyes of Death Perception in action? ^^

I'd like to point out now that I have never played any of the Fate games, and thus any resemblance between Fate/Hollow Ataraxia and my piece of fanfic are completely accidental and unintended. I'm also going to refrain from touching said Fate games until I've finished writing.