Rika lies motionless on her tatami mat, bone-tired, waiting for the floor to creak outside her room, and wonders how much it will hurt this time.

"It's not too late yet," Hanyu pleads, but Rika doesn't bother to run, not even after the telltale creak warns her of what's coming, doesn't sneak out the window, doesn't waste her energy on another hopeless dash through the bleak forest and another body-breaking stumble through mud and jagged rocks that will end with another cold gun barrel pressed against her temple.

Instead she just closes her eyes, and when the hand grips her neck like an old friend, Rika starts laughing.



(It's been many years since I've watched Higurashi, so I apologize for fudging some of the details, but this prompt was too good to pass up!)