(Rei’s only words at first were to ask me to follow her to the bowling alley so we could talk. And so, that's exactly where we went.)

Osamu and Rei sat together in the abandoned bowling alley, beneath the deep, blue dark of the morning. They both turned on the flashlights on their phones, laying them down on the seats to illuminate the area. Rei zipped her black hoodie all the way up as the cold began to settle on her skin. She released a miserable sigh that encapsulated the utter helplessness of the situation.

"Am I stupid?" Rei asked. "I was thinking I had years to resolve my feelings with Isabella. I thought she'd live a long time. Now I'm realizing how much time was wasted..."

"We only see that kind of thing in hindsight." Osamu said, casting an empty stare at the dilapidated floor. "I don't think you're stupid. None of us saw what's happening to her coming. I guess cancer works like that, huh? It comes by surprise to the unfortunate few."

"Yeah..."

Rei stood from her seat and picked up one of the bowling balls before setting up the pins down the alley. With the pins arranged, she sauntered back to the other end of the lane. She reeled her arm back, swung forward, and let go of the ball, scoring a strike.

"What do we do, Osamu?"

Osamu twiddled his fingers together. "I've been trying to find the answer to that myself, to no avail. Izanami can't do anything to stop it. The Shoku Twins would only put themselves and me in danger if we went back in time, and that doesn't even guarantee we can stop her from getting sick. It's just like Izanami said to me last night. 'Isabella getting sick wasn't an accident'. It's not something that was caused by human error, and as such, it cannot be fixed. It just happened. And we have to accept that."

"That's a bitter pill to swallow." Rei sighed. "So, what are you guys doing today?"

"Not sure. I doubt Izzy will be in the mood to go out somewhere today, so we'll probably just make the best of it at the house. You should come along, Rei."

"I'd love to, but I've got rehearsal today. Aika is making a new song."

"Yeah. Of course she is." Osamu said in a joyless groan.

"Please take good care of her, Osamu. I'm counting on you."

"You? Counting on someone? That's impossible."

Rei took out the doll and the needle, immediately sending Osamu into an apologetic panic. "Okay okay! I'm sorry!"

(I still have to find out who exactly made a voodoo doll of me that actually works...)

"Hey, Rei, did you ever find out who made that doll?"

"Oh, yeah! Thanks for reminding me. I asked Aika about it and she said it was a girl by the name of Lucrezia."

"Lucrezia? I definitely don't know anyone by that name." Osamu said, crossing his arms. "Who is she?"

"Well, she didn't say much more than her name. Apparently, she's some sort of super special girl around our age."

"Special? Like the 'Shoku Twins' kind of special?" Osamu asked.

Rei nodded. "If she can make one of these, I would assume so."

(If that's the case, I might have to ask the Shoku Twins the next time I see them. Aika's been keeping some strange company since we saved her.)

The sun's light poured over the horizon as the brightening sky was filled with birdsong. Osamu's walk back to house was a silent one. His neighborhood remained almost entirely empty ever since Tsukiakari's rampage over a year ago. His head was a mess of scattered thoughts and regrets, and the quietude that resulted from Tsukiakari's massacre only made his storm of thoughts that much louder.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He stopped in the middle of the street, casting a blank state at the concrete beneath his feet. His throat tightened up and his vision blurred, his surroundings washed away by his swelling tears. He quickly rubbed his sleeve against his eyes, trying his best to hold himself together, as difficult as that seemed now. He slapped his palm against his cheek, dragging all the way down to his chin as he released an exhausted sigh.

"Don't give up now, you idiot." Osamu whispered.

When Osamu returned to home, he found Yoko already awake and making herself some breakfast in the kitchen. She wore a white tank top and a frilly pair of black panties that said 'Spank Me' on the rear.

"Oh, good morning, darling. Are you feeling any better?" Yoko asked.

Osamu nodded. "Sort of..."

"I see. I'm making some soup for breakfast, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay, I'll make it extra special!" Yoko assured.

Yoko took out a large kitchen knife and held her wrist over the pot of soup, smiling with love and glee as she did it.

"Is that what you meant by 'extra specia'?! No thank you!" Osamu recoiled.

"Aww. You don't want a soup made with my blood?" Yoko tittered, clearly enjoying herself. "After this, I've got to go drop off the letter Izzy wrote, and then I need to pick up her pain killers. I'll need you to be the man of the house, Osamu."

"Understood..."

When the soup was finished, Osamu was invited to help himself. Yoko walked past him so she could get up the stairs and get dressed, but not without Osamu following the instructions on her panties with a nice, hard slap to the butt. The startled Yoko let out a high-pitch squeak, reactively slapping both of her hands over her stinging buttocks.

"That's your thank you, for being such an awesome ex." Osamu said.

"Well then...I hope to be an even better wife some day. See you later, Osa."

(Yoko as a wife? I mean...how would that go? Would I even survive such a marriage?)

After Yoko left, Izanami and Isabella helped themselves to her cooking. Izzy had to eat a smaller portion, since her illness was affecting her appetite. The three of them all ate together as they always did, and Isabella filled the house with her laughter and bubbly nature as always, disregarding the many troubles racing through her heart and mind.

The three made the best of that day in the house. Osamu handled the meals with Izanami's help, and saw to every one of Isabella's needs. When Yoko returned at sunset, she took off her shoes and saw that no one was in the kitchen or the living room. She could hear them talking upstairs, so she went up to her room and saw Izanami sitting on the bed. Osamu and Isabella were apparently in the bathroom.

"Yoko, you're back!" Izanami said, standing up from the bed with a worried expression.

"What's going on?" Yoko asked.

"Izzy started feeling sick a couple minutes ago. She said she felt nauseous and started vomiting. Osamu is trying to help her out." Izanami explained.

"I figured that would happen. Did she eat today?"

"Just a little bit."

"All right. Izanami, please go make her some tea. Sweeten it with honey and mix it with some echinacea and iron pills. Just crush them up and mix them in." Yoko instructed.

Izanami nodded and immediately rushed to handle the task. "All right!"

Yoko entered the bathroom as Izanami went downstairs to make the tea. Isabella sat on the bathroom floor, practically hugging the toilet as Osamu rubbed her back to soothe her. Isabella's sweat-drenched skin had gone as pale as rainclouds.

"Yoko!" Osamu cried.

"You did well today, Osamu. I'll take it from here." Yoko assured. "Isabella, how are you feeling? Still throwing up?"

"It stopped thankfully, but my stomach feels like it's split into eight pieces." Isabella groaned.

"All right. I delivered the letter, so we just have to wait for a reply. Also, I've got your pain killers for you. They said if you need anything else, to just let them know. I've also given them your bank account information so they could receive payment."

"Thanks, Yoko. You're a lifesaver."

Izanami came back with the tea as Yoko helped Isabella onto her feet, guiding her to the bed.

"I put in a full capsule of echinacea and half a tablet of iron." Izanami said.

"Perfect. This should help you feel a little better, Izzy." Yoko said. "Get some rest, all right? I'll leave the door open, so just shout if you need anything."

"Thanks, Yoko. I really appreciate it." Isabella said softly.

(She actually looked really peaceful sipping her tea in the covers. I hate to make you think this part of my life is nothing but depressing. I mean, maybe it is. But at the very least, over the course of the next week and a half, Tsukiakari and the Shoku Twins came to visit often. Considering Isabella's waning health, going out this summer was most likely out of the question. However, one morning, we got quite an important knock on our door...)

That morning, Osamu and Yoko answered the door together since they weren't expecting company. A man in his fifties with short brown hair and glasses stood before them, along with a woman in her forties with long blonde hair and green eyes. The man wore a standard business suit, and the woman wore a black, one-piece dress.

"Excuse me, my name is Howard Bailey. This is my wife, Crystal. We're Isabella's parents."

Her parents had come to see her, from the Land of the Free, to the Land of the Rising Sun.