A/N: I suppose Satoshi's backstory is based more around the games than the anime, but I got all my info about the show from wikipedia, so if anything important is wrong, than I apologize.

Since the Watanagashi Festival was still a few days away, Jiro Tomitake decided to check out the forests surrounding the village to look for anything worthy to photograph. As he hopped over a fallen tree, he pondered to himself, 'Damn...maybe I should have asked Takano to come with me. She knows this area much better than I do...'

Rays of light pierced through the open spaces between the leaves of the trees, giving the forest a very peaceful and solitary feeling. The soil was nice and firm, and the lovely sound of birds twittering filled the air. Even if he was lost, Tomitake was a little glad he got to witness such beautiful nature.

'Now I really wish I asked Takano to come along,' he thought, 'I bet she would have liked being out here, in the fresh air...with me...and no one else...and I could give her that ring I bought for her...gah! What am I thinking? Damn, I need to focus on my work!'

Tomitake had only gotten a bit further when something caught his attention.

Not too far away, standing & looking over a stream, was a lone human being. His/her face was hidden under the shadows created by the hood he/she wore. 'Hmm...who could this be? Maybe...a criminal?' Tomitake wondered as he slowly prepared his camera and shifted forward. Unfortunately, his sneak-up was ruined when he mistakenly stepped on a twig and snapped it, catching the mysterious figure's attention.

However, instead of running away or pulling out a weapon or something, the hooded person just fell to his knees, twitching in pain. Even though he was a bit far away, Tomitake noticed something red dripping out from the person's chest and onto the forest ground...it was blood.

"Whoa! Hey, you, are you okay?" Tomitake called out as he ran over. Suddenly, the figure stood up and held out his blood-covered hands.

"Uh...it's just ketchup." replied the voice of a young man from underneath the hood. Looking down, Tomitake noticed a ketchup-smeared hamburger lying on the floor, its taste and edibility now ruined.

'He was just eating something? Why didn't I notice it earlier? Jeez...I made him drop his lunch!'

Tomitake helped the man pick up the hamburger's spoiled contents while continually apologizing for scaring him. Chuckling, the man replied, "No, no, it's okay, really. I accidentally dropped it; you don't need to apologize so much..."

The man then raised his hands and pulled back his hood, revealing his face; he had short blond hair, a boyish face structure, and large red-purple(?) eyes.

Tomitake blinked a few times and thought, 'Hmm...another pretty boy, just like the rest of 'em! Dammit!'

"My name is Satoshi," replied the man with a grin, "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." The two men shook hands and then Tomitake took the opportunity to introduce himself as well.

"You're a photographer, huh?" Satoshi said, pointing at Tomitake's camera, "Do you live here at the village?"

Tomitake shook his head. "No, I don't. I do come here alot though to take pictures because of all the beautiful scenery..." Tomitake had to make sure to pick his words carefully, because he wasn't supposed to tell anyone his REAL reasons for being at Hinamizawa.

"I hear ya. I always loved coming to this forest as a kid." Satoshi said with a nod, "I used to live here, but not anymore. I do come by every now and a while to check up on a few people I was forced to leave behind..."

"Really...?" Tomitake asked, his curiosity slowly growing.

Satoshi took a seat on a large rock formation nearby and sighed deeply. He seemed to suddenly give off the feeling of an old, withered man who had suffered much loss in his life. Sitting next to him, Tomitake waited for Satoshi to speak.

The blonde boy seemed to be smirking to himself as he eventually muttered, "I've kept so many secrets to myself for so long...I can tell you if you're willing to listen...but promise you won't tell anyone, understand? Don't tell a single soul..."

Tomitake agreed to this and watched Satoshi intensely; all his attention was focused on the younger man's words.

Taking a deep breath, Satoshi began to explain:

"You see, I lived in Hinamizawa up until a while ago. My parents died in an accident and me and my little sister were taken in by our aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, they weren't above beating me and my sister to near death to force us to behave. I tried to fight back, I tried to be strong, I wanted to be brave for my sister...I wanted to protect her. Unfortunately, things really started to fall apart during the Watanagashi Festival. My aunt was beaten to death and I just couldn't take it anymore. I ran away and left Sato-...my sister behind. I feel so incredibly guilty about it sometimes, and I don't think I can face her again. Just walking around there makes my old wound ache. That's why I only sneak into the village to check up on her and one other person..."

"...Who's this other person?" Tomitake asked.

"A girl who claimed she was in love with me. She's a nice girl, and she was a good friend of mine during our childhood. She was the last person I met with before I left the village, and I asked her to watch over my sister for me. She's another one of the reasons that made me feel guilty for leaving in the first place; I could tell she truly cared about me. I just hope she didn't take it too hard..."

Wiping his eyes, Satoshi stared up at the sky as he said, "Man...if only I could really see the beautiful vibrant colors that surrounded me..."

Tomitake was a little confused by the boy's last statement, but he decided not to ask him about it. Checking his wrist watch, the photographer cried out and exclaimed, "Oh crap! I lost track of time and now it's almost 4 p.m.! I was going to take Takano out for dinner tonight!"

"It's okay. You can go. Thank you for listening to my laments...Tomitake-san." Satoshi said with a wave. Tomitake bowed to him and ran off, but soon realized he forgot to say a proper good-bye to the sophisticated young lad. Turning around, he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he saw that Satoshi was gone.

'Huh? He ran off already? Damn, he's one fast kid...'

Shrugging to himself, Tomitake headed back to the village, Satoshi's words still ringing in his mind...

"I wonder who his sister and that girl are? Maybe I can get a chance to speak with them! But...Satoshi begged me not to tell. I may seem like some paparazzi punk, but I always keep my word. I guess this mystery is one that's going to have to remain unanswered..."