A/N: Bwuahaha…shortness. O.o;; Oh well…. How'd I come up with this, you ask? Well, I think I've been watching a few too many of those Lifetime movies .o Lifetime, television for women! YEAH! FEMENINE POWER! Randomness power n.n;; Anywho, read, enjoy, then review!
Chapter One: I promised not to tell
"Itsuki," the red-haired woman said in a gentle voice, kneeling on the floor.
"Yes, Mommy?" The eldest of the two children stepped forward.
"I'm going out to run some errands. You take care of your brother, okay? Daddy will be home soon." She kissed her daughter gently on the forehead and stood up, then took a step to her son and kissed him quickly on the tip of his freckled nose. "Be good."
"Bye, Mommy." The two siblings watched as their mother shut the door to the apartment, locking it behind her. Itsuki hopped off to her bedroom with Sento quickly following her. The two played there for a short time until they heard the familiar click of the front door and the booming footsteps of their father. Itsuki became worried suddenly. She glanced at Sento, whose bottom lip was beginning to quiver. Thinking quickly, she jumped up onto the bed and pulled her brother up after her. She hushed him.
"Pretend to be asleep." Itsuki whispered hoarsely. Sento obliged and shut his eyes, curling up on his side. The blonde girl closed her own eyes, desperately trying to not cry with fear.
"Itsuki! Sento!" A man's voice boomed throughout the apartment. Itsuki trembled. She wanted to break down and cry and feel her mother's reassuring arms around her. The door slammed against the wall with a bang. "Damnit, get up!" their father boomed. Itsuki made to look as though she was waking up. She rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. She shook Sento gently, and he sat up. "There's a mess in the kitchen. Go clean it up." Itsuki watched as her little brother nodded slowly and hurried off to the kitchen. Sliding off the bed, she began to make her way to the kitchen as well. But, her father stopped her with a firm grip on the shoulder. She froze, not daring to look up into his eyes. He smelled of booze; it was a scent that was all-too-familiar for nine-year-old Itsuki. She was led back into the room by her father's strong hand. The door creaked as he shut it behind him. The lock clicked. Hot tears began rolling over Itsuki's cheeks. This wasn't the first time Daddy had done this to her. She hated it. Her father threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone about what he had done. Bruises covered her legs and arms. There were recent bruises on her forearms from where her father had pinned her down. She had squirmed and wriggled, desperately trying to escape his grasp. She felt alone. No one had been violated like she had been. At least, that's what she believed…otherwise, why would Daddy tell her not to tell anyone? None if it really made much sense to her. Now was no different. He picked her up and set her on the bed, sitting down beside her. He pinned her to the bed, clenching her arms. Itsuki let out a small whimper as her father's lips were pressed against her own. There wasn't a thing she could do to fight her father.
Taichi and his son, Itchitaka, sat sprawled on the sofa, talking over the recent game. Itchitaka grinned, still in his dirty uniform, as he recounted the wonderful goal he had made, jumping and bouncing as he spoke. Taichi smiled inwardly. There was no doubt that his genes were dominant; Itchitaka not only looked like him, but he acted like him as well, so full of energy and life. The phone rang, then, and Taichi jumped up to answer it.
"Hello, Yagami residence."
"Hey, Taichi! I was wondering if you could watch Itsuki and Sento."
"Sure. Bring 'em over whenever you'd like. I'm free for the rest of the day."
"Great! Thanks a bunch!" Itchitaka craned his neck to look at his father as he hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Mrs. Ishida. She's bringing her kids over in a little bit, so go get cleaned up before they arrive." Itchitaka nodded and hurried off to his bedroom. Taichi flopped back down onto the sofa with a sigh. His eyes wandered out the window as he thought of his high school days. He had had a crush on his best female friend back then. The world seemed to stop when she began dating his other best friend. The irony shattered his heart. For weeks, he sulked alone, but put on a happy face around other people, especially Sora. But, he had grown out of his silly crush, or at least he convinced himself that, and moved on. He went on to college, majoring in politics, and met a nice, but shy, girl there. Her name was Sachiko. A few years later, they married. She bore Taichi a son, Itchitaka, three years after the marriage. Sachiko had worked as a pediatrician. There was a radiation leak at a plant not too far away from her clinic, and help was needed. Sachiko had been one of many who suffered from the radiation sickness, and died a few weeks after infection. Taichi and Itchitaka were mortified. Shortly afterwards, the house was sold and the pair found an apartment close to Odaiba. It was just the right size for Taichi and Itchitaka. A sharp knock at the front door cut through his thoughts. 'Reminiscing of the old times, eh, Taichi?' he teased himself as he made his way to the front door. Turning the knob, he opened the door and greeted his long-time friend. "Hi, Sora. Come on in. Can I get ya anything?" Sora shook her head and smiled as her two children made their way into the apartment.
"No, thank you. I'd love to, but I really need to be going. And thanks for watching Itsuki and Sento again." Taichi grinned and waved a hand, dismissing the gratitude.
"It's nothing. Besides, it's great for Itchitaka to have other kids around his age after…well, you know." He brought his voice to a low whisper. "After his mother passed." Sora nodded slowly. "Anyway, do you want me to drive 'em home?"
"Oh, no, that's alright. I'll be over around three to pick them up." She smiled and waved slightly. "Bye, Taichi." Taichi waved and said his goodbye, closing the door behind him. He walked back to the living room where he saw his son and the two Ishida children sitting on the couch and watching television.
"Alright, you kids hungry? We've got plenty to eat." Itchitaka and Sento nodded vigorously. Yet, Itsuki did not. She sat there, eyes wide, staring into space. Her face was pale. She held her sleeves tightly. "Itsuki? How about you?" She sat there, containing her trembles. Her head slowly moved back and forth. "Okay…. If you want anything, you just let me know, alright?" Itsuki bit her lower lip. She did want something! She longed for Daddy to stop doing what he did her. It made her feel alone and scared and confused. Taichi frowned a bit, then went to the kitchen to pull out a box of crackers from the cabinet. "Aren't you hot in that sweatshirt, Itsuki?" She shook her head quickly. Taichi frowned a bit, then shrugged. It was pretty warm in his place, though…. He set some crackers on two paper plates and handed them to the boys. "Hold on, guys. I gotta make a quick call." He hurried into his own bedroom and grabbed the phone, punching the numbers that identified his sister's home. The phone on the other end rang a few times before it was answered.
"Hi," Taichi said with a voice that all adults use with little children. "This is Uncle Taichi. Is Mommy there?" There was a tiny "yesth" before Hikari's voice was heard. "Kari, I need to ask you something. Okay, you're a teacher." He paused.
"Yes, Einstein, I'm a teacher."
"And do you know how kids act if they're being abused?"
Taichi leaned against the coffee table in front of Itsuki.
"Itchitaka, Sento, I need you guys to go in the other room for a little bit. You can go play video games or something." The two boys began to slide off the couch.
"No!" Itsuki cried. She began to weep, frightened. Taichi sighed. Itchitaka and Sento froze, looking at each other with wondering expression.
"Okay, they can stay." Itsuki sat there on the sofa, head buried in her arms that were wrapped around her drawn-up knees.
"Itsuki, I need you to tell me the truth, okay?" Itsuki remained silent. "Do Mommy or Daddy ever touch you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable?" The nine-year-old looked up with red eyes. Slowly, she nodded. "Is it Mommy or Daddy?" She stared at Taichi with frightened eyes. "If you tell, I promise you won't be hurt ever again."
"It's…Daddy." Taichi sighed. Great, his best friend was abusive.
"And does Daddy hurt you?" Itsuki nodded and pulled up the sleeves to her sweatshirt, revealing her bruises.
"He touches me in other places, too," she said shamefacedly.
"Okay, point out where he touches you." The blonde lightly touched her chest, then moved her hand down her stomach. She stared sheepishly at the ground. "Itsuki, you shouldn't be ashamed. It's not your fault. Let me call your mother."
"No, please don't! Daddy said that…he said that he'd kill me if I told anyone!" Taichi shook his head sadly.
"That's a lie, Itsuki. It's good that you told me. He can't hurt you or touch you in a way that you don't like anymore."
A/N: Yeah yeah, I know it's so short, but that seemed like the best place to cut off. There'll probably be lots of upcoming chapters since I tripped on my comforter while walking across my bed, wearing flip-flops, last Friday and took a header. Ended up spraining one ankle and breaking the other. So, since I can't swim or run or do any of the things I'd like to be doing, I'm left inside to let my brain rot from cabin fever. Sounds wonderful, ne? Please review, they mean so much to me .o;