Chapter 1
On the Run
"Run! You have got to run!"
That voice again. My mother's voice. Who is she shouting to? Who is it that she is so desperately trying to protect? Who is that? It's me..! It is me she is trying to protect! This is impossible! So is this a dream? The same dream that I have been having for a long time now. Yes…a dream.
Where am I? What is this place? Wait, could this be the same forest? The big castle-like structure in the background… could that be where I escaped from? It has to be! There is no other structure in sight for miles, no matter in what direction I look at.
It's so cold outside and it's so dark. Why am I here? What am I running from and why am I doing it? I'm all alone and I am completely lost. On my own again, without anyone to help me out in the dark.
"You won't escape from me! No matter where you go… remember that!"
No! It can't be! This can't be happening! Not here… not now! Not after everything that I have been through already! I have lost everyone I care about…isn't that enough for you? Well father?!
"Hikari! Don't worry my child! I will protect you! Just don't forget the choker Hikari... and remember that you are never alone."
A dream? I was dreaming. That's all it was. A dream … or rather an incident that only feels like a dream now. That night. I shuddered as I thought about that night so long ago. Back when I was just 5 years of age. Back then, it was just me, my mother, my father, and Mizu. Things quickly changed though. I remember everything clearly about my past. There has never been a single day where I don't remember those I have lost. After all, they are the reason I am still here. This reoccurring dream... no that's not quite right. This recurring nightmare is just further proof that it all really happened.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the horrible abuse that began when I turned 5. According to my father, 5 was the special age that it was all supposed to start by. The night I turned 5 my whole life was flipped upside down. That was the first night the abuse began. To be more specific, that was the first night the sexual abuse began.
You know… it's funny. You never think about things like this occurring at the hands of the ones you love the most. You are always thought to watch out for strangers wearing trench coats… perhaps hiding behind trees. No one ever warns you that stuff like this can occur at the hands of the ones who have sworn to protect you. I still have a hard time believing that it really occurred.
I specifically remember this one particular night. The night that me, Mizu, and my mother resolved to escape. It wasn't very easy. I suppose I should start at the beginning.