Chapter 14

By 8 o'clock the following morning, everyone was back in the lounge, fully awake and alert, ready to hear the rest of the account. Tea was passed around once more, along with a few biscuits. Masako frowned as a familiar sensation took over her. Warmth spread from her stomach up to her chest and arms, right up to her fingertips, and down her legs, to her toes. A fog enveloped her mind for a small second, before clearing again. She knew what this meant.

'Someone is here with us, in this room.'

Her statement cause a few heads to turn, and Aiko looked scared to death. At the side of the room, sitting on a plush rug opposite the sofa, Yakumo looked around. He couldn't see anyone. Frowning, he wondered what game the woman was playing.

'Never mind, it doesn't feel too threatening.'

Aiko visibly relaxed at Masako's statement, and wasted no time in picking up her account from where she left off. They were all finally going to find out exactly why this mansion was haunted.

人

Hisashi had already signed a lease on a small apartment near his parents' place. Unbeknown to Emi, he had gambled on the chance that she would agree to elope with him, and made the necessary arrangements to make this possible. Normally, Emi hated things to be planned for her in advance without her knowledge or consent, but had Hisashi not done so, they would essentially be homeless. They intended on moving countries altogether, but once settled, the unexpected happened. Emi fell pregnant. It was not without a tremendous amount of joy and some fear that they told the Haruhis. Overwhelmed, the soon to be grandparents helped out as much as they could, both financially and emotionally. Hisashi worked at the University within the language department and earned enough to support them, but his parents felt it necessary to dote upon them.

Emi missed her mother, there was no denying that. Many a time had she put on her coat, resolved to go back to the mansion and make everything right, if only for her mother's sake. The fact that she hadn't even said goodbye, or hugged her for what she now realised might very well have been the last time haunted her very dreams. She wasn't sure if it was because of the pregnancy, but she kept thinking back to the times her mother had been there for her, taken care of her and supported her. Gentle and quiet, it was hard to believe that Manami was married to Emi's father. Though a marriage of convenience, Emi had always firmly believed in her parents' love for one another. Looking back, she wasn't so sure. Her mother's character was so refined and calm that her father had completely taken over the relationship. With his heavy presence and need to control everything, it was easy to see how. Although overall Emi had not had anywhere near as much time with her parents as she would have liked, she had definitely been closer to Manami than to her father. Still, she was more than convinced to have made the right decision. And now, she was going to be a mother. Often, she would look around their apartment's small living room come dining area and imagine a little child running about, delighted with the world. The thought had more than once brought her to tears. Admittedly a small part of her regretted the fact that this child would only have one set of grandparents, but they had so much love to give that he or she would not lack in affection. As the months rolled by, she had the pleasure of experiencing the effects of pregnancy. Nausea, tiredness, and most of all, cravings. Those were the hardest things to deal with, because they would come out of nowhere, and if she did not satisfy them, her entire day would be ruined. One day, sometime in the fourth month of her pregnancy, she absolutely had to have crackers. And not just any old crackers, but a very specific brand. Just the thought of them brought saliva rushing into her mouth. There was no logical, rational reason behind it. She just had to have them. And so, at six in the afternoon, Hisashi was forced to visit various shops to find the particular pack of crackers which Emi required. He didn't even mind much. Every day he remembered how close he came to losing her, and this made life feel better than he ever hoped it could be.

Locking his car, he briskly walked towards the supermarket. Heading straight for the relevant aisle, he fervently hoped he would find what Emi wanted. It wasn't the first time she sent him on a quest to find a specific sort of edible snack. In fact, it was happening so often lately that he had become somewhat of an expert when it came to locating stores and products. Relieved at the sight of the red and green packaging of the crackers, he smiled and briskly grabbed a couple of packs for good measure, before heading towards the till. Thankfully, not many people were out shopping today, which meant that he was out of the store in record time. Scarcely had he left the building that he felt himself being yanked forcefully to the side, his shopping bag sent flying. He tried to shake off the vicious grip, but to no avail.

'Finally have the balls to leave your hole, rat?'

Hisashi's eyes widened as he looked up at his interlocutor. Though he had never met Emi's father in person, he had seen enough pictures in the press to recognise him now. Kenta Hideyoshi. One of the wealthiest men in Japan.

'Hmm? You can steal my daughter away from me, but can't answer a simple question?'

Still gripping Hisashi's arm, the burly man advanced his face towards Hisashi's until it was merely inches away. He said nothing for a while, simply staring down the young man, a devilish sneer on his face.

'So, where is she?'

His tone menacing, Hisashi knew that until he answered, Emi's father would not leave. Still, he refused to give the man what he wanted. His stubborn silence soon enraged Kenta, whose vein began throbbing ominously. Hisashi looked at it, pulsing away on the man's temple, almost like a ticking bomb. After a few minutes of solid silence, Kenta sighed rubbing his forehead, and said;

'Look, you can play the hero all you want. Honour and bravery, I imagine those are the kind of values your deadbeat parents taught you, alongside not shitting yourself and eating with chopsticks. But listen to me, boy. I'm a man you do not want to cross. I will not let you go until you give me what I want, and the longer you take, the thinner my patience is stretched. Do you want to know what happens when I run out of patience?'

Before Hisashi had time to react to anything that was said, he felt his stomach explode. Kenta had bunched up his fist and delivered a well-placed punch square in his stomach. His breath cut off for what seemed to be a few interminable seconds, Hisashi sputtered and fell to the ground. A wave of nausea overcame him, but he held it all in, wanting to cling onto what little dignity he had left at this point. He wanted to lash out and crash his own fist into Kenta's face, but his common sense and survival instinct let him know better. There was a reason for the fact that Emi and himself had remained hidden away for this long. Emi had told him many, many, many chilling tales about her father's outbursts of anger and violence. What he needed to do was make sure he got out of this situation alive. Hisashi didn't want to beg, but he wasn't sure how to proceed either.

'Please, Mr Hideyoshi…'

The latter did not wait for the end of the sentence. Picking up Hisashi by the collar of his jacket, he pulled him up to his feet unceremoniously, before shoving him backwards roughly. Refusing to be treated like a rag doll, the young man grabbed Kenta's wrist and pulled it away from his jacket. This gesture did not please him. Eyes alight with anger, he boomed;

'Who are you to-'

'She's pregnant!'

The words came out before he had a chance to swallow them safely away. Horrified, he could only stand still, watching Kenta's expression change from one of anger to…excitement.

'What? Pregnant? How far along?'

He only gave Hisashi a second to reply before rapidly closing the space between them, grabbing him by the shoulders.

'How far along?!'

Hisashi thought fast. The cat was already out of the bag, and it seemed as though the news had had a positive effect on Emi's father. Maybe there was a way to leave behind all the paranoia and even patch things up with her family. It was a very optimistic assessment of the situation, and he was fully aware of that. Nevertheless, the slow but earnest smile creeping up on the older man's face encouraged him to go on.

'…Four months.'

This brought on even more joy to the increasingly relaxed Kenta. With a now broad smile on his face, he landed a light but decisive slap on Hisashi's back, by way of congratulations.

'Well done my boy.'

The older man picked up the bag of crackers and handed it to him. Confused, the soon to be father took it from him, smiling uncertainly. There was such a contrast between the man who was standing before him now, and the one who had been threatening him just a few minutes before. Was the news of a grandchild so wonderful that he would choose to put everything that had happened in the past? Surely not? But then, Emi had often told him how volatile and unpredictable her father was. Scratching his head, he wondered what his love would make of it all.

The next three months saw the young couple move into the charming cottage situated on the Hideyoshi Estate. In the end, Kenta had managed to find out their address, and had sent gift after gift, cards and flowers, begging for forgiveness. Never having witnessed this sort of behaviour from her father before, Emi was shocked. She let a month or so go by before deciding to visit her family. Though this resolve had made Hisashi more nervous than he cared to admit, he could not stop her from doing so. What followed this was so wonderful that it bordered on the unbelievable. Not only did Emi's father take every possible course of action to make amends, but he took on all financial responsibility. Hisashi had resisted this at first, not comfortable with the idea, but he was soon convinced. Not having to work meant being able to pursue his education, something which he had dreamed of doing, though he had been too mindful of Emi's feelings to tell her so. Kenta even insisted for the couple to get married. It was clear that he didn't want the family name to be tarnished, but he made sure to accommodate the couple's wishes as much as possible. A quiet ceremony with only family there was all that was needed. Hisashi and Emi did not wish to shout their love from the rooftops. They were happy simply living their lives in peace, surrounded by their loved ones. The simplicity was what they most savoured, after having had to live in fear and anxiety, it certainly was a welcome change. The months passed, Emi's pregnancy ended with no complications, and little Aiko was born. With her mother's big brown eyes, her father's smile and her paternal grandmother's dark blonde hair, Aiko was a sweet thing to behold. Everyone on the estate coveted her and she grew up without a care in the world, completely unaware of the conflict which had existed between her parents and maternal grandparents. Then, on Aiko's fourth birthday, their world was turned upside down, and everything changed, forever.