Digimon: Death of Akume

Chapter 8: A Secret Revealed

Sokkia walked in the front door of her house, dreading what was to come.

"I'm home." Sokkia said timidly as she headed straight for her room, hoping to avoid her father. She was hungry, but not so hungry that she was willing to be beaten before she could reach the food. Her father stepped out from the living room, drunk as a rat. He looked at her with anger in his eyes.

"Where were you?" He asked her angrily.

"I, I spent the night with the dogs." She lied, hoping her father hadn't checked the dog house while she had been gone. She sometimes slept with her two dogs to avoid her father's temper and beatings.

"What about the night before that?" He asked, his speech slurred from the alcohol.

"Same place." She replied, cringing.

"Don't lie to me, girl. You weren't in the doghouse ether of those nights." Her father said as he raised a fist above his head to hit her. He brought the fist down and into her stomach. She doubled over in pain.

"Please, stop!" Sokkia begged, but her father began kicking her. He didn't seem to care that her mother was watching. Sokkia knew her mother would do nothing. Her mother was just as frightened of that man as she was. Her father soon was bored and went back to the living room to have another beer. Sokkia's mother rushed up to Sokkia and helped her up. Sokkia limped to the kitchen to get some food, then she took the food to her room and didn't come out until early the next morning. When she finally did come out, she went to the bathroom to get ready for school, then she left for school, not saying a word to anyone.

***

It was lunch hour and Sokkia went outside for lunch. She sat under a blooming cherry tree with beautiful blossoms. She had been their for only a few minuets when Tai and the rest of the Digidestined that were in high school sat down with her. Mimi had already flown back to New York.

"Hi, Sokkia. How's it going?" Matt asked her.

"Okay, I guess, for my home life anyway." Sokkia replied. It really had been a rather mild beating and the limp had already gone away.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tai asked her.

"Nothing." Sokkia quickly replied. Just then, Sora dropped a book on Sokkia's leg by accident. Sokkia was wearing a long uniform skirt to hide the bruises. Sokkia cried out in pain. The book had hit a bruise.

"Sorry! Are you okay, Sokkia?" Sora asked quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sokkia replied, holding her leg and wincing. "I just have a little bruise there."

"It doesn't sound very little to me." Joe said to her. "Let me take a look." Sokkia pulled her skirt up to where the worst bruise was, the one Sora had hit, it was just above the knee. Joe gasped. There were bruises all up and down her legs. "Sokkia, who has been doing this to you?" Joe asked her as the rest of the Digidestined gasped when they saw what had happened to her.

"No one, I'm just clumsy, that's all." Sokkia replied quickly.

"Sokkia, I know you're not that clumsy. Someone's been beating you. Now tell me who it was." Joe demanded sternly, yet with care in his voice.

"M, my father." Sokkia replied quietly, ashamed of her father. Joe nodded his head.

"We should call the police." Joe replied.

"No, please don't. He's got good friends in high places and when he gets out of jail, he'll come and kill me. I know he will. He almost did once. He choked me till I passed out. The only reason I survived was because he thought I was dead when I passed out." Sokkia replied, begging them not to do anything about her father.

"He tried to kill you?" Izzy asked. "This guy is really bad news. You need to get out of their, and fast." He said to her.

"I've tried, but no one I know is willing to stand up to him without the police getting involved." Sokkia said. "My father is a very big man, and it's all muscle."

"What's his first name?" Tai asked.

"Bradley. Bradley Tachikawa." Sokkia replied.

"Him? Wasn't he arrested for beating his wife once?" Tai asked.

"Yes, his first wife. My mother is his second. His first wife was murdered. They never found out who did it, but I can tell you it was him. He probably did it because she was the one who had him arrested." Sokkia replied. "That's why I don't want the cops involved, he's a cold blooded murderer."

"Do you think you would be able to stay over at our houses?" Tai asked.

"I could get my mom to let me, but I might not be able to if my dad doesn't buy my story about why. He probably will though." Sokkia replied.

"Good, because the more you stay away from there, the less opportunities he has to hurt you." Tai replied. After that day and for the next month, Sokkia was staying at one of their houses 6 out of 7 days a week. During that time, Sokkia became very close to Sora and Kari. They were like sisters to her. She also got very close to Joe, she was beginning to fall for him even though she didn't know it yet.

***

It had been a month since the talk under the cherry tree, and Sora was going up to River Canyon with a friend and some other people. It was then that the next tragedy struck.