Part Six: Secret No Longer

Chapter Eleven: Broken bones

It was eerily quiet in the small waiting area outside the hospital room that had been found for Kari. One after another the three Kamiya's, brother, mother and father had gathered. Tai had been the first to arrive, shepherded there by a nurse after they had taken his sister away. His mother had been next. She'd been in the ambulance with him, taken away to be treated for shock once they had arrived, then escorted to a seat beside him. Lastly, his father had made it there after having been caught in traffic while following the ambulance. So far, he had been the only one to say anything, having asked if there was any news, only to be told no.

Tai sat with a stoic expression on his face, which hid the fact that internally he was in turmoil. Kari meant everything to him, but there was not a thing he could do to help her. Not only that, but he was the one responsible for putting the idea of jumping the balcony into her head. Fate could be a cruel mistress. Had he not done so all those months ago, he might never have found out about the feelings Kari had for him, thus discovered those he had for her in return. And none of this might ever have happened. Yet by the same virtue, having done so might lead to… No, he could not think like that. Kari was strong. She was going to be alright.

"Mr and Mrs Kamiya,"

Tai's head snapped around when he heard the voice of the female doctor who had just appeared in the corridor. As one, he and his parents rose from their chairs and swarmed the woman. "How's Kari?" they all asked in unison.

"She suffered a small fracture to her skull, which we've repaired and I don't think there will be any lasting damage. However, we've sent her for a head MRI, just to be on the safe side. My bigger concern is the length of time she was lying out in the cold and the rain. Given her history, it is likely that her immune system will have been compromised and I am worried that might lead to her picking up some sort of infection. In that respect, I would like to keep her here for a few days, just to be on the safe side."

They all let out a collective sigh of relief upon hearing that Kari's condition was not life-threatening. Unfortunately, the doctor was about to add a horrible twist to the tale.

"There is one other thing that I think you should know," the woman said in a grim tone that caused all three Kamiya's to focus their attention on her once more.

"What's wrong?" Yuuko said before anyone else managed to utter a word. She could feel the fear from earlier slowly starting to build again and she struggled to contain it.

"When we examined Kari, we found that she had bled extensively in her groin. However, while she might have a minor fracture in her pelvis, we could find no source for the blood… to cut a long story short, we believe that she was pregnant and has miscarried."

Tai's jaw hit the floor upon hearing the doctor's words. Kari had been pregnant… and miscarried… Staggering backwards, he somehow found his way back to his chair and sat down. He couldn't believe it… didn't want to believe it… they had been careful and used protection… yet he knew it to be true. The nausea and vomiting she'd had last week had not been the result of a stomach bug, it had been morning sickness. Kari had been pregnant with his child… and now she had miscarried.

Yuuko did not see her son back away, she had eyes only for the doctor. "What?" she asked in disbelief. While she had heard the woman's words, her brain refused to process them. Kari could not have been…

"We believe that Kari was pregnant and has miscarried," the doctor reiterated. "I'm so sorry," she then added.

Susumu instinctively put an arm around his wife's shoulders as she clapped her hands over her mouth and burst into tears. It was a horrible thing to have happened to Kari… and he might be equally as horrible for thinking that it may have been for the best. Only the thought lingered in his brain nonetheless. Not only was his daughter only sixteen, but the child had been conceived of incest. Nothing good could have come from her carrying it to term. And it only further highlighted the reasons why his children needed to be separated. He looked at the doctor and said firmly, "under no circumstances are you to tell Kari that she was pregnant and miscarried."

"…As she is a minor, the decision of what medical information is shared with her resides with you. However, are you sure that is for the best?"

"Very," Susumu replied. "Kari is not to find out."

The doctor nodded her head, "very well. I'll make sure your wishes are conveyed to the staff that know about it. I'll notify you when Kari is back from her MRI, then you can go and see her."

With that, the doctor left.

As her husband guided Yuuko back to the chairs, her eyes fell upon her son. And the parallels between now and ten years ago proved to be too much for her to cope with. Only this time, while Kari may have been in less danger, the situation was a whole lot worse. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she screamed at him, shaking her way out of Susumu's grip.

Robotically, Tai turned his head and looked up at his mother. Through the contortions of anger and rage, the pain and anguish could be seen upon her tear-stained face; just like when he had been eight. And like back then, her harsh words were spot on. It was all his fault. Kari had fallen pregnant because of him… jumped the balcony in an attempt to get to him… and all because he'd given her the idea all those months ago. Lips trembling and eyes stinging with the threat of tears, Tai opened his mouth and mumbled, "I'm sorry…"

No matter what her son said, it would have been wrong. But to hear him utter an apology like that, sent Yuuko over the edge. In a flash, her hand shot out and slapped Tai across his right cheek; the same spot she'd hit ten years ago and on three occasions since, all because of events involving Kari. "YOU'RE SORRY!" she yelled, her features almost manic now. "BECAUSE OF YOU, YOUR SISTER IS LYING IN A HOSPITAL BED WITH A FRACTURED SKULL AND PELVIS AFTER HAVING MISCARRIED!"

Tai had seen the blow coming, expected it almost, but done nothing to try and stop it. He deserved it. As his cheek began to burn, he listened to his mother's words of damnation and his eyes found his battered old trainers. Kari had been hurt because of him…

Yuuko felt her husband wrap his arms around her and try to pull her away. She struggled against him but knew he would have his way sooner or later. However, she had one last thing to yell at her son. One final truth she needed to hammer home. "KARI WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU IN HER LIFE! I SHOULD HAVE PACKED YOU OFF TO A BOARDING SCHOOL TEN YEARS AGO!"

With great difficulty, Susumu finally managed to drag his wife away from their son. He hated seeing her like this and knew he would have his work cut out for him with both mother and daughter after the dust finally settled over this whole affair. Clutching Yuuko close to his chest, he felt her dissolve into tears. At that moment, he made up his mind. He would leave his wife at the hospital with Kari, take Tai home himself and tell him what was going to happen. As cold and heartless as it might be, the sooner he dealt with Tai, the better it would be for everyone and the sooner they could all start to move on. It was that simple.

##

Tai could not really recall what had happened at the hospital after his mother had slapped him. At some point, the female doctor had returned, said something to his parents, who'd gotten up to follow her. He'd stayed put. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that Kari had returned from her MRI, but he could not bring himself to face her. His mom had been right, his sister would have been better off without him in her life. Some time after this, his father had returned and escorted him through the hospital and to the car. He'd offered no resistance.

As they made their way through the semi-quiet Odaiba streets, Tai sat in the passenger seat and stared out of the window at the passing streetlamps. Light… just like Kari… except even if you added them all together, it would still not be enough to match her brightness. A brightness that had almost been snuffed out twice because of him. He was bad for her…

"We're home," his father then said stiffly, before climbing out of the car.

Like he was a puppet on strings, Tai followed his father out of the car, through the undercroft to the stairs and up to the apartment. Inside his father turned on the lights to illuminate the quiet main living area; the place felt sterile, devoid of life. Without any thought, he changed his shoes and trudged off towards the hallway.

"Sit," his father commanded as Tai passed the dining table.

He turned to see the firm expression on the man's face and knew it was not an invitation. Pulling out the nearest chair, he sat and watched his father go into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. What was he about to get dictated to him now, Tai wondered? He'd already been barred from seeing Kari, was he about to be confined to his bedroom or worse?

His father placed two mugs of coffee on the table but did not immediately sit down. However, Tai's gaze did not bother to follow him. Instead, he simply stared at the steam that rose from the mug in front of him.

His father then sat down. "Tai, first and foremost, I need you to know that the decision I have made in regards to the current situation, has not been influenced by tonight's events. However, they serve to illustrate perfectly why I've had to make this difficult choice."

Tai raised his eyes to look at his father, a slightly stunned expression on his face. Whatever the man was about to say, he knew he would not like it; that was a given. However, the fact that in only forty-eight hours, his dad had made what sounded like a serious decision on the matter, caught him off guard and shocked him slightly. Only this paled in comparison to what happened next.

His father handed him an envelope that had already been opened. "Read it," he said firmly.

Tai slid the single sheet of paper out of the envelope, unfolded it and read, "Dear Mr Kamiya, we are writing to inform you of the result of your National Center Test for University Admission. Your result is as follows…" The paper fell from his hands when he read the figure. "…seventy-eight percent…" he breathed, unable to comprehend the fact that he'd scored that high. "I scored seventy-eight percent…"

"Congratulations," his father said in a bittersweet tone.

It should have been one of the most joyous moments of his life, yet Tai felt absolutely nothing at having found out his test result. The events of the past forty-eight hours had left him feeling completely numb. He looked up at his dad. "You already knew," he said flatly.

"It arrived yesterday," his father replied. "Tai, you have such a promising future ahead of you. You'll be able to play soccer and study at the best university in the country. In fact, if you put in the effort, there may even be a chance of you getting signed by a professional team. That's why you need to go to Kyoto."

Tai's eyes narrowed. Back in the car, he had been prepared to keep himself away from his sister, on account of what his mother had said. However, now, faced the prospect of being nearly five-hundred-kilometres away from her, he could not bear the idea of separating himself from her. Whatever his flaws were, whatever he did that was bad for her, he would strive to rid himself of them. He locked gazes with his father. "I can do all that here in Tokyo," he stated defiantly.

His father's gaze did not waver. "But you won't," the man replied. "You are going to go to Kyoto, start a new life and not return to Odaiba, is that understood?"

"No," Tai said firmly. "I'm going to stay here in Tokyo and get a place of my own. If needs be, Kari can move in with me."

"That's not going to happen, Tai. You're not going to see your sister again."

"Who's going to stop me?"

"The law," his father said, completely unphased.

"What?" Tai asked in confusion, slightly surprised by what his father had just said.

"Kari's a minor, Tai, bellow the age of consent and you slept with her. Your mother and I both bore witness to that."

"No she's not," he said with a shake of his head. Although the certainty with which his father spoke had given him cause for concern. "The legal age of consent is only thirteen."

"You're right, the national age of consent in this country is thirteen." A dark smile formed on his father's lips. "But virtually every province has its own local law regarding the age of consent. And in Tokyo, it's eighteen, which Kari is not."

A lump formed in Tai's throat on hearing this. Even if he had known this, it probably would not have stopped him sleeping with his sister, however, a feeling of dread now washed over him. Surely his father wouldn't…

"Incest might not be illegal in this country, but sleeping with a minor is." A cold, hard look formed on his father's face, like nothing he had never seen before. "I didn't want to go down this route, Tai, but you seem to be leaving me no choice. Now, either you take this opportunity of a fantastic life and career in Kyoto and swear that you will never come back to Odaiba or I call the police and have you charged with corruption of a minor."

There was a moment of silence as Tai absorbed what his father had just said. He couldn't quite believe that his own dad would actually report him to the police. Only the man was not finished hammering home his point. "You'll be remanded in police custody, as neither your mother nor I will pay your bail, until such time as your trial comes around. Even if you plead guilty, you'll probably still go to jail for a short term. You'll lose your scholarships and any chance of playing professional football. Not to mention that you will have a criminal record that will hamper you for the rest of your life."

"You bastard!" Tai yelled as he slammed his fists on the table, his entire body shaking with rage. He could not believe that his father would stoop to this level to ensure that his relationship with Kari ended. He took in a ragged breath through gritted teeth as his brain frantically weighed up these two nuclear options. On the one hand, he could have a fantastic life at the expense of his relationship with Kari, or on the other, he could ruin his career before it had even begun in an attempt to stay in Tokyo to be with his sister. It was almost an impossible choice. But in the end, only one of them had the thing he wanted most.

Unfortunately, as if he had been reading Tai's mind, his father then played his final card face-up on the table. "In case you're mulling over whether or not all that is worth it so you can try and continue this depraved relationship with your sister, if you choose that course of action, Kari goes to a secure boarding school for the next three years. In short, you both lose… are you willing to ruin her life as well as your own?"

Tai met the stone-cold eyes of his father and found absolutely no pity or remorse. He had to hand it to the man, he'd mapped out the situation perfectly and known exactly what his son's priorities would be. After everything that had happened tonight, there was only one choice he could make. While he had no issues with sacrificing his own life for the sake of his sister, he could not ruin hers in the process. "Fine," he whispered in the most downbeat manner he had ever used, "you win. I'll go to Kyoto."

"I'm glad to hear it," his father replied, his voice noticeably softening. "However, there are a few other conditions."

Tai simply stared at the man. What now?

"You'll be getting a new cell phone and sim card, along with a new laptop. Your old email account along with any you use for instant messaging will also be deleted. The same will also apply to your sister. If I suspect that you are in any way communicating with Kari, I'll contact the police. Do you understand?"

He nodded glumly. It seemed his father had thought of everything.

"I've already started making preparations for you to move to Kyoto as soon as possible. I hope to have everything in place by the start of next week. Until then, you are to stay at home and if your sister is discharged from hospital before you leave, you will stay in your bedroom. Understood?"

Tai nodded again. This was all happening so fast that his brain did not have the capacity to form words. In just over a week, he would be leaving Odaiba, the only home he had ever known… for good. And, if his father had his way, he would not see Kari for a very long time, if ever. Maybe it had been a foolish notion to even dream that he could sustain a long-term relationship with his sister, let alone think they could actually do it. Eventually, after a period of silence of unknown length, he finally said, "can I go to bed?"

"I think that might be a good idea," his father replied, "it's been a long night for everyone."

Without saying another word, Tai headed towards the hallway. He was just about to pass the door to Kari's room, when his father called out, "I'm sorry things have to be this way, but it is for the best. You'll have a good life in Kyoto and if you keep working hard, have a successful career in whatever field you choose." His father paused for a moment before adding, "and despite what's happened, I'm still proud of you."

Tai said nothing as he turned his head and walked the rest of the way down the hallway. Entering his bedroom, he closed the door behind him and felt infuriated when it did not click shut; the wood panel he had broken earlier that evening no longer there to allow it to do so. Throwing himself down on his bed his eyes met with the TV screen and the game over screen that it displayed. He could not have seen anything more apt if he had channel surfed all night. Despite what he or his sister wished, it seemed that the love they shared had come to a permanent end this time.