Chapter 3: Cruel Past

Twenty-three years ago…

The small village was a wreck. Dead bodies were scattered around. Houses were burning and ruined by bombs and bullets. The wind was cold as if the souls of the dead were riding it. It would be Christmas soon, but the scenery wouldn't let anybody feel it was true. Even the sky wept in solid snowflakes, sad that the peaceful, happy village had become a grim grave of the innocent.

"Do the colonel believe that there will be still living villagers here?" a Japanese soldier asked his partner in nippongo.

"Yes, Yamanami. You know that he dislikes this war, vehemently. By saving anyone that is still living, he thinks that his conscience will be allayed even a little," Kunochiro said. They walked towards a house and entered in. They found nothing but more dead bodies. "But you know, after that land assault, I doubt that there will be still living." They went out.

"Same as I am. C'mon. Let's just return to headquarters and report that we found no one that was lucky enough."

"Hey, don't be irresponsible. We should carry out our orders no matter what it is. Negligence won't do anything good."

"Yeah, yeah. Sometimes I really don't want to be with you, you know. You're a joy killer."

They didn't speak to each other for a while. They just concentrated in searching anybody that could be still breathing. After two hours, they found no one. Every house that there was only contained nothing but carcasses.

"That's it. We tried every house but we found nothing. What do you plan to do now?" Yamanami asked.

Kunochiro thought for a moment. "Yamanami, if you want to return now, you can go. I will search again."

"What? Hey, we tried searching every house and building in this village. We found no one. Don't try so hard, partner. You said it yourself; you doubted that there would be still living in here. What are you thinking, man?"

"I don't know why I feel weird." He shook his head. "No, I can't leave yet, Yamanami. I will search again. If I found no one in my second try, I promise I'll go back."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

"All right. You got your radio with you?"

"Yes."

"Just contact me if something happens, okay."

Kunochiro smiled at him. "Okay."

Yamanami left.

…

Kunochiro began his search again. After he found the same inside the first three houses he entered in, his doubt strengthen. But, when he got in the fourth house, a miracle happened.

He pushed the door open and peeked his head in. There was a dead body of an old man on the table, and corpses of a few young children scattered on the floor. After a minute, he decided to go in. He took a look inside the bathroom and the bedrooms, but he found no one.

Was Yamanami right? Am I just wasting my time here, he thought. He went back to the living room. Maybe. It is impossible to find someone still living, here. I think I am just fooling myself.

He looked around one more time, sad that he was only seeing lifeless bodies. Then he walked for the door. Suddenly, when he was about to turn the knob open, he heard a little voice coming from under the stairs. He turned around abruptly and ran fast towards the place. There he found a dead woman holding a child in her arms. The little baby boy, barely one year of age, smiled at him.

"I can't believe this," he mumbled. "I just thought that I was fooling myself." He took the child in his arms. "Is this how miracles work?"

…

Two months later…

"Kukri, eh. Very fit for a bastard like you!" Michiko, Kunochiro's wife, said to the bawling baby boy his husband had brought to their house a week after the Japanese troops had been let to go home. "I didn't understand why Kuchi brought you here, but, if he was thinking that I would accept an outsider to live with us, he was wrong. I knew it a long time ago that he has had another woman. I never told him anything because I love him. But to bring you here is just too much. Stop crying!" She spanked the baby's butt. "Stop crying, I said!" She spanked him again, but, being a baby who didn't understand anything yet, he cried louder. This made Michiko snap. She got a masking tape from her drawer and taped Kukri's mouth. Now only muffled cries was heard from the boy. "That's better. If I say you shut up, you shut up! I know that I can't have a baby but your father should have not brought you here as if I was nothing. He crushed my heart, you hear me! He crushed my heart!" At that, she began crying. "He crushed my heart," she said in a shaky voice. Then, as if drained of energy, she slumped down on the floor.

…

Two years later…

Michiko was eating her supper one evening in her small kitchen, when Kukri came out of his room. He had been locked inside, but somehow he had found a way to open the knob. He saw his known mother eating and, instantly, his young stomach growled. His eyes never left the small bowl his mother was holding with her left hand. Wanting to take a closer look, his feet automatically moved forward. Accidentally, he bumped the vase at his left. The vase broke when it hit the floor. Hearing this, Michiko immediately stood up.

"What the…" She glared at the skinny boy. Kukri's face suddenly became pale in fear. "How did you get out of your room?" She swiftly came closer to Kukri.

"Mama…mama," he said.

Michiko grasped his small arm as if she was planning on crushing it. "And you managed to break the vase, too."

"Mama…sorry…I'm hungry," he said, his eyes beginning to be overbrimmed with tears.

"Ah, so you're hungry. Bullshit! Your father hasn't given anything to me, yet. I don't even know if he is still alive. Ah, I know. I know where he is now. He is with his woman fucking happily. That's it! He has decided to leave you here with me. And because you're mine now, I can do anything to you." She dragged him to the door. "You broke my vase, you'll be sleeping outside." Kukri began to cry quietly. "Stop that sobbing, now!" She opened the door and immediately threw him outside. The boy crashed head first on the ground, wounding his head. "You stay there until tomorrow, hear me! Eat dirt if you're hungry!" She slammed the door close.

For a moment, Kukri stayed where he was, suppressing his tears that were about to flow out. Then he pushed himself up and began walking away from the house.

…

He was only three years and one month old, but, incredibly, his mind was like that of a five-year-old child. So, in his situation now, where he was hungry and out cold, he somewhat knew what should he do. He should find a shelter and food somewhere. Out of luck, after a few minutes of tireless walking, he found an old metal hand basin with left over food beside a dog's house. The dog seemed not interested with the food even though it looked like it had not been fed for days. He didn't hesitate anymore and went towards the doghouse.

The dog ignored him when he started to eat the food with his hands. His mother hadn't fed him for two days now. So, even though the smell and the taste of the food were somewhat disgusting, he didn't mind. All he thought of that time was to fill his hungry stomach.

Suddenly, a three-year-old girl got out from the house near the doghouse. It was a few meters away, so, at first, the girl didn't notice him. However, when a car passed by, which headlights struck at Kukri, she saw him. She immediately went to him.

"Hey, you should not be eating that," the little girl scolded. "It's spoiled."

Kukri looked at her, innocently, still munching a mouthful of the dog's food. Then he went back to get another handful from the hand basin.

"Stop that!" The girl held his arm. "You will get sick. Mama, this boy doesn't listen to me. He's eating the dog's food."

By his other hand, Kukri immediately grabbed some of the food and ate it. Then, without warning, he retrieved his arm and ran away.

…

Five months later…

"You don't want to listen, do you? Huh?" Michiko kicked Kukri away. The boy hit the sofa.

"Mama…I'm sorry," he said. "I won't do it again."

"Don't you mama me, you bastard! How dare you to eat my remaining sardines? Do you know how difficult it is now to have them?" She slapped the boy hard, sending him crashing to the corner table. "Now you have truly pissed me off. Today, I will correct the mistake I made of caring for you, believing that if you stay alive Kunochiro would come back"

"Mama…"

Michiko picked him up and began strangling him. "I should have done this a long time ago."

"Mama…"

"I should have killed you when your father brought you here in the first place. You should have died, you bastard! I will kill you!"

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Kunochiro, in full army battle gear, went in with his rifle in his hand. At first, he was excited to see his little family after a long time being away from them, but, when he witnessed Michiko trying to kill Kukri, his smile went away.

"Michiko…Michiko! What's the meaning of this?" he said indignantly.

Michiko recognized his voice and stopped for a second, but she went on strangling Kukri. "I'm just cleaning the house, Kuchi. Don't worry, this will be finished soon."

Kunochiro snapped. The shock he acquired in battle was still in his mind. Immediately, he dashed, and, with his rifle's bayonet, he stabbed his wife's neck. Kukri and Michiko's eyes gaped at each other for a while before the woman was sent to the floor. Not satisfied yet, in front of Kukri, Kunochiro stabbed the woman's body repeatedly. Blood gushed out from her body like water from a balloon. Eventually, Kunochiro stopped. He looked at Kukri with crazed eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kukri, but everything is all right, now," he said.

But, it was not. Unexpectedly, Kunochiro put the nuzzle of his rifle inside his mouth and pulled the trigger. The contents of his brain rained down in the living room.

Kukri didn't understand what was happening. He didn't know why his mother would kill him for eating. He didn't know why a man he didn't recognize would barge in and take the life of his mother. He didn't know why the man would kill himself after he had done that. But it's too late to think of the reasons. He was barely four years old to think of it anyway. Because of the gun's firing, their neighbors rushed inside their house, and all witnessed the bloody surrounding. If he was not to get out from there, he would be killed.

"So, Michiko said the truth. This child is really a demon."

"Yeah. We should have listened to her a long time ago and killed that shit. Now, we lost a good customer of our product."

"Come on. Let's kill him now before it's too late. If that boy grows, all of us will be killed."

The group of five women and a man slowly approached him. He was very scared now. Their faces were like of the beast he had seen one time in a magazine. They were drooling for blood.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened when his father pulled the trigger of the rifle. That's it! If he would pull the trigger to them, they would become dead as the two beside him. He tried to take the rifle from Kunochiro. It was heavy. He barely lifted it from the ground.

"Well, well, well, are you trying to use that against us," the skinny man said. "Could you even lift it?" He plunged forward to Kukri.

Out of fear, Kukri suddenly succeeded in lifting the rifle. The bayonet pierced the neck of the attacking man as a result. Impulsively, Kukri pulled the trigger, and, in an instant, he beheaded the man before him.

"Nago!" his wife screamed.

Kukri aimed at her and fired. Her head burst open. She fell dead on the floor. The three remaining women became frantic at that. They instantaneously raced for the door. But, Kukri was already into it. He would not let anybody live. The hate that he had been keeping in his heart for a long time surfaced at last. If the women would look at him, they could see it in his eyes. Three bullets came out from the nuzzle. Each of the women's head received one. They dropped dead on the floor. In an instant, he became the only one living in the room, and, around him, a pool of blood resonated the hate, confusion, and solitude in his eyes. He had not the slightest idea that in a matter of years, he would be a feared assassin known as Cold Knife.