A Stranger in My House

Chapter Two

Face Down

Takeru's eyes narrowed dangerously as he walked inside, pushing Hikari back into the apartment. She was so struck by fear she began to tremble as he looked curiously between her and the suitcase.

"Hello, darling." His voice was deep with venom, "What's all this, hm? Leaving? Going on a trip somewhere?"

Mutely she continued to back away as he stalked closer.

"Well Hikari? Aren't you going to open your mouth and explain this? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were leaving." His voice was terrifyingly low as he reached behind to shut the door. The click resounded in the room, filling her with bone crushing dread.

"I…I am leaving you, Takeru! This has to stop-" She was stricken, knowing the consequences would be harsh.

He stilled and then burst into loud laughter.

Loud, cold, hard laughter.

"Thank. God." In an instant he had her by the shoulders, pulling her so close that their noses touched. He kissed her brutally, his lips pressing against hers in a painful bruising embrace. The kiss was over before it even started and he backhanded her across the face.

Hikari let out a scream as she flew back, hitting the wall.

He moved over to her, kicking her in the side viciously. She immediately curled into a ball, trying to protect herself. The blonde leaned down, almost curious as he looked at her. "It's about time, Hikari. I have been suffering the burden of you for much too long. You've made your choice, so get out before I'm back or you will never ever be leaving."

His hand raised and it sent her turning violently, face down on the ground. The carpet pressed against her burning face, Hikari gasped in pain. She was barely aware of his exit but when the door swung shut felt the numbness take her. "Goodbye TK."

Mimi Kamiya moved around the house, lighting candles in anticipation of her husband's arrival from work. Taichi had been working long hours in his diplomatic position, and she had decided to make sure he was pampered tonight. As a dentist she had cut down her hours once they'd married in hopes of enjoying being a wife as well as to work on some of her baking hobby.

A painstakingly detailed dinner awaited him, along with a new babydoll lingerie beneath her robe. She wondered which he'd want first and giggled to herself.

The doorbell rang, taking her attention away from the candles. Putting down the lighter she moved curiously toward the door.

Peering through the peephole her eyes widened as she recognized her sister-in-law. "Hikari?" She swung the door open and recoiled in shock at the state of the bruised, crumpled girl.

"I need some help." Hikari sobbed and Mimi was so in shock she could only hold her arms open as the girl collapsed into them in tears.

Three years ago

"TK!" Mimi Kamiya giggled as the young man in question reached out and grabbed a few Christmas cookies from the tray she carried. She slapped his hand away, "Those are for everyone! Not just you!"

"Such a piggy!" Hikari teased from the corner where she was putting great effort in help Tai decorate the Christmas tree.

TK whirled toward her, eyes narrowing. "Piggy?"

Hikari nodded unsurely as he approached her. "Well then," He growled, "I guess that makes you Miss Piggy!" TK's laugh was merry as he caught her around the waist, kissing her gently.

"I love the title." Hikari returned, cooing up at him.

"Cut the sappiness!" Tai ordered, throwing a bunch of tinsel at them. "And no more kissing under my roof! Unless it's between Mimi and I, of course!" He grinned roguishly and winked at his wife.

Mimi flushed and laughed, putting the tray down on the table and picking up a sugar cookie for herself. "Oh relax, Tai! They're newlyweds, they're all about the kisses and making lov-"

"LALALALA! I can't hear you! What are you THINKING! Big brother here! Hello!" Taichi made a big show of stomping out of the room to answer the doorbell that had just rung, sending a wink toward his audience.

The three laughed. Mimi shook her head with a happy smile, "He is such a weirdo-" Her hip bumped the unbalanced tray on the table and it crashed to the ground, cookies and sugar tumbling everywhere.

"Oh no!"

Hikari let go of TK to help Mimi. Grasping a tumbled cookie, face down on the floor she pulled it up, it's former smiley face of icing now terribly smushed. "Aw, it looks as if it's crying with the icing all messed up like that-" She looked up at her husband, "How sad, poor cookie! It was so happy once and now it's all destroyed."

Mimi had dutifully cared for Hikari after her arrival. Hikari watched in numbness as Mimi blew out all the romantically lit candles. She felt guilty over interrupting her brother's night and felt the resounding ache of once again being a burden.

Taichi had returned home, tall and enraged. Mimi and Hikari had had to scream and beg for him to not attempt a murder or beating on Takeru. Mimi did it because she didn't want her husband in trouble, Hikari; because she didn't want Takeru hurt.

"I'm calling Yamato tonight. You are not going back there, Kari! I mean it!" Taichi had not managed to stop shouting since he had heard the entire story.

Mimi, noticing Hikari's tense posture at Taichi's temper, tried to calm him. "Tai, please. Hikari is upset as it is, please lower your voice."

"Lower my voice?! WHEN THAT-" He rounded on his wife, only to notice his sister's expression and with a sheepish expression that he did so well, nodded. "Yes…well…"

"I…I don't plan to go back." Hikari said, "At least I think I don't. I might need your help with that."

"Are you working now?" Mimi asked gently, patting her hand.

"Just substituting. Oh God, I'll have to call the schools and give them a new number to call me at." Hikari fretted.

"Now, now, that's not anything to worry about yet. But we must get you settled." Mimi looked to Tai for guidance.

The tall man glanced toward the two girls. "We will wait until Yamato is here to deal with getting all your things and organizing this whole mess. He'll hopefully be able to talk or at least, beat some sense into that bastard. I want you to keep a low profile, Kari, these type of psychos often try to follow the women and hurt them more. Don't do anything stupid like go outside without me or try and go there? We all know how you can be so blind when it comes to that little dick-"

Her brother's comments raised her hackles. "Tai! I'm not going to do anything stupid, ok? I get it, you hate him, he's insane, you think I'm a real idiot for being with him!"

Mimi looked stressed, "No, no, Tai doesn't mean that, Kari-"

"Kari, don't even start this crap with me! I didn't hate him always – he was like a brother to me! I hated what he did to you! Look at you! How could you not have seen it-"

Kari burst into tears and Mimi stood. "That's enough!" Her voice was loud and forceful and Kari briefly wondered if her brother would hit his wife for being so rude.

He didn't. Instead, he listened to her.

"Tai, stop it. You are upset and you are angry but Kari is taking that anger to think you are blaming her! You aren't! He isn't, Kari, he really isn't. None of this is your fault, but you have to be careful now. You made a great big step today and we are both so very proud of you."

"I'm sorry, Kari, it just breaks my heart." Taichi acquiesced gruffly.

"Now, let's get you some food and tomorrow I'll take you to the doctor."

That night, inside the beautifully furnished guest bedroom, Hikari sat upright in the darkness for a long time. It had been a long time since she had slept without a monster beside her and despite the relief she also missed him terribly.

The following days were a blur. Mimi had taken Hikari to the doctor and the police where she had blankly let them photograph her injuries and take statements from her. The bruises on her body slowly faded but the bruises on her heart continued to grow. Despite everything, she felt hurt that Takeru hadn't tried to contact or find her – he really had thought of her as a burden, then. He was relieved. And she was alone.

Yamato arrived five days after she did and had been horrified to see her state. The empathy faded however when he heard Taichi's plans.

"Do not tell me you plan to press charges on my brother, Tai! What the hell, you want to ruin his life?" Yamato's face was red as he shouted and Hikari was drawn to a likeness of her husband at his worst.

"Yes I want to ruin his life! Look what he did to my sister, Yama! You cannot think to defend him! Your brother has gone insane and he deserves to pay for what he has done!"

"Hikari, is this what you want? To send TK to prison?!" Yamato rounded on her and Hikari immediately cowered, seeing only the familiar facial structure, blue eyes and tall figure. He started, surprised at her reaction.

Mimi was at her side in a moment. "Yama, look at her! Look at what has happened to her!"

Yamato's handsome face was pained as he turned quickly, looking down at the ground. "Let me speak to him first, please."

Trembling in Mimi's embrace, Hikari managed to speak. "I don't want him to go to jail." She sobbed, "It wasn't his fault, it was mine. I was such a burden to him and he had to work so hard…and your mother fought with him because of me when she died and I just ruined everything for him…"

Yamato was speechless.

Tai looked as if he wanted to kill something.

"Hikari, you were not a burden." Mimi said softly, "When you marry someone you promise to love them in sickness and in health, no matter what. It is TK's failing that he did not cherish you like he swore to, not yours."

Now Yamato was approaching, a gentle look on his face. "He argued with our mother because he didn't agree with what she had said about, Hikari. You were not a burden to him. TK took his own guilt and shortcomings and blamed you afterward, it seems. That's not right. It was his fault. As his brother I'm telling you that is the truth."

He turned to Taichi, "I thought maybe he was too young to have known at the time, but this was the reason my parents split up. I see it did make an impression on him afterall."

The admission shocked Hikari. "What?"

Yamato looked back at her, "My parents split because my father had a temper that he took out on Mom. It happened only a few times, but even once is one time too many."

It was the truth, Hikari saw that in the eyes of everyone. One time was too many.

If only she had left after that first time.

If only he had never even done it that first time.

That night after everyone had slept, Hikari went over what she had learned. TK had never explained the reason for his parent's divorce and suddenly she felt a wave of sadness and kinship with her mother-in-law. She thought of her husband and the need to talk to him, to hear his voice overwhelmed her and before she could stop herself she had dialed their number.

"Hello?" The voice barked sleepily into her ear and she was silent in horror. His voice brought back all the fear, the misery. What had she been thinking? Her fingers trembled, too scared to even hang up.

Takeru fumbled with the phone and she knew immediately he was checking the caller ID.

"…Hikari." He said flatly and she slammed the phone down on the receiver, tears flooding her eyes.

The next morning Tai and Yamato had decided to take a run together. Mimi was still asleep so when a knock came on the door, Hikari put down her breakfast and looked through the peephole.

There, lingering on the step was her husband.

To be Continued….

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