I sat there in the police station, confirming what needed to be confirmed. It was taking a while, but I didn't really mind. It was nice to know that the hell I had been living was finally over, and someone was actually listening to me.

"Your identity has been confirmed, Mr. Akiyama," the officer told me as he sat down across from me. "I never thought that case would get solved. We have contacted your family, I hope that won't be a problem."

"Are they still alive?" I asked.

"Yeah, your parents have been encouraging us to continue on with investigating the case all these years."

I smiled a little to myself at the news that my family was still wanting me to come home. Unfortunately, at this point I've spent more of my life with Ryoba than I have with my own family. I frowned slightly at that thought, but it didn't detract from the excitement to see my parents again. It had been so long. I hadn't seen them since I was sixteen years old. It would be great to see them again… At least I hoped so. Part of me wondered if I was too far gone to be a part of their family anymore. It had been twenty nine years. My parents were old by now. It's not like I could just go home like everything was the way it was thirty years ago. Hell, I have a fifteen year old daughter now. Things would never be the same. Even if they had found me at seventeen, things would never be the same. Was I even worthy of the effort to try to get to know? I broke a very long time ago. I felt like a lost cause, but maybe not everyone would have the same opinion.

"Will they be coming here?" I asked.

"Yes, they said they would be here as soon as possible," The officer replied.

"Thank you."

It wasn't long before my parents arrived at the station. Having given the police my entire story, every scrap of evidence against Ryoba that existed, and some things Ayano told me about, I was allowed to just sit in the waiting room. I stared at my phone for a while, specifically at the last text I had gotten from Ayano. She had texted me from school to tell me that she was going to study at Midori's house. I would pick her up around dinner. I was glad she was getting the chance to act like a normal high schooler after everything. That's all I ever wanted for her. I wanted her to have a normal life. It's something I could never provide her with unfortunately. I did everything I could have though. Now all we can do is pick up the pieces and hope for the best.

"Soto?" I heard a voice asked. I looked up from my phone to see an elderly couple looking around the waiting room. I waited for them to come over, but then I remembered how my face had been altered. I stood up and slowly walked over to them. "Can we help you, Sir?"

"I am Soto Akiyama," I said quietly, unsure of whether I was even telling the truth at this point. I knew I was, but it felt so foreign to say my name. I had been 'Mr. Aishi' for so long, it felt surreal to say my real name. "Mom, Dad, do you remember me?" Their eyes widened as they exchanged glances. The elderly woman walked closer to me, staring in shock. "I'm sorry, I know I look different, it's a long story, but I'll expla-"

"Not right now, Soto," Mom said as she threw her arms around me. Dad walked over and did the same, pulling Mom and I close like he used to when I was a child. I felt tears start to cascade down my face as I hugged my parents after twenty nine years of separation. I had forgotten how much I missed them until this moment. I tried not to think of my family to avoid the pain for so long. Now it was all crashing down on me like a ton of bricks… I must've looked so childish for breaking down over my parents, but I honestly couldn't care anymore. I think part of me will forever be the stolen child.

"I'm sorry, I know it's been so long. I know I should've tried harder to let you know what had happened, I just didn't know how to do it without her finding out." I wiped my tears away once we had finally found the strength to let go of each other.

"We're just happy to see you alive. We thought we were searching for a corpse at this point," Dad said solemnly.

"I'm surprised I haven't died too," I admitted. "I assume you don't know the situation yet."

"No, all we were told was that the police had found you," Mom said.

"Can we go somewhere a little more private to talk about it? I think you deserve an explanation to why I wasn't home in time for dinner."

"We'll go home and you can tell us everything,"

It was a rather long ride home. I wasn't surprised; my parents hadn't moved from our old home in the countryside. We were still in the same town, but more towards the country side end of it. We finally rolled up to a nice sized house in a quiet neighborhood. Outside there were some children playing on the sidewalk, but their parents seemed to be keeping a watchful eye on them. My parents' house was an older one, but a nicely kept one. There were lots of trees and flowers around the house, giving it a tranquil and natural feel you can't get in the city. The large tree in the front yard had a treehouse in it, which reminded me of when I was young. My sister, brother, and I used to hang out in our own treehouse all the time when we were children, playing space invaders or pirates. My thoughts wandered to Aya and Ryu, who I hadn't seen in so long. Was Aya even still alive?

"Um… Mom, Dad, are Ryu and Aya alive?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, why do you phrase it like that?" Dad asked.

"Ryoba made it seem like Aya was dead."

"She's been paraplegic since she was thirteen, but she's alive. Ryu is perfectly fine. Both are married and have children now. Aya is a stay at home mom, her husband is a business man. Ryu is a surgeon and his wife is a nurse."

"Will I be able to see them soon?"

"We will invite them home to dinner tonight. It's been too long for us to wait a day longer to have our family back together," Mom said solemnly. I nodded in agreement and got out of the car once we got in the garage. I looked around, taking in the sight of home. Several bikes were propped up in the garage along with several boxes for storage. I followed my mom and dad inside. Things looked so different from how they were last time I was home… Of course, that's to be expected considering that it'd been nearly thirty years. I was relieved to see a few things hadn't changed like the kitchen table and the old radio in the living room. I took off my shoes and held them for a moment, simply standing in the mud room and staring out the hall into my old home. "Honey, set your shoes down and make yourself comfortable. I'll get you something to eat."

"Thanks, Mom," I replied and sat down at the table. Dad sat down at his usual spot after grabbed two beers from the fridge. He offered me one, which I figured I ought to accept. I normally don't like taking drinks from other people, but being worried about it seems irrational considering it's my parents. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Son." Dad nodded to me and took a sip from his can. I soon did the same, unsure of what to say or do.

"Um… I'll need to go pick up my daughter in an hour or two if that's alright. I can get a taxi if you don't want to use up the gas in the car."

"No, I'll go with you to pick her up," Dad insisted. "How many children do you have?"

"Just Ayano. She's fifteen. A few months ago she started high school at Akademi High."

"Ah, a smart child like her father. That makes us proud." Dad smiled a little as Mom handed us all bowls of beef fried rice she made. She joined us at the table and silently stared at me, as if she wanted to say something.

"Thank you for the food." I said before eating my lunch. We all ate in silence for a while before Mom finally broke the silence.

"Soto… What happened? Where have you been all this time?"

"I was in town all this time," I said simply. "Do you remember that girl on the news back in 89? Ryoba Aishi."

"A little bit." She nodded.

"She was guilty. All those people who were killed… She killed them all. She killed them because they were talking to me. That night I didn't come home, I met her for the first time. I was riding my bike home from school when I heard someone crying, but it was muffled. I was worried, so I got off my bike and looked around the corner, and… I don't remember what happened after that. My eyes started burning and I couldn't see, then everything went black. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in someone's basement, and this girl I didn't know was staring at me with this bizarre smile on her face. She told me that she was happy to see me awake because watching me sleep was getting boring. Six hours I think she said. I recognized her from the news as Ryoba Aishi. She held a knife to my throat and demanded I say her name, so I did. I told her I wouldn't tell anyone if she let me go, but she told me I wouldn't leave the chair until she was positive I'd never leave her… That all the people she killed was her quote on quote protecting me." I felt sicker and sicker the more I recounted the events the transpired the night I disappeared. I looked up from my food to see if my parents were listening. They were. They looked sick too. "Um…So that's basically day one out of twenty nine years… Should I stop talking?"

Mom shook her head, biting her lip with a frightened expression on her face, "Please tell us everything. We've been waiting to know where our son went and what happened to him for so long."

"Um… Ok. Ryoba kept me in her basement for a year… I only know it was a year because she told me. Sitting in the same chair, staring at the same four walls, never seeing the sun… It makes you lose track of time… Hell, lose your sanity too. Everything was at Ryoba's mercy. If I didn't give into her insanity, she'd deprive me of food and hygiene or beat me. Sometimes both. She barely fed me. She didn't want me to have the strength to fight her or run away. Her family knew I was there. Her mother was delighted that she had kidnapped me and would tell Ryoba how she would go about keeping me there. She rarely interfered though. Ryoba's father was mad at me. He blamed me for Ryoba's psychotic behavior, killing people, kidnapping me, all of that… After the year, Ryoba finally let me go upstairs, where I lived in her house for the next several years. Eventually she realized she couldn't hide me forever, so she called in a favor, had some kind of backstreet plastic surgeon change my face so I wouldn't be recognized. Anyone I saw for medical care if I was allowed to was someone Ryoba had to approve first. Someone who wouldn't be able to find out that I was Soto Akiyama," I explained. "My name and face were changed. I was sent to school under the alias of Hisato Aishi, Ryoba's cousin. I isolated myself because I knew Ryoba would kill anyone I got close to. I never told anyone who I was because I knew she would kill them and lock me up again. I somehow managed to graduate, and after that Ryoba made me marry her. My life was completely controlled by Ryoba, who was a violent, narcissistic, psychopathic, nymphomaniac who was obsessed with controlling me. I hated my life. I wanted to die more than anything else. I planned out my suicide and had everything set… Then Ayano was born. I remember holding my daughter for the first time and just thinking 'I can't leave her with this monster, I have to protect her' so I lived. I lived to raise and protect Ayano the best I could. I wasn't able to always protect her, and she's always had a lot of mental problems, but I've done everything I possibly could to provide for her. I only hope it was enough. I tried to escape several times, but they all failed until this last one… I ran away from our hotel in America. I got on the first plane back to Japan that I could, and I visited Ayano in the hospital. I went home and we were attack by some Yakuza members that Ryoba had pissed off. Ryoba was killed, but Ayano and I were alright. We managed to fend them off and get a hold of the police. Since then, everything has changed so quickly. Now I'm sitting at home for the first time in twenty nine years." Mom stood up and hugged me so tightly I thought I couldn't breathe. I hugged her back and pat her back. "It's ok, Mom, don't cry."

"I missed you so much, Soto!"

"I missed you too, Mom." I replied as I held onto her for dear life. I was home… It was all over now.