VIII - Shock
Hot.
That word was the only thing that would occupy his mind; everything else had been driven out long ago. And by that, he meant everything – things like school, work, friends, and the piano would have to take a back seat. Heck, even sleep was proving to be an uphill battle.
He was in desperate need of a vacation.
But it was still in the middle of June, a month away from summer break. Not that vacation would improve matters – he would be going back home to stay with his mother for a week, and the rest of the vacation would be spent working full-time. That was the tentative plan – there would be no trip to the mountains, where they could fish, go on hikes, and the play test of courage game at night; nor a trip to the hot springs, where they could go shopping and sightseeing during the day, and wind down by soaking in the hot water; nor a trip to the beach, where they could enjoy the sun and the water, and check out those swimsuits –
Now he was just torturing himself. He wasn't asking for the whole month off, or even a week. Just a couple of weekends would have been nice, thank you. But it looked as though even that was going to be denied him Sure, there was always room for negotiation, but when he thought about the sacrifices that would be required…
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Look at the twins, for example. They had gotten permission to go on an outing just last weekend, and they had even missed school on Monday. They should have been back by now, though they would have to hurry to make it to school on time, since there was only five minutes left –
A commotion?
Since he was the class representative, it was duty to check it out. That's what he told himself, anyway. The noise was coming from the principal's office, and he could hear the shouts of an older man. And several other voices he recognized. Shuusuke. Shuri. And the Principal. Finally, the door swung open, just in time for the twins' father to deliver his parting shot – before running off.
Shuusuke and Shuri soon emerged from the office, along with… Asami? What was going on here?
It looked like everyone's lips were sealed – what was said inside the office must have been classified information. But that didn't stop rumors from flying:
Rumor #1:
"I heard they tried to run away from home."
"With a father like that? Who can blame them?"
Rumor #2:
"Didn't you know? Shuri was caught doing drugs."
"Again? You'd think she'd know better by now."
Rumor #3:
"I heard someone saw them coming out of a love hotel."
"You mean – like Koi Kaze?"
Alas, it was the last rumor that picked up the most steam. And during morning break, some practical joker decided to run with it, as he (she?) used the chalkboard to draw an umbrella with Shuu and Shuri's names under it. This was getting ridiculous; this was real life after all, not some manga – such things simply didn't happen.
Still, Shuu was his friend and it was his duty to look out for him. So he went up to erase the board, when –
"Who drew this?"
Too late.
"I'm asking, who drew this? Come here right now!"
Of course, no one came up.
"If you don't come here, I'll hunt you down and beat you up!"
Shuri started to cry.
"That's it. I won't let anyone hurt my sister! I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life!"
Things got a little crazy after that. Shuu overturned a desk and started throwing chairs around; Shuri wouldn't stop crying; and Sana tried to stop Shuu from doing further damage – only to be thrown to the ground. Ugh. Sure, whoever wrote it was being really mean, but this was a bit much. And their art teacher must have felt the same way, as he sent the twins home without hesitation.
* * *
It was time for an emergency family meeting.
The news was starting to spread like wildfire. The rumors were running rampant. And in time, everyone would get hurt – and all they could do was to limit the damage.
Not that anyone saw it that way.
Yelling. Raw emotions, flying about. Pain. Frustration. Desperation. Wounded, and in desperate need of healing. Yet, all they could do was to point fingers. Refuse to accept responsibility. And in the meantime, things would only get uglier.
"How could you do this to me? This will be all over the place by tomorrow. This is how you repay me? After all your mother and I have done?"
"You call that person our mother? How can you say that? Our real mother was nothing like that gold digger – "
A hard slap – and Shuri never even got to finish the sentence.
"That's enough! How dare you treat your mother like that! At least she didn't go around chasing men like your first mother – "
"Oh, really? How about all those guys she's seeing? Do you really think she's just going out for drinks? Who knows what's happening after that – "
Another slap. This time, a push from Shuu – in Shuri's defense. Then a punch from Wakatsuki-san – and Shuu fell to the ground.
"And you! You were supposed to be at Haramihama, not Sakakino! I let you go to visit your mother's grave, not to go on some – tryst! What were you doing over there?"
"We did visit her grave! We just stopped by on our way home – "
"You were supposed to be home by Sunday night, not Monday afternoon!"
"That's because the trains weren't running!"
"And the buses were; what's your next excuse?"
This was going nowhere fast – and it would only get worse before the day was over.
* * *
Revenge.
It would be sweet, to hit him where it hurt the most. And it wasn't hard to figure out where his weak spot was – after all, didn't he talk about it every single day? Wasn't he spending all of his time and money on it? Surely, that was where his heart was, as well.
"For the good of the community?" Just a nice campaign slogan. More like, "for the good of my bank account". In the meantime, he would wreck anything, anyone, that got in his way.
Well, it was about time for a little opposition. There were two choices on the ballot, after all – shouldn't people at least hear from both sides before making a decision?
So slogans were formed. Pamphlets were prepared. Posters were drawn. They would have to start small – it was just her and Shuu for now; perhaps they could recruit some of their friends. And if they could make their way to downtown Sakuranomori, and start swaying a few people to their side, they might have a chance –
Ah, a roadblock.
Not from Nanaka; she was quick to volunteer, and urged Sana to do the same. But Sana was more than a little reluctant. And Asami was decidedly neutral. And none of her other friends seemed willing to help. So it would be just the three of them; still, they could cover a lot of ground, as long as they hit a few key areas –
A dead end.
Caught, on the very first day. The campaign was over. And it looked like it would stay that way, if her father had any say in it.
* * *
"Save Nature Park? Protect Downtown Sakuranomori? What is this, Shuri?"
"I'm just telling the truth!"
"What truth? Tearing down Nature Park just to build a shopping mall? What kind of lies are you telling everyone?"
"This spot was mom's favorite place! And now it's being bulldozed and made into a parking lot."
"The spot you're talking about is the reason the park closed down in the first place! And demolishing Downtown Sakuranomori? What kind of nonsense is this? I've had enough!"
"And I've had enough, too! It wasn't like this when mom was still alive. But ever since you brought that tramp home – "
"That's it – get out! Get out of the house! Apologize to her right now, if you don't want to get kicked out!"
"Why should I apologize? She'll probably go off somewhere and get drunk after all this!"
An attempted slap that never got there – as Shuu came to her defense and knocked their father to the ground.
"You too, Shuu! I'm not done with you – shape up, or get out of my face!"
In the meantime, the stepmother tiptoed away – was this her cue to make a run for it?
* * *
"Sounds rough, Saeko."
Truer words were never said.
"I'm sure things will get better after the election – just hold on until then."
Only if things were that simple.
"Maybe your husband is under a lot of pressure? The word around the bank is that this is an all-or-nothing deal for him. But everyone thinks the bond measure will pass – so I wouldn't worry too much."
"Oh, him, I'm not worried about. But, those kids – "
"I know, I know. So I take it that Shuri's used up all of her lifelines?"
Just hearing that name made her crave for another drink.
"You really shouldn't, Saeko."
He really was a good friend – though it could get irritating at times. He had this rule that one should stop after the first drink, and she could never get him to bend on that one. He did order a small salad, however; not that munching on lettuce would do much for her nerves.
"So, do you think this will be the time Shuri finally gets the boot?"
"I don't know. He's threatened her too many times to count. But let's put it this way: I won't be too sad to see her go."
"Maybe there's a way?"
She was listening.
"Isn't Shuri – a great tennis player? Made the nationals two years in a row; not too many second-years have done that. I'm sure there are a lot of schools who would love to have her on their team. Maybe, a prestigious boarding school, some place far, far away…"
She liked where this was going.
"That's a good one, Masaru. I hope I can get my husband to agree – that would solve two problems. It would get Shuri out of here, and away from Shuu – "
"Ah, they have a bad relationship?"
"You better believe it. I don't know what's worse – the fighting or the making up. Do they think I'm dumb? That I wouldn't figure out what was going on, just because I didn't see or hear them do it? I do the laundry and take out the trash, you know."
A blink – this conversation was starting to take a dangerous turn.
"Are you all right, Saeko? Let's go, I'll take you home."
"Come on, Masaru. It's still early."
A sigh – if Saeko wasn't more careful, she really was going to get into trouble one of these days.
"No, we're going, Saeko. There're a few things I wanted to talk to your husband about, anyway. There's a big meeting coming up next week."
* * *
Punishment?
Was that what he was supposed to call it? Transferring to one of the top high schools in the country. The academics were top-notch, and the tennis teams were coached by former pros. A far cry from Sakuranomori High – most people would kill to trade places with her.
Of course, Nanaka didn't see it that way.
Honestly, he was getting tired of this. Any time he had an opinion that happened to be different from Nanaka's, she declared it to be a threat to their relationship – doubly so if Asami agreed with him. And what had Asami done wrong, anyway? She thought this was a great opportunity for Shuri, and tried to be encouraging – and frankly, Sana agreed with her. Punishment was being used for slave labor and having all your weekends and vacations taken away. And being at the mercy of teachers who seemed to relish in seeing their students suffer. Or being subjected to the Chinese water torture on a daily basis, at (almost) exactly 9:00PM. Or having anything that was even remotely entertaining snatched away, in the name of upholding the "Oribe family rule". Not this. Not something that would be cause for celebration for most normal human beings.
But it was always like this. It didn't matter what he said, or what he did. It was as if he was stuck under an avalanche of debt that he could never dig himself out of – especially with Nanaka adding to the pile at every opportunity. Sure, there were occasional moments of respite, and even flashes of exhilaration, but they would soon fade away… and a face, once filled with brightness, would be replaced by a cold glare…
This one, thankfully, was not directed at him – it was reserved for her other favorite victim, Asami. And something told him that this was not going to go too well.
"What did you tell the principal?"
"I can't say."
"We're your friends. And Shuri is your friend, too. And she's in trouble. Isn't there something you can do?"
"I don't know."
"You have to know something. Sana saw you come out of the Principal's office. You told him something, didn't you?"
"I did what I had to do."
"You had to? Don't you know what Shuri's going through? She couldn't stop crying while we were on the phone. And I would've had her come over, except her dad locked her up in her room. And her dad has threatened to take her to the police. Do you have any idea what's going on?"
"I told him the truth."
"The truth? Shuri's life is falling apart, and that's all you can say? And Shuu's not doing much better. Weren't they supposed to be your friends? They're being torn to pieces, and that's all you can say?"
"All I did was tell him what I saw. I wouldn't lie, Yatsushiro-san. Even if they're my friends. I wouldn't lie because they're my friends."
"Oh, be that way. But look at where truth – or whatever you call it – got you. Just wait. One of these days, the truth will slap you in the face, and no one will be there to help you."
This was going from bad to worse – he had to do something to stop it.
* * *
This was his idea. With a bit of an assist from Aoi – who agreed to take on extra duties on Saturday.
Sure, maybe he could've picked something that had a higher batting average. But it was one of the few things that all three of them had done together, and maybe things would go better this time.
So it was off to the retirement home once again, this time minus the twins – who were presumably under house arrest, at least according to Nanaka. And their absence was felt from the beginning. The bus trip was eerily silent, the mood was somber at the retirement home, and as for Grandma Kaji – she seemed to have suffered the worst fate of them all. Her cat had recently disappeared, completing the trifecta – along with her bird and her granddaughter. She had been found sleepwalking on at least a couple of occasions, and was suffering from bouts of depression.
Thankfully, Sana and Asami had the perfect antidote prepared – a couple of soothing pieces would do the trick. And frankly, they needed it as much as she did. The usual pressures at home and school, the hot weather, and now this incident with the twins and Nanaka breathing down their necks – they could really use a change of pace. So much had changed since the spring. A time filled with hope and anticipation, and the festival that would surely be a sign of things to come…
It was so easy to get lost in Asami's playing. Her bright and melodious sound, her crisp tone, and her consistent rhythm – and the piece itself was a wonder, Massenet's Meditation from Thais. To be followed by another slow, moving piece – Bach's Air Suite No. 3 in D Major. And that marked the end of their performance. A fitting conclusion – but would it be enough? Grandma Kaji seemed peaceful and content, so they decided to leave her alone for a little while. They were about to leave the room, when Grandma Kaji asked Asami to stay and talk for a moment.
So Sana stepped out to grant them a little privacy.
"Hoshino-san… that was beautiful. Thank you."
"You should thank Hidaka-san, as well."
"It reminds me of the times when my granddaughter would come and play for me. She was so enthusiastic about playing the violin. She would play all the pieces she learned. And she could pick things up by ear, too. Songs she heard on the radio. TV shows. Video games. She was so talented, and everyone thought she was going to be really great some day. But…"
She choked up, and Asami put a hand on her shoulder for comfort.
"Sometimes, I just wish she would come back. But I know that's not possible. That's why I love hearing you play – it's the closest thing I can have. Somewhere, out there, I know that she's still playing, still watching over all the neighborhood kids… right, Asami?"
Asami smiled in response.
"Just one more thing – could you show me your violin?"
Asami seemed a bit wary, and kept a good hold on the instrument – and held out a hand to indicate that the instrument was to be seen, but not touched. She was about to face Grandma Kaji, oblivious to the flash of cold metal that came out of her sleeve…
A quick upward thrust. Then, a slow, circular motion. In response, an attempted gasp – but no sound would escape her lips.
*THUD*
The violin fell harmlessly on the bed. Grandma Kaji stood, staring down at her target.
Stroke.
"I prayed every day that the evil spirit would be destroyed, but it would not be answered. I prayed to the evil spirit to have mercy on the poor child, but he wouldn't answer me."
Stroke.
"The spirit finally spoke. And he asked for sacrifices. First, the bird. Then the cat. But it wasn't enough."
Stroke.
"He wanted something of equal value in exchange. That's why it had to be you."
Stroke.
"Do you hear me, Motoko? Please come."
The door opened.
And the figure soon sank.
Stroke.
It hadn't been Motoko, after all. So she would have to continue.
Str –
"Motoko?"
She was met by a savage kick to the head.
* * *
Red. An endless sea of red. Why was there so much? Why was there so much…
"Otouto-kun!"
She had been crying.
So it was another trip to the hospital. And this time, it was family only – as Aoi and his aunt were present. His mother was also on the way – this attack had been more serious than the previous one.
A recurrence. That's what the doctor had said. And this one might require a longer stay – he had seizures while he was unconscious, and they could potentially prove life-threatening if things got any worse. And the terms of his release. While they would release him as soon as it was feasible, that wouldn't end his time at the hospital. Checkups. Prescriptions. Therapy. Counseling. All of these things would be necessary – for how long, no one knew.
Serious news, but this couldn't be the whole story. Hadn't something happened? He remembered, he had gone to the retirement home with Nanaka and Asami. Then, he had played a couple of duets with Asami. And afterwards, he had seen something shocking, something that sent him here, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it –
His aunt spoke.
"Nanaka is at the police station right now. She saved you, Sana. If she hadn't intervened, things could have gone very badly for you."
"And Asami?"
"Asami – was killed. She was pronounced dead at the scene."
* * *
He would play.
Maybe he was a bit short on practice. And he definitely wasn't as good as the piano teacher, who was originally slated to be the accompanist. But it was the least he could do. For the lost opportunities. Wasted potential. And in memory of their final performance…
Asami's violin teacher had come from the next town over. He would play two solos – at the start and the end of the service. And he would also be participating in the hymns, though the choir would take the lead for those. Sana's job was to accompany both solos and play along during the hymns.
Somehow, his fingers would lead the way – even as his mind was slowly losing grip. Why? How? What could I have done to prevent this? Deep inside, he knew these were silly questions. And his mother had confirmed them to be so, in person. When it came down to it, he wasn't the one locked up in an asylum with a permanent injury.
But it was still difficult. Painful. And he wasn't alone in this. Asami's family. Her classmates. Nanaka, holding Asami's violin case – a gift for her act of heroism and valiant efforts to save Asami's life. Members of her church – dozens of them, including Hinako and her parents. His own family. And even a glimpse of Wakatsuki-san and his wife, though they were buried somewhere in the crowd. The twins must have been somewhere nearby.
A eulogy.
"For most people who knew Asami, she was one of the gentlest, kindest people they had known. Always with a smile on her face. Willing to help out, not only at the retirement home and her church, but whenever she saw a person in need. Thoughtful and considerate. And a high achiever; at school and with her violin. A true angel from heaven – is what some people would say."
"But those closest to Asami knew there was another side to her. A true angel, indeed – but very different from the person most people knew. Let's not forget that true angels, as revealed in the Holy Word, are very different from the picture most people have of angels. They were not peaceful, gentle winged creatures in the sky that played the harp all day and had halos over their heads. No. Sometimes they appeared as ordinary men, and other times revealing God's glory – but their mission was the same. They were battlers. They fought wars. And they struck fear into people's hearts – and their mission was always to lead people towards God, and to demonstrate God's glory."
"Just ask the children at Sunday School. They will say that she could be nice and gentle – but also mean and scary, when necessary. And very, very strict at times. But in the end, little by little, they would discover joy in worshipping the Lord. Ask her family. They weren't always liked, but they were always loved. And while others might resort to sweet words, she always demonstrated her love through her actions, to the very end."
An end that came much too soon. Her life, and her service. A gap that would not be filled any time soon, a wound that would not close…
All he had now was the piano. It was the only thing keeping him going; everything else was slowly becoming blurrier… but as long as the service continued, he would continue to tap out the notes. Until the end…
And the end would come, and the piano would no longer emit any sound. And perhaps, for a long time. For there was no longer anyone to accompany, or to be accompanied by. It would have to stand alone, or not at all…
* * *
Pain.
Doubly so, for the pair that was boarding the train. Sadness at their friend's death, and remorse for not being at her funeral. But it was now or never; they would not get another chance.
Regret?
Would this lead to freedom, or to their doom? Yet they had to take the chance. If they didn't, doom was guaranteed – they had gone too far, and there was no way out.
"Shuu, are you sure about this?"
"What else we can do? You're going to be transferred. Then you'll be left all alone. And when they find out…"
Tears. Just enough to make her eyes moist – the stream would come later.
"But – there's something that isn't right. It's not right. I hope there was another way…"
"But there isn't. And it's too late now. What are you going to do? We can't undo what we've already done. And even if we could – can you really say that you regret it? Weren't you just following your heart? Please, Shuri, don't leave me now. From now on, let's always be together…"
Her face changed color – was it motion sickness? Or something else?
"Weren't you the one who was always protecting me from bullies? Picking me up when I fell down? Encouraging me when I was sad? Please, give me a chance to pay you back. This time, I'll be the one pulling your hand. Let's go far away, where no one can reach us. And from now on, I'll take care of you, and will always be with you…"
She clutched her stomach – and rushed to the nearest restroom. She was losing her bearings now, and fell to the ground; Shuu had to pick her up and steady her, so that she could empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet.
"It hurts! I'm scared. I'm so scared… What's going to happen? What if they find out?"
Familiar words, albeit in a different context. And his response would be the same. He hugged her from behind, and stroked and soothed her. From now on, they would always be together…
"Shh. It will be OK. I'll be there for you, no matter what happens. Don't cry, Shuri. Don't cry."
He wiped the tears from her cheeks, and stared into her face – and she closed her eyes.
