Chapter Sixty-Nine: In Plain Sight

Ash braced one foot on the table's edge. He took a deep breath and kicked. The table flipped, the two legs closest to Ash leaving the ground first. The table crashed loudly to the floor. The books and candles that had decorated the top clattered across the floor. Glass shattered. Eiji screamed. Ash stood threateningly, knife still in hand. Two wide, dark eyes stared up at him. "Oh fuck," Ash cursed.

Staring up at Ash, was Akira, looking frightened beyond reason. Her clothes were muddied from her ventures, but otherwise, she looked physically unharmed. Ash thanked the gods he did not believe in but Eiji did.

What Akira saw, staring up at Ash, was much more disturbing. There he stood, knife in hand, though it wasn't the knife that scared her; it was his face, swollen and discolored. She knew instantly, without asking, that somehow, her parents must have played a role in his face.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Eiji rushed forward, carefully avoiding shards of glass the broken candle had strewn across the room. Ash who seemed to have frozen in shock, stood still, eyes still locked with Akira's. He felt Eiji pry the knife from his hand and set it on a bookshelf out of reach.

Eiji grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around Akira's shoulders. [Akira,] he scooped her off the ground, legs draping over one of his arms. Her eyes were still glued on Ash's poor face. [We were so worried,] Eiji told her, tears breaking his voice.

Her eyes finally broke free from Ash. She looked up at Eiji. Tears streamed down his face. [We were so worried,] he repeated. Eiji cradled her against his chest. Her small hand fisted the fabric of his shirt and the tears she held in her eyes fell at last. They cried together, Eiji rocked from foot to foot as one would do to quiet a crying baby, though he made no attempts to slow her tears.

After a few minutes, Akira lifted her head from where it was buried in Eiji's chest. Her tears had slowed but not stopped. She looked towards Ash who stood watching them, seemingly still unable to move. Acting younger than her years, she outstretched her arms in Ash's direction. Eiji gave Ash a teary smile and stepped towards him.

It dawned on Ash, then, that the child was to be transferred to his arms. "...Eiji," he said hesitantly. "I shouldn't—" But there was suddenly a child in his arms.

"You'll do fine," Eiji told him softly.

She looked at his face, which looked even worse this close, and instantly began to cry into his shirt. He held her stiffly, arms making contact only where it was strictly necessary. Her fingers dug into his skin as she cried.

"You're okay, Ash," Eiji whispered.

Ash nodded. He willed himself to be normal. 'It's no different than holding Buddy,' he told himself. He took a deep, steadying breath and forced his body to sway, mimicking what Eiji had done. [I'm so happy you're safe,] he told her. She cried harder. He adjusted the blanket she was clad in to cover more of her skin.

[We were searching for you all day, I was worried we'd never find you,] Ash told her. [It's like a miracle you're here sa—] his own brain disrupted his words. A familiar, haunted look passed over his face. It was something he hadn't felt in at least several months.

"You're not dreaming, Ash," Eiji cut in, as if reading his mind.

Ash nodded with closed eyes. [Safe and sound,] he completed his thought. He opened his eyes. [I'm so glad you're safe.] Ash's body found the sectional behind him.

After a few minutes, Akira's tears slowed and ceased. She adjusted herself so that she was now sitting upright in Ash's arms. Ash flinched in pain, hand reflexively moving to his side.

Eiji joined them on the sofa. He patted his lap. [Why don't you sit with me? Ash isn't feeling so good.]

Akira climbed from Ash's lap. The blanket caught beneath her hand, causing her to stumble on her way to Eiji. Ash closed his eyes and tried to hide from his face the pain he was feeling.

[One second,] Eiji told Akira before she sat atop him. Eiji stood and darted across the room to the kitchen. He retrieved one of the ice packs from the freezer. His hands considered the temperature. [Cold enough.] He left the second in the freezer for later.

Eiji returned to Ash, placing the cold relief against his side. Ash hissed at the contact.

[Fuck, that's cold.]

[Ash, language,] Eiji scolded.

[You sound like Mom.]

[Mom has a point.] Eiji placed a pillow, between Ash and the sofa, which held the ice pack in place without Ash having to hold it.

Eiji stepped back to study him. Though he tried to conceal it, the pain was obvious in his face. His eyes continued to flutter shut here and there without his control. He kept his breaths shallow and sparing; breathing alone set his nerves aflame.

Eiji placed a hand to his forehead, blond hair cascading over his hand. [Did they offer you something stronger than ibuprofen?] Eiji asked knowingly.

Ash looked up at him, eyes clouded in pain. [Please don't start.]

Eiji rolled his eyes. [You should have taken it.]

[Why? I wouldn't have filled the prescription anyway.] He glanced at Akira, who was obviously trying to wrap her brain around what had happened to Ash, then back at Eiji. "I've been drugged up enough for one lifetime," he told Eiji, switching to English to obscure his words from Akira.

Eiji nodded in understanding. "I hate to see you in pain."

"I'm good at handling pain," he faked a smile. "But those damn pills, Eiji… they'll remind me of Club Cod… and I don't need that right now."

Eiji nodded again. He sat back down beside Akira.

[Who hurt you?] Akira asked. She saw a fleeting expression of pain in his eyes.

Who. Not how did it happen? Who. Ash's stomach churned.

[Don't worry about me, I'll be alright.] He forced a weak smile. [I'm worried about you. Are you alright?]

[Did my dad do that to you?] She asked, disregarding his question.

Ash took a deep breath. First, he considered lying, but he did not want to give her another reason to distrust adults. He then considered sugar-coating the truth. After all, she was only seven years old.

[He did,] she said simply because, apparently, Ash had taken too long to answer.

Ash sighed. [Yes, he did. I egged him on— made him angry— so that he would hit me. We needed evidence— proof— that he can be violent.]

Akira frowned. [That's not fair.]

Ash's eyebrows drew together in confusion. [What do you mean?]

[That's what I've been doing,] she clarified, passion pouring through her voice.

Eiji's face twisted in distress. Ash looked hurt and defeated but not surprised.

[But he won't now,] she scowled. [Now he just yells and throws things and ignores me.]

Ash's brows knitted together. [What do you mean he throws things?]

Her eyes dropped to her hands. She fiddled with a bandaid that hid a cut she had gained when cleaning glass from the floor. [I was really bad,] she began. [I opened all his car windows before the rain,] she smiled deviously. [He was so mad.]

[So what happened?] Ash asked, trying to remain composed.

A distant look glazed her eyes. [He threw Mom's dishes.]

[Threw them where?] Ash's voice was dangerously calm.

She was silent.

[At you?] Ash asked.

She shook her head. [Next to me.] Racing through her head, left unsaid, were her father's harsh words. [Your mother should have had a son! No son of mine would bring me such shame!]

[Is that why you ran?] Eiji asked with tears in his eyes.

His words cut through her thoughts. She simply nodded.

There was a pause.

[Akira…] Ash began slowly. His next words were ones he dreaded since the moment he'd found her beneath the kotatsu. Still, they needed to be said.

She met his eyes.

[I understand why you ran. And I'm so glad you came to us. I'm glad you didn't jump on a train to Tokyo. That would have been very dangerous. I'm glad you came somewhere you feel safe.] He hesitated, choosing his next words carefully. [But I hope you understand that we can't hide you here.]

She frowned, tears gathered again in her eyes.

[The police will think we kidnapped you, if we keep you here.] She ducked her head, eyes suddenly glued to the sofa. [But I think you already knew that. Right? That's why you were hiding from us?]

A stream of tears cascaded down her cheek. She nodded. [I don't want to go back there,] she said quietly. She looked up at Eiji. [Please, don't make me go back there.]

[W-we— Akira we—] Eiji stammered. He didn't want to make empty promises.

[No one in their right mind will send you back there,] Ash butted in. He gestured at his battered body. [I made sure of that.]

Akira nodded tearily. She climbed into Eiji's lap, hands clasping his t-shirt.

[You can't go home,] Ash thought of her parents, probably both held for bail at the station after the reported assault, [but there's a really good chance they won't let you stay here. They'll probably ask your uncle to look after you for a while.]

She hid her face in Eiji's shirt. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she supposed it was better than going home.

It was nearly midnight when the police arrived. Ash waited for Akira to fall asleep before calling. She had fallen asleep, exhausted from tears, in Eiji's arms.

Ash put a finger to his lips when he opened the door to two officers. If Ash had to guess, the first was in his mid-forties while the other was late thirties, pushing forty. The older man was average height and weight with hair beginning to grey along his hairline, while the other was above average height for a Japanese male. The still-uniform color of his dark hair was an obvious sign the other man was his senior.

[She's asleep,] Ash whispered.

[You're the man from earlier,] the younger of the two officers remarked. As luck would have it, he was, in fact, one of the officers who handled the report at Shunichi's house earlier that evening. He had been the one to photograph Ash and Iku-san's injuries.

[We're friends of the family,] Eiji told them from the sofa. Akira stirred but did not wake, in his arms.

The men stepped inside. [So, why don't you explain why she's here,] the older-looking man said.

Ash did. He explained that Akira's parents were verbally abusive and neglectful. He explained that, in the past, they had also harmed her physically. He explained Eiji and the Okumura's relationship with the Ibe family. He introduced himself as Eiji's roommate who had also come to befriend Akira and her uncle Shunichi. He told them of Akira's trust in them. He told them of how she had confided in them, showing them her bruised arm as evidence of her mother's abuse not long ago. And finally, he told the story of how they found her, hiding in their own house, hoping to go unnoticed.

[We'll need to ask her some questions,] the older man said.

Eiji rubbed her back, nudging her awake. She stirred and woke, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She caught sight of the office walking towards her. She clung to Eiji. [Ei-chan! Don't let them take me back!]

Akira had screamed and cried before the officers could so much as speak to her. She thrashed her small limbs violently in an attempt to ward them off. She screamed until her voice went raw. Eiji had never seen her in such a state. [Don't let them take me! I don't want to go back! Please! Ei-chan! Don't let them take me!] She had shouted variations of this repeatedly. It took Ash and Eiji a great deal of effort to convince the child that the officers simply wanted to speak with her.

Due to her outburst that was nothing short of hysteria, it was decided that they would ask her a few questions tonight in the Okumura home. If they suspected no foul play on Ash and Eiji's part, she could stay the night and come in for formal questioning in the quickly approaching morning.

Akira now sat across from the officers at the kitchen table. Ash and Eiji, who had been banished outside, were no longer present to potentially influence her answers. Her face was still splotchy from tears, her eyes were puffy, and her throat was raw from screaming. She stared them down in disdain.

[We just need to ask you a few questions to ensure you are safe to stay here tonight,] the older of the two officers explained.

[Of course I am!] She yelled.

[We just need to be sure you came here of your own accord. Did you run away from home?]

She furrowed her brows. [Duh!]

[And did these men know you planned to run away?]

[No! I didn't tell anyone. I ran away after school.]

[Was this something these men ever suggested you do in the past?]

[No.] Her eyes were fiery.

[And you trust them?]

She rolled her eyes. [Yeah. Why else would I come here?]

[And how is it that you found your way here?]

[I told you, I ran away.]

[How did you get here?]

Akira squinted at them in frustration. [I walked.]

[How did you know the way?]

[I've been here before. They used to babysit me.]

Both officers tilted their heads in curiosity. [But not anymore?] The younger man asked.

[No.]

[Why.]

[Because my parents don't like them.]

[Why's that?]

[Because they know my parents are mean to me. And Ash yelled at my dad.]

The young man raised an eyebrow. [Can you tell us more about that?]

Akira squirmed in frustration. [You said just a few questions,] she replied bitterly.

The older officer nodded. [She's right. Just a few more questions, then. Tell us Akira, do you feel safe here?]

[Yes,] she said with aggravation in her voice. [That's why I came here.]

[Sure. But the American said you were hiding when he and his roommate came home. Why would you hide in a place you feel safe?]

Her face reddened. [Because I knew this would happen if they found me.]

[And what is this?]

Her cheeks puffed in anger. [You think they made me come here, but they didn't! I came here on my own! I hid so they wouldn't be questioned.]

[Alright, alright.] He paused, clearly still hesitant. [Your uncle lives nearby. Why don't you let us take you—]

[NO!] She screeched. [No! I don't want to! I don't want to!]

[Shhh, Akira, please—]

[NO!] She continued screeching.

The back door burst open, all three heads swiveled towards it. Ash, who had heard her screams from outside, stood in the threshold with Eiji right behind him.

[Sir, we asked you to please wait outside.]

[You alright?] He asked Akira, disregarding the officers. [Are they making you uncomfortable?]

[Sir, please, we are almost through. Please, wait outside.]

Ash ignored them. [Akira?]

[I'm okay,] she said quietly.

Ash nodded. [We'll be right outside.] With that, he closed the door.

The officers returned their attention to Akira. [He seems awfully protective.]

Akira nodded tearily.

The older officer noted something on his notepad. [And why don't you want to stay with your uncle?]

She stared at the table and said not a word.

The man maneuvered his head to try to meet her eyes. [Do you not trust your uncle?]

She met his eyes, face scrunched in anger. [I don't trust you.]

[Ah,] the younger man began. [You're worried will take you home instead.]

She looked back at the table. Tears fell to her lap.

[We wouldn't trick you like that. We could call your uncle so he knows you're com—]

[No. I want to stay here.]

Both men nodded.

[Fine, fine,] the older man said. [I just have one more question: If they didn't know you were coming here, how did you get in? There isn't any sign of a break-in. How did you get in here if you didn't have help?]

Her face burned red in shame. She muttered something inaudible.

[Could you please speak up?]

[I stole a house key,] she responded slightly louder this time.

[Ah. When did you take that?]

[I stole the spare key Eiji gave my uncle,] she muttered. She adjusted in her seat and wrestled the key in question from her pant pocket. She placed it on the table for the officers to see. [Can I keep it?] She asked, eyes focused on the key.

He nodded and jotted something on his notepad. Akira pocketed the key. The older man leaned in, arms resting on the table. [Listen, Akira, we're here to help you. We want you to be able to get some rest so we can talk in the morning. I would prefer it if you let us take you to your uncle, but I see that is not what you want. So, here's what we're gonna do. We will let you stay here tonight, but Officer Sato and I will be right outside in the squad car in case you need anything. And in the morning, we'll go down to the station and ask you some more questions. Sound like a plan?]

She nodded. [Ash and Eiji didn't know,] she said again for good measure.

Ash watched the officers settle in the squad car for the remainder of the night. [They're good ones, Eiji. They give enough of a shit to keep watch just in case we actually were assholes.]

[Ash, you can't keep cussing in front of her,] Eiji scolded. Across the room, he swept up the broken glass from earlier.

Ash ignored him. [You okay, Akira?]

She nodded numbly from the sofa.

He moved to sit beside her. [Hey. You did good back there. Police aren't typically great at talking to kids, but it sounds like you held your own.] He extended a fist, waiting for her to bump it with her own. [I'm proud of ya.]

She eyed his fist in confusion. [I don't get it?]

"Fist bump," he said simply. He used English, uncertain of how the term might translate to Japanese. [Make a fist.]

Her hand formed a tiny fist.

[And,] he bumped his fist to hers lightly. "Pow." He withdrew his hand, fingers dancing through the air.

Akira smiled. "Pow," she repeated the sound.

"Fist bump," Ash said in English, slower this time so she could grasp the sounds.

"Fist bump," she repeated, trying out the foreign syllables on her tongue.

Ash smiled. [Look at you, you'll be speaking English better than Eiji in no time.]

Eiji rolled his eyes with a subdued smile. [You're such an a– such a jerk, Ash.]

Ash smirked at Akira. [You see the way he talks to me? No respect.]

She smiled and came close to chuckling. [Respect your husband, Ei-chan,] she teased back.

Eiji looked up from his sweeping. [Hey! Whose side are you on?]

Akira erupted in giggles.

[Sorry,] Eiji began as he turned off the overhead light in the guest room. Now, only the lamp upon the dresser illuminated the room. [We still don't have a nightlight for this room. You can leave the lamp on if you'd like, but it's a bit bright.]

She shook her head. [I'm not scared.]

Eiji studied her face, questioning her integrity. The last time she'd stayed the night, she had been too scared to sleep in the dark room.

Her face slowly turned red as Eiji studied it.

[It's okay if you ar—]

[I'm not!] she shouted defensively. Buddy, who had been sleeping on the bed beside her, jumped at the sudden change in volume.

Eiji nodded, [Okay.]

Akira reached across the bed and turned off the bedside lamp as if proving her bravery.

Eiji couldn't help but smile at her theatrics. [Good night, then. I'll be right down the hall if you need anything.]

She nodded in the darkness. ['Night!]

Eiji closed the door softly, causing all remaining light to seemingly be sucked from the room. He made it not even three steps before she jumped out of bed and ripped the door open.

[Wait, Eiji!] She stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes, clutching the hem of her shirt nervously.

Eiji smiled. [Want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?]

Akira nodded.

So he did. He sat beside her and told her a story he made up on the fly. Sure, it was for her benefit, but it was also to keep himself awake. He rambled on and on. The story he told stole from several other fairy tales, though it didn't matter. Akira was asleep within five minutes. But Eiji kept talking, for he knew better than to stop too quickly. He made sure she was sleeping soundly before he slipped out of the room.

Ash was already asleep when Eiji entered the bedroom.

"Good, you made up my mind for me," he whispered more to himself than to Ash's sleeping form. Eiji had been debating whether he should scold Ash then or tomorrow for his reckless behavior at Shunichi's, not to mention how he'd spoken to Eiji.

Judging by the ice packs that had slipped from his skin and were now just lying carelessly in the bed, Ash had already entered a deep sleep. Eiji thought about replacing the ice, but decided against it; the cold would surely wake him. Instead, Eiji gathered them and set them aside on the nightstand. Eiji slipped into bed beside him, Ash didn't even stir.