Chapter Fourteen: Haru:

March 11th, 1983.

Kato found himself woken up in the middle of the night by a loud pounding on his front door. The old man walked down the hall, mumbling in aggravation.

"Hold your damn horses!" Kato yelled. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He made it to the front door and slid it open. An eighteen-year-old boy stood in the rain looking inside. He looked like a high school senior. His blackish brown spiky hair had been neatly cut to his collar. The boy still had on his school uniform. In his arms he held a sleeping little ten-day-old baby. The boy held an umbrella over the both of them. Kato looked at him with bags under his eyes.

"What do you want?" he mumbled half-asleep.

"Please sir!" his guest pleaded. "My daughter and I need a place to stay for the night! Can you put us up?" Kato stared blankly half out of it. His eyes turned to the baby, she looked so little and cute with her pink cheeks in her father’s arms. The baby slept peacefully wrapped up in her little yellow and white blanket. Just seeing her stirred something in Kato's frozen heart. The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist-full of yen.

"Here," he said. "I've got the money!" Kato looked on in silence as he kept his eyes on the baby. He waved off the young man.

“Keep your money,” he said. “You can stay here as long as you want.”

Daisuke looked at him with big surprised eyes. “You mean that?”

“Yes,” the older man replied. “Now get inside before I change my mind.” Daisuke quickly nodded.

“Right!” he said. The boy took the baby inside with him. Kato set up a room for the baby and her father in one of the spare rooms in the house.

“You eaten yet?” the old man asked of his new tenant.

“Huh?” the younger boy asked. “Oh, no.”

“I’ll be right there in a second to fix up something quick,” Kato answered.

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Daisuke replied, “I’ll manage.”

“Nonsense,” the old man insisted, “Father and child both must be in good health. You stay right there.” Daisuke nervously pressed his lips together. Okay then… Something told him that it would be rather pointless to argue. Kato came down kitchen and fixed him up some left over rice.

“It’s not much,” he said placing the dishes before Daisuke. “But it’ll do for now.”

Daisuke looked up at him with a rather confused look on his face. “I don’t understand it.”

The old man paused and looked at him. “Don’t understand what?” Daisuke stared down at his bowl of rice.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “You don’t know anything about me and yet you let my daughter and I in. Just… why?” Kato rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Daisuke looked up at him with big eyes. Kato smiled as he shook his head.

“It’s too late into the night for that discussion,” he whispered. “I’ll save my questions for the morning, okay?” Still uncertain, Daisuke slowly nodded his head.

“Very good,” Kato said with a little smile. “Now, eat you rice before it gets cold.” Daisuke quietly picked up his chopsticks and started to eat. After his late dinner, the boy took a bath.

“I already have pajamas laid out for you on your bed,” Kato said from the doorway.

“Thank you,” the boy replied in the tub.

“Good deal,” Kato said. “See you in the morning.”

“You too,” Daisuke said back. After his bath, the boy changed into the pajamas and went to bed.

March 12th, 1983.

Kato showed Daisuke around the quiet village the next morning. The eighteen-year-old held eleven-day old Anna close to his chest as she slept. Kato wondered about his new guest. What is a high school boy doing all the way out here in the sticks with a baby? Daisuke seemed like a teenage runaway. Kato wanted to ask, but decided not to for the time being.

He'll talk when he's ready, Kato resolved as he watched the young man change his daughter's diaper just an hour ago. Daisuke and his baby stayed quiet for the entire tour around the neighborhood and fields as he observed everything. The men came back to Kato's house by noon. The man turned to the boy with the baby in his arms.

"So," Kato summed up. "What do you think?" Daisuke pondered everything that he had learned just hours before.

"No one comes looking for anyone here?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Yes," Kato answered. "The city police don't even bother us here."

The boy raised an eyebrow at him. "So you house criminals here?"

"No," the old man said. "Rarely any person your age or younger comes here."

"Why is that?" the young asked. now intrigued.

"The village is pretty hard to find most of the time. Only when found on accident do we old timers get any young people like you here," the older man explained. Daisuke nodded as he prepared to ask him the big question.

"And this village is all on consummated ground?" he asked.

"Yes, the main priest has blessed this village himself every year," Kato answered with confidence in his voice. The boy began to smile after he had all the facts that he needed.

"Great," he said. "We'll stay." Afterwards, Daisuke headed off to school. Kato, just like his neighbors, had many questions for the boy.

“Has anyone reported him missing?” Kyoko asked her friend as she drank tea at her kitchen table. Kato shrugged and shook his head.

“No,” he replied.

“That’s strange,” she said. “What do you plan to do with him?”

“Let him stay,” Kato answered before he took a sip of his green tea. Kyoko looked at him with concerned eyes.

“Iwao,” she said. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You don’t know anything about this kid or his daughter.”

The old man sat back in his chair. “He’ll tell me when he’s ready.” Kato looked over and noticed that his friend still looked uneasy.

“Look,” he said. “It’ll be fine.” Kyoko held onto her cup with tight grip.

“Just,” she said. “Be very careful.” Kato sighed and shook his head, smiling.

“Very well,” he replied, “Very well.”

March 18th, 1983.

Daisuke awoke early that morning in that room that Kao rented out to him with a reoccurring thought that wouldn’t stop nagging him. Pushing it out of his mind did little good. He only knew of one way to fix that. Daisuke reached over to the nightstand and pulled out his tape recorder. Once he set up, the boy hit record.

Tape Entry #14:

My name is Kimoto Daisuke. I'm eighteen years old and a single dad. I can tell Kato-san is wondering why Anna-chan and I are in his house; I can see it in his eyes. Could I tell him the truth? Should I tell him the truth?

He paused.

I don't think Kato-san would believe me. At least I can say it here. So, here goes.

He again paused.

I think my mother killed my sisters; I know that she did. I know how she and my brothers are. I'm not surprised that they would stoop so low! I don't know the exact details just yet, but all I know is this: when Yumiko vanished, I asked mom what happened to her. She said that Yumiko had run away; I suspected that she was lying. When Kirika vanished, I asked mom what happened to her. She said that Kirika had run away; I knew she was lying.

End of Tape Entry #14

When he was finished, Daisuke got up and prepared to go to school.

That evening, Daisuke sat on Kato's front porch alone in the night lost in his thoughts. So much had happened to him in the past year. He barely had a change to piece it all together. He came back to earth when he heard the door shut behind him. The boy looked up to see Kato looking back at him.

"Couldn't sleep?" the former priest asked.

"No," the boy said, shaking his head.

"Ah," the older man said. Daisuke turned back to the view. Kato sat down with him.

"How is Anna-chan?" Daisuke asked.

"Sleeping," Kato replied.

"That's good," the boy said. They looked at the sky in silence. Kato looked on at his house guest. The question plagued him for weeks.

"Daisuke," the former priest said in a hushed tone. The boy didn't look up.

"Uh-hm?" he asked.

"Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?" Kato came out with the burning question on his mind. Daisuke looked over at him. Kato studied his face. Daisuke had no emotion on what so ever.

"Why am I here?" the boy asked.

"Yes," Kato replied, nodding.

"Heh," Daisuke answered. He paused for a moment. "Fine," he said. "I'll tell you why." He broke down and told him the whole truth about his family, his sisters’ death, and the birth of his daughter. Kato listened in silence the whole time. He took a moment to take it all in.

“Kimoto?” he asked. A hint of worry flashed over Daisuke’s face.

“Do you know anything about them?” he asked.

“Just what I’ve heard in the news about them,” the older man answered. He noticed the panicked look in Daisuke’s eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry, son,” he said, waving off his thoughts. “I wouldn’t dream of turning you over to your family.” Daisuke fell before him in a begging position.

“Promise me that you won’t,” he pleaded. Kato smiled and patted him on the head.

“You have my word,” he replied.

“I thank you,” his tenant replied. Suddenly, Anna began crying from her room. Daisuke lifted his head.

“I better go see what Anna-chan needs now,” he replied. The young father rose to his feet and walked into the house.

Days later, Daisuke felt that he just had to say something about the truth to his daughter some time later down the road. This uncomfortable thought crossed his mind while he was doing his homework. The young father didn’t want to do this, but somehow he knew that truth would have to come out sooner or later. Daisuke drew his eyes shut as he reached his decision.

I might as well get this over with, he thought. The young man walked over to the nightstand and pulled out his current tape. He popped it into the recorder and pressed record.

Tape Entry #18:

March 21st, 1983.

My name is Kimoto Daisuke. I am eighteen years old and a single father. I came to a realization last night. I can't get away from my past. It's time I finally came out and said it. I apologize to Anna-chan in advance when she hears this tape. The truth may be ugly and hard to swallow, but it just has to come out. I'm so sorry, Anna-chan.

My mother is Kimoto Haruka and she is Satan in human form. For all of our childhood, she gave us Hell. Mother was a complete bitch. No, she doesn't deserve to be called "mother." Haruka had creative ways of torturing us. One time, Shichiro snuck out to see his then-girlfriend that she didn't like. She found out be morning and the girl had a flaming dead cat on her front porch later that evening. My brother ended up being handcuffed to his bed from then on. I'm not done yet; it gets worse.

His voice broke into trembling as he remembered all of the abuse.

Haruka tricked Kirika into feeding poison to a neighbor's dog that she didn't like. This was a seven-year-old girl unknowingly killing an innocent dog that barked too much. By the time Kirika realized what had happened, it was too late. She ran to me crying afterwards. Haruka slapped us around constantly. I always woke up to her yelling at my brothers. She seemed to hate that we existed at all.

Looking back, I don't understand how we took such abuse. What's worse is my so-called "brothers" took it and still tried to make her happy. I didn't realize that until one day in June of last year. I woke up to silence that morning. Right then, I knew something wasn't right. I got up and wandered around the house. Suddenly, I noticed smoke out the kitchen window. Curious, I looked and noticed Kirika's bunny rabbit being dropped into a fire pit along with a few other things. It didn't take me long to realize that Haruka was burning my sisters' things. I raced outside to stop her. Do you know what she said when I asked her what she was doing? Let them go and forget about them. Forget about my sisters? I tried to stop her, but Yasuo tackled me to the ground. As I tried to fight him off, Nobu told me, "Make this easier for yourself." Make this easier for myself? Make this easier for myself? How could he be so blind?

It became so clear to me from that moment on. She did it; Kimoto Haruka and her sons killed my sisters! Suddenly something inside me snapped. I pushed Yasuo off of me and ran to my sisters' things. I only managed to save their birth charms. For that, I took a serious and violent beating from Haruka. Did my brothers help me? No! They just stood there and watched me get beaten by her. As the blows got worse with my tight grip on the charms, the notion of a hellish prison became dead clear to me. I had to get away from my family. That night, I packed up my stuff and ran away from home. I haven't been back to that neighborhood ever since.

End of Tape Entry #18

Daisuke hit stop with an uneasy stomach. That was done, but he dreaded the moment that Anna would have to hear the truth for herself one day. The boy tried his best to think about something else at the moment.

“I’m home!” Kato yelled down the hall, “Could you help me get the groceries?” Daisuke lifted his head and looked at his open bedroom door.

“Oh, sure,” the boy got up from his bed and walked down the hall. He cast aside his fears to function back in his current reality.