Chapter Twenty-Nine: Only Love Can Conquer Hate:

Daisuke knew that the end was coming for him. He couldn’t stop the sound of the clock counting down to the end of his life. However, this wasn’t the time to worry about such things. He already took all of the necessary steps that he needed to in order to ensure that his daughter would survive their clan’s curse. Most of his tapes and his notes were sealed away in his storage building in the backyard. He pretty much had his kitsune under control. Daisuke did everything in his power to get ready as his end drew near. However, the man began to notice some rather unsettling signs from his daughter.

Lately this month, Anna seemed afraid to get near him. On the surface, everything looked normal between them, but subtle changes gave Daisuke warranted cause for alarm. Her affection for him was the same, but he noticed a sense of fear deep in her eyes. Meal times became quieter and she didn’t even try to socialize with him. Sometimes, Anna would try and avoid him altogether if she could. She wouldn’t even look him in the eye when she spoke to him. Daisuke didn’t want to believe that she knew what was going on. However, his curiosity got the better him after weeks and weeks of uneasiness. The man just had to say something.

“Anna-chan,” he spoke up on the twentieth of October. “What is the matter?” His daughter froze as she midway to her room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him sitting on the couch. The sixteen-year-old girl tried not to look at him directly in the face. She couldn’t quite understand it, but something told her to avoid him for the time being. However, that game was starting to get more difficult to play.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Her voice shook as she responded. He noticed that she would not look at him when responding. She always tapped her right foot when she was nervous to silently tell him so. The man decided not to alarm his daughter for now. It would be best to keep things as simple as possible, he thought.

“You seem to be afraid of something,” he pointed out. “Did anything happen at school? Is something bothering you?” Anna pondered how to answer his question. It was true that something was bothering her. Lately, she had been having strange dreams about her father. She couldn’t fully remember them at first; they all came up in bits and pieces. Lately, the dreams had gotten stronger and more vivid, almost as if she could feel them. Remembering them again made her want to tremble. However, she didn’t want to tell him out right.

Daisuke strained to listen as she mumbled her answer. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I feel fine.”

“Look at me and say that,” Daisuke told her. Anna couldn’t move; she could tell that he was onto her now. Something inside of her said that lying would be of no use. The girl turned around to her father as if she was a cornered rabbit about to be ripped to shreds by a wild predator.

“I’ve had dreams,” Anna said in a low voice. Looking him in the face startled her. The girl’s eyes desperately darted down to her feet. Her father gave her a strange look on his face as he started to rise off of the couch.

“Dreams?” he asked. “What kind of dreams?” His quickened tone made her panic. Anna began backing away as she shook her head.

“Forget it!” she brushed off. Daisuke became desperate by now. He looked like a wild bull about to charge at her for her red bow on her chest.

“Anna-chan!” he pleaded. “Talk to me!”

“It’s nothing, forget I said anything!”

He tried to catch her around as she ran back to her room, but she proved to be too fast for him. Daisuke took a long while to regain his composure. He sank back into the couch as he played back the moment that to took place seconds earlier. Daisuke laughed to himself as if his mind was crumbling apart under the current events in his life.

Oh my, my, my, he thought, shaking his head. Is this what has become of me now? I probably looked like a monster to that girl just a little while ago. It’s getting to me. I need to stop before it all gets out of hand, before I die.

Jin watched him from the ceiling above and shook his head frowning. You have lost it, master, he thought. The kitsune could feel the end coming for him as well. In fact, he already saw it long before Daisuke started to have dreams about his own death. However, Jin kept this a secret for his master kept on trying to distance himself from him these days. Besides, the kitsune doubted that Daisuke would even believe him anyway. Jin looked up at the sky.

“Is this part of your grand plan, Mother?” he asked. “You are just going to throw away this man and me for your own gain? Do you want revenge that badly?” He closed his eyes and felt a heavy chill through his body. A soft whisper filled his ears as a hand gently caressed his left shoulder. Jin drew open his thick amber eyes.

“I see,” he replied, “Then, I will not interfere with you ever again. This is your will and therefore I will accept it.” That same hand patted him on the head. Jin took it with the same unease that Anna shared around her father.

Three days before his death, Daisuke sat alone in his office. Anna had already gone to bed hours earlier. The man himself couldn’t sleep that night. He ended up leaving his room and wandering into his office. Right now, he sat at his desk in a daze.

Meanwhile in her room, Anna started to have her dreams again. Tonight was the strongest one yet.

-Dream-

Anna found herself wandering through the barren woods like she had done so many times. She felt cold with every step of the way. The girl looked around for anything in sight.

“Hello?” she asked. Only her own echo greeted her. Anna shivered at the hollow sounds filling her ears. I don’t like this; why am I here? I want to go home. The girl felt like she was walking in circles the more she tried to leave.

Wait, where am I going? I have to get back home. Papa will be so worried about me if he noticed that I never came back. Suddenly, Anna stopped when a soft crackle caught her ear. What? Is someone else here besides me? The girl looked over to her left. She noticed a figure standing before a large fire. Curious, Anna proceeded over with caution.

“Hello?” she asked. “I’m a little lost could you help me out?” The figure at the fire didn’t respond. Anna walked closer with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Hello?” the girl asked again. “I need a little help trying to get home! Do you know a way out of this forest?” No response came to her still. Anna frowned as the despair began to creep in.

“Hello?” she tried once more. “Can you hear me? Are you lost too?” However, the girl stopped in her tracks when she noticed familiar scars on the figures upper back. Anna took a step back, shaking her head. No, she thought. That can’t be. But… Against her better judgment, the girl went over for a closer look at the person at the large roaring bonfire. Her heart sank when she saw who it was.

“Papa?” Daisuke stood naked from the hungry flames. His hands dripped with fresh blood. Anna couldn’t see where the source was coming. She tried to push out any negative possibilities that could ruin the precious image that she has of her father.

“Papa?” Anna asked again. “What are you doing out here? You’re going to burn yourself like this? Come away from the…” His daughter froze in her tracks when she noticed tears streaming down his cheeks. Daisuke seemed to be mumbling something to himself repeatedly. Anna slowly backed away shaking her head. No, no, she thought. This isn’t right. The girl couldn’t understand what or why she was seeing this.

-Reality-

Soon she drifted to a much more peaceful slumber. Back in his office, Daisuke sat at his desk. He turned his last remaining tape cassette in his hand. How ironic and convenient that this was the last tape in his latest package. Usually when he was nearly out of tapes, he would rush over to the nearest store and buy a new set. This time, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. Knowing the reason why, Daisuke tried to push it out of his hand and think about something else. The man dropped his shoulders.

“I might as well do this,” he muttered to himself. He only had this tape left anyway. Daisuke already decided that he would make the most of his last few recordings. The final truth needed to come out on the entry of his journal. He didn’t care how much it would hurt Anna if she had to listen to it in the future; she would have to know the sins of this clan. Daisuke’s planning didn’t stop there either. The man had some idea of what he was going to do with it when he made his last recording on the day he died. Daisuke decided to hide it and maybe have Kato tell Anna where it was years later. The man reached into another desk drawer and pulled out his tape recorder. Once he set everything up, Daisuke hit record.

Tape Entry #3,040:

October 28th, 1999.

“My name is Kimoto Daisuke. I am thirty-four years old and a single dad. For sixteen years now, I have been recording this journal. I have revealed some unsavory truths on countless numbers of tapes. I'm not proud of them, but they had to come out. I didn't choose my fate or conditions. My biggest apologizes go to Anna-chan. She didn't deserve any of the hell. I… I never wanted this for her. She deserves a normal and a happy life. Sadly, that won't happen for her all because of our heritage. We are all cursed because of it.

He took a small pause, taking in a deep breath.

“One day, Anna-chan will hear these tapes. When she does, I will regret everything that I have ever recorded on them. But I know, that I can't keep her in the dark forever. Anna-chan will have to learn the truth someday.”

Daisuke took another pause. The voice was starting to break apart from the slowly rising emotions.

“For that, I am so sorry, Anna-chan.”

End of Tape #3,040

That should do it for tonight, the man thought. And with that, Daisuke hit stop on his tape recorder and sighed.