Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Summer ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Hana emerged from the bedroom the next morning, clad in a simple green t-shirt and blue jeans. She walked into the kitchen to find Ryo sitting at the island, a bowl of untouched cereal sitting before him. His sight was fixated on the silver spoon that was resting in the bowl. He made no movement as she maneuvered within the area.

“What’s going on?” Hana asked as she grabbed the carton of orange juice from the fridge. “You look deep in thought.”

Ryo picked up his head and looked at the black-haired woman who was standing in front of him, completely unaware of her presence until she spoke up. “Oh. Nothing,” Ryo said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I’m not buying it,” Hana said as she rested both her elbows on the granite surface of the island. “Something is up.” She looked at the bearer of Wildfire with hard eyes. “Spill the beans, Ryo.”

Ryo chuckled softly to himself then looked at Hana with a serious expression on his face. “It’s Natsumi. Yesterday when I went to pick her up, she seemed hesitant leaving the house. I don’t know why, but she looked almost scared. I can’t really explain it.”

Hana placed her right hand over her mouth in thought. “She did come to me a couple of days ago asking me about my family. She did seem troubled, but she wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“I just have a bad feeling something is going to happen,” Ryo said with concern. “I know she hides things from us. There’s no doubt about that.” His hand formed into a fist as he banged it onto the granite surface, pain clear on his features.

Slowly nodding, Hana placed her hand on top of Ryo’s. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’ll tell us things when she wants to.”

Ryo smiled solemnly at his friend. He knew Hana was right, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel something was about to happen, something that he couldn’t control and that made his heart ache as if someone was squeezing it within their palm. He hoped that he was wrong about everything.

Bristles to a brush glided down her medium length light-brown hair. Her somber eyes were looking at her reflection in the mirror. A small smile formed on her pink lips as Natsumi recalled the time she had with her friends the previous night. When she was with them all her troubles seemed to vanish into thin air. She felt unreachable when she was with Ryo. The little bit of happiness she felt vanished when she saw her uncle standing behind her in the mirror.

“What is it?” she asked in almost a tired voice, not bothering to turn around. She could see him perfectly from where she was.

“Your father wishes to speak with you,” Tim said solemnly. “It’s best you don’t keep him waiting.”

Natsumi set her brush down on her vanity with a shaky hand. She took a deep breath through her nostrils before standing up from her seat, her legs trembling. Tim followed her closely as she slowly descended down the staircase and down the small hallway. She halted before the two white French doors. The nerves within her body were rattling in a fast pace, her heart pounding hard against her ribcage. She didn’t even have to look to know that her uncle was standing right behind her.

With a shaky hand, she turned the golden door knob and opened the door slowly. Step by step she made her way into the dimly lit room. The door closed behind her, and she could hear Tim locking it from the outside. White candles were lit all around the windowless room. There was a marble fireplace against the wall facing the entrance. Above the fireplace was a portrait of her mother.

Natsumi took a moment to observe the picture. She looked just like her mother. She was beautiful in the painting: a sundress of bright yellow and her light brown, wavy hair as it cascaded down her shoulders. Her hazel eyes made Natsumi feel at ease, even though she was in a place that scared her the most. The feeling of ease soon ended when she heard someone clear their throat. Her eyes fell upon a single brown-leathered armchair. The chair was occupied by a man who was facing the fireplace that was not in use. Cold sweat started to form on her forehead.

“It’s good to see you, Natsumi,” said the man. His voice was low and calm. Natsumi didn’t dare answer. She knew better than to speak when she wasn’t told to. “I hear you have made some friends, someone even more. Am I right?” He didn’t move from his seat. Her hands became sweaty as she clenched and unclenched them, her anxiety increasing. The man sighed in annoyance. “Speak, child.”

“F-Father, I-” she stammered. Her voice came out raspy as if she hadn’t spoken for a whole year. She didn’t know what to say to him. She knew he had noticed, but she didn’t realize that he knew about her friends and Ryo. Her mouth inaudibly moved up and down, but no words would come out.

Her father rose from his seat and made his way to her. He was a slim man with his brown hair slicked back. His expression was indifferent as he towered over her, his eyes meeting hers. “It’s impolite not to answer the question,” he scolded, his eyes narrowing.

Fear made its way down her spine as she thought of an answer. She had to think of something fast. “I-” The words got caught in her throat once again as she froze in place.

Her father’s lips formed into a thin line as he took out some Polaroid pictures from his pants pocket. It displayed images of her with the group at the cherry blossom festival. “Tim took these shots yesterday at a park. I know what you have been doing and I want to know who these people are.” Natsumi stared at the pictures in horror, her mouth slightly hanging open. “Spit it out!” he demanded, his voice rising.

“I’m not going to tell you!” A gasp escaped her throat as she clasped her hands over her mouth. Panic was rising within her chest.

Her father chuckled. “I see.” It was silent— too silent. Natsumi’s body became tense as she looked at the figure standing before her, his lips still in a single thin line, his eyes wide with rage. He slapped her hard across the face, making her lose her balance. She fell hard onto the polished wooden floor. She placed a hand over her burning cheek. “What an ungrateful child I have.”

Natsumi got on her knees and bowed, her entire body shaking at this point. “I’m sorry, Father.” Tim always made sure the doors were locked when she had meetings with her father. There was nowhere to escape to. She was on her own.

Her father grabbed her by the hair and brought her to her feet. She cried out in pain and looked straight into her father’s Persian blue eyes, the same blue eyes she inherited. “I will ask again. Who are those people?” he asked sternly.

She could smell alcohol on his breath. “I-I’m not going to tell you,” she said quietly, averting her gaze from him. If she told him who her friends were, there was no telling what the man would do. She had to protect them. He growled and threw her down hard on the floor.

“Your mother always did what she was told!” He kicked his daughter hard in the stomach, making her scream in agony. “She knew how to follow the rules! My rules.” He continued to kick her body until tears ran down her face. Pain coursed through her body as she struggled to sit up.

“I-I’m not my mother… and I’ll never be,” Natsumi sobbed as she wrapped her arms around her battered body.

“You’re right,” he said with a smirk. “Your mother was smart, beautiful, and could do anything. She knew how to obey the rules. You are nothing but a disgrace! You are a weakling that came out of her body!” He kicked Natsumi so hard in the stomach that it caused her to go unconscious on the floor. He stood up and looked down at her bruised body. “I’ll be back, and by then, you better tell me what I want to know.”

Tim opened the door slowly and walked into the room. “Aric, don’t you think you went too far?”

“You feel bad for her?” Aric scoffed.

“You know I do,” Tim said, staring straight into his older brother’s eyes. “She doesn’t deserve this type of treatment.”

“Make sure the doors are locked. I’ll deal with her later,” Aric said in a hard tone and walked out of the room.

Tim looked at his unconscious niece solemnly before walking out, closing the door behind him. He wanted to save Natsumi from her father, but he also knew the consequences if he tried to help her. He, too, had to obey his older brother. He was too much of a coward to go against Aric.

“Well, I aced the assignment that Natsumi helped me with,” Kento said as he displayed the paper to everyone. “The look on the teacher’s face when she handed it back to me was priceless! I’m so happy!”

“Good for you, Kento,” Cye praised. He took a bite of his sandwich and glanced at Ryo. His meal was, again, left untouched in front of him. “What’s wrong, Ryo?”

“Yeah, buddy,” Kento said as he opened up his bento box. “Where’s Natsumi? I want to tell her the good news.”

“She didn’t come to school today,” Ryo said in a low voice.

“That’s not like her,” Kento commented as he placed a wad of white rice into this mouth.

“I’m sure everything is fine,” Cye said with a small smile. “Maybe she’s not feeling well.”

“Yeah…” Ryo said as packed up his things and got up from his seat. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“But, Ryo-” Kento was cut off by Hana placing her hand over his mouth. She watched as the fire warrior headed off into the distance.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered as she got up and followed after her friend.

Hana followed Ryo toward the Literature building. She paused and looked up at the sky, seeing dark clouds hovering over them. Ryo stopped walking, making Hana bump right into his body. She looked at his back with worry. “What going on, Ryo? Please tell me. I won’t say anything to the others, I promise.” Hana waited patiently for an answer. She could see right through Ryo as if he were made of glass.

“I’m a fool, Hana,” he said, his voice breaking. He refused to look Hana in the face, so he kept his back toward her.

“What do you mean? You’re not a fool,” she said reassuringly as she walked to his side. She looked up at him with worry. His teeth were clenched hard together, and his eyes were full of pain.

“I didn’t want to put more pressure on her, so I just let it slide. Now I’m afraid she’s in danger and there is nothing I can do about it!” He punched a nearby tree with his fist. Hana stood where she was. She never saw him in this state before. It made her heart ache to see her friend in so much pain. She wrapped her arms around Ryo’s body and held him close to her. That’s all she could really do.

“It’s okay,” she said soothingly. “You are not a fool, and we all did the same thing. We didn’t question her and just let her do things on her own.” She waited for a response but didn’t hear anything. “But I’m sure she’s okay…”

Ryo wrapped his arms around her tightly. The two of them stood there in embrace as the dark clouds moved in from above.

“Mommy!” Natsumi yelled. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. The scorching sand burned the bottoms of her bare feet. The sun seemed to be smiling down at the six-year-old dressed in her pink bikini with white polka dots. “Mommy! Guess what?!” she shouted excitedly.

Mai turned around and smiled at her excited daughter. Her yellow sundress blew gracefully in the wind, the waves of her light brown hair danced along. She bent down with arms opened wide. Natsumi laughed as she went into her mother’s embrace. She pulled away and grinned.

“Mommy, I saw a tiny crab in the sand by the water! It used its claws to go under the sand!” Natsumi exclaimed, her eyes beaming with excitement. “Isn’t that cool?!”

“Very cool,” Mai smiled as she rubbed her daughter’s back.

“Do you think Daddy will think so?”

Mai’s smile softened. “I’m sure he will.”

“Daddy’s been gone for a long time.”

“He’s been very busy, sweetheart. You are usually sleeping when he calls, but he does bring you home presents.” Mai bent down and kissed Natsumi’s forehead. “He loves you… very much.” She watched as her daughter skipped off. A lone tear slid down her cheek; a sad expression plaguing her features.

Natsumi groaned as she came to. She blinked until her vision was clear from the blurriness. Wincing, she sat up and looked around. Her abdomen was sore from where her father had kicked her earlier. She didn’t even have to move to know that the doors were locked. Trapped like a rat, that’s what she was. Sweat trickled down her face. Taking one of her hands, she tried wipe her face dry. Slowly, she got to her feet, her arm wrapped around her midsection. She slowly walked over to where the portrait of her mother was. Staring up at it, she recalled the dream she had a moment ago. It was the last time they went to the beach together.

“I vaguely remember that day,” Natsumi said to herself. “I don’t remember seeing my mother cry.”

She turned her head and glanced at the candles that were close to burning out. Fear crept through her body at the thought of the darkness that was approaching. When she was younger, her father would throw her into the room with no lights. The fear of the dark stayed with her along with windowless rooms. Her body stiffened when she heard the doorknob turn. She swallowed and braced herself for whatever was to come through that door. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw Tim walk inside the room. He walked and stopped a few feet away from her.

“I see you are up. How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, worry plastered on his face.

“Fine,” she said simply in a soft voice. She really wasn’t up to talking.

Tim sighed and smiled. “That’s a relief. I was so worried about you.”

Natsumi averted her gaze from him. Anger started to build from within her. “If you were so worried about me, why did you go and follow me? Why did you have to give him those photos? Was that the only time you were spying on me?” she asked coldly. “You could have stopped him this time.” Natsumi shook her head in disgust. “I trusted you.”

“You know I can’t go against him,” he said sadly. “Your father will make my life hell if I do. I’m not strong like you are.”

Natsumi’s eyes grew wide as stared at her Uncle incredulously. Was he really going to let her father ruin her life so his wouldn’t be complete hell? She swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat. “Who’s strong? Certainly you don’t mean me.”

“But you are. You have gotten so much stronger these last couple of months,” he stated.

Natsumi scoffed and sat down on the floor, her arm never leaving its place around her midsection. “I’m not strong. If I were, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

Tim smiled and knelt down so he was at eye level with her. “You denied giving your father any information. You are willing to protect your friends. That shows great promise in my eyes. Don’t lose hope.”

“Are you done, Tim?” Aric asked from the doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched the two of them.

Tim stood up and looked at his brother from across the room. “Yes, Aric. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? I said you could see her.” Aric made his way towards the two slowly. “You can leave now. I would like to have more time with my daughter.”

Tim looked at Natsumi before nodding. He made his way to the twin doors and locked them inside the dimly lit room once again. Natsumi stood where she was; the fear was building up once again. Aric walked toward her until he was only inches from her body. He looked down and stared at the hand that was holding her side. With his right hand, he pulled it away, resulting in a cry emanating from Natsumi’s mouth.

“Strong, huh? Strong people can take the pain,” Aric said nonchalantly. Natsumi whimpered with both hands at her sides. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Who are those people, especially that boy?” Her father’s voice was calm, but it had a hint of venom to it. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she stood her ground. “I asked you a question.”

“I-I’m not going to tell you,” Natsumi said quietly, shakily.

Her father grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her towards him. “You brat! Is this how you treat me after all these years of taking care of you?!” His voice was no longer calm; his roaring voice was now bouncing off the walls of the windowless room.

“You… never took care of me. All you did was try to control me. Every day you kept comparing me to my mother,” Natsumi said in her normal tone. “Mom only followed your orders so she wouldn’t be hurt by you!”

Aric growled and threw her at the armchair. Natsumi hit the side of the chair with a loud thud, making the chair fall over onto the floor. “I fed you, gave you a home to go to!” He kicked her wound, making her scream in pain. “Is this how you repay me?! You ungrateful wretch!”

Natsumi turned her body on its side, only to find a pocket knife in her father’s hand. Her eyes went wide as she tried to get up. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to crawl away from him, fear completely overtaking her body. Her heart pounded so hard against her chest that she thought it would break free.

“I knew from the day your mother died that you would be nothing to me,” Aric said calmly as he followed his injured daughter around the barely lit room.

“Father, stop! This is crazy!” Natsumi shouted as she tried to get away from the crazed man.

“Now you are calling me crazy?” Aric chuckled to himself as he caught up to her. With his left foot, he stepped hard on her ankle. Natsumi frantically moved, trying to escape. She foot twisted in the process, making her cry out at the pain. “Now see what you did?” He grabbed her by the neck with one hand, the other hand still holding the knife.

“Father… please,” Natsumi cried uncontrollably. The terror was becoming too great that she started to feel nauseous. “Please… don’t do this.”

“I tried to reason with you, my dear,” Aric said in a low, cynical voice. Natsumi cried out as she felt the tip of the knife cut into the flesh of her arm. “You just didn’t want to cooperate.”

Tears rolled down Natsumi’s cheeks as she looked at her father. His eyes were small and dark, no expression on his face. She closed her eyes as she thought about her friends and about Ryo. They were most likely worried about her. How could she be called strong when she was about to be killed by her own father?

“You have to take the bull by the horns and say enough is enough.”

Natsumi eyes flew open as she remembered her conversation with Hana. Her friend was right. This was getting way out of hand.

“Aric! What are you doing?!” Tim yelled from the doorway. “Are you insane?! Let her go!” He ran toward his older brother and his niece, frantically.

“Stay out of this! I’m going to get rid of this waste once and for all!” Aric took the knife and aimed it at Natsumi’s neck.

“No, Father. Enough is enough,” Natsumi said shakily. She winced as she grabbed the knife’s blade with her hand. Blood dripped onto the wooden floor underneath her.

“Aric, no!” Tim cried as he saw the blood.

She took the knife and threw to the other side of the room. “I’m not doing this anymore!” Aric looked at his daughter with disbelief, his grip on her lessening. She removed herself from his grasp and looked at him in the eyes. “I’m sick and tired of this life. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. I have a new life with people I love.” She looked at Aric with a stern look on her tearstained face. “I’m leaving and never coming back.”

“Y-you can’t do that!” Aric yelled. “You are my daughter!”

Nastumi shook her head. “Not anymore I’m not.” She turned and started toward the twin doors.

“Stop! I command you to stop!” Aric yelled.

Natsumi closed her eyes and ran out of the room. She bit her lip as she felt the hot pain of the wounds she had received. Her ankle was killing her, but that didn’t stop her from dashing out of the house and into the rain. She ran down the street and stopped behind a bush to vomit. She sobbed quietly as the rain washed away the blood from her wounds. Her body jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to find Tim standing next to her.

“Come on,” he said gently. He helped her up slowly and guided her to his car. Her clothes were soaked to the bone, which didn’t make the leather seating any more comfortable. He buckled her up and turned the car on. “I know where your friends live. I’ll take you there.” He looked at the poor wounded girl before driving off down the street.