Book 1 Headcanons and Mini Stories

Chapter 4: Sonaemono

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Blood and Murder

Outside the minka of the Masashige family, a storm was brewing. The heavy rain masked the sounds of a mother's struggle, while the loud sounds of thunder raised a cloud of anxiety within the mother. She must be quick, for her family mustn't know what she will do next. She was completely focused on her task, consumed by the terrible debts that were bestowed upon her. Now, she had nowhere left to run. If she stays with her family, she will come for her. The mother couldn't handle her debts anymore.
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    Within the darkness of the minka in which the Masashige family lived, a dim lantern illuminated the room in which a mother was packing her clothes hastily, all while making sure that she didn't wake up her husband.
    Niko Masashige took a deep breath as she grabbed what little she owned and shoved it into her worn-out bag. Well, it was rather the family's bag, one that they would use to carry everything from food to fishing supplies from their house to Arari Village, and back. It was one of the very few things that were treasured from within the family. Or rather, Niko treasured.
    Niko finished packing her belongings, when she heard her husband rustle from his makeshift bed.
    She froze, the storm suddenly silenced. She clenched her bag and her heart raced, her breathing became heavy.
    Is he awake? Did I wake him up? Please don't wake up. Niko thought to herself. She slowly turned around, and to her relief, her husband merely just changed his sleeping position. She took a deep breath and grabbed her dim lantern, before quietly exiting the room. She closed the door and headed downstairs, preparing to leave everything that she loved behind.

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    The storm outside only grew stronger, the rain growing more heavy. The thick drops that fell upon the roof only served to create a melody that lured the newborn baby asleep.
    But to her older sister, it was more of a cacophony than a melody. The girl couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She was restless, and she knew why. Something was wrong, and that nagging feeling plagued her mind.
    A sound of thunder shook the room, and scared the girl. She took a moment to check on her baby sister, and to her relief, she was still asleep. However the girl knew that if she couldn't sleep, she would be quite exhausted when the sun tore the black clouds away. It would hinder her ability to do her work for the coming day.
    She decided to ask her Ma if she would hum her a lullaby. Her Pa had to work again in the morning, so she didn't want to disturb his slumber. Besides, her Ma often stayed at home to watch over her and her new baby sister, so the girl didn't see the harm in waking her Ma up for a few minutes.
    The girl got up from her makeshift bed and looked at her baby sister, tip-toeing to the door, careful to not wake her up. Once she made it to the door, she gently opened it to leave the room, however she didn't expect to see someone outside.
    No, not just someone, but her Ma. Oddly, instead of feeling comfort at the sight of seeing her Ma, she felt... suspicious. That nagging feeling that plagued her mind from earlier returned, so the girl decided to observe her Ma for a moment. Her Ma appeared to be carrying the family bag, and it was filled with something. She also appeared to be uneasy, perhaps from the storm?
    Her Ma went downstairs, with a pace of urgency. The girl grew worried, so she followed her Ma, wondering what was wrong.

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    Niko approached the room in which the family would often pray and respect their dead ancestors. Niko never really understood why her husband would do that, as she married into his family, and that she didn't really know, nor cared about ancestors nor bloodlines. At least upon leaving her family, she wouldn't have to deal with that again. She was always rather annoyed that she had to do that everyday.
    "Ma? What are you doing?"
    Niko gasped and nearly dropped her bag. She turned around and clenched her worn-out kimono, a wave of panic clouding her mind and judgment. For a moment she thought that it was her husband who caught her, but instead it was just her eldest daughter who stood at the foot of the staircase. Relief washed over her, for it would be easier to lie and convince her daughter that nothing was wrong.
    "Nothing Mihari, I was merely checking if the minka was ok." Niko said, giving a smile to Mi.
    However Mi saw right through it. If there was one thing that everyone would notice about Mi upon meeting her, it was that she was diligent. Since Mi was a diligent girl, she knew what hard work looked like. Mi saw that her mother was clearly not working. She was tense, with a look of... fear? She was also clenching that bag tightly. Was Ma going somewhere?
    "Ma... I don't think you're working." Mi said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion and suspicion. Something bad consumed her gut, and Mi wasn't sure what or how to feel about it.
    Niko and Mi locked gazes. Niko wasn't sure what to say to Mi, and Mi was slowly coming to realize what her Ma was going to do.
    The storm suddenly grew louder, as if it could feel the tension that was being built upon the room. Dark clouds were brewing from within the room, and a storm of raw emotion threatened to fall upon the Ma and Daughter.
    "You're leaving aren't you?"