The Tales of Sachiko Shibuya

Chapter 10

The days start to blur together. I feel like a drone. Train, eat, sleep, nightmares. The cycle continues for days. I begin to lose track of how long it has been since Hattori was taken. Crying is less frequent. Am I becoming okay with him dead? Is he dead? Is he being tortured? These questions keep running through my mind. I can't seem to enjoy anything. I don't really have any emotions except sadness. It's like someone ripped a hole in my heart. something that can only be filled by Hattori.

I walk out to the small garden that thrives behind the shine housing. The full moon shines brightly overhead. The stars fill the sky with brilliant lights. I walk slowly and sit down on a small stone bench that is surrounded by cherry blossom trees. The petals almost rain down; covering the cobblestone pathways with puddles of blossoms. I look up into the sky, as if I was looking into Hattori's deep blue eyes. I swallow hard as I open my mouth.

"Please....If you're alive....S-say something....please..." A small stream of tears fall from my cheeks and onto the beautiful silk kimono that I have had for such a long time. "I don't want to do this alone..." I say as I look down at my lap. A full cherry blossom had fallen directly on me. I loose it and begin to cry softly. I knew this would happen, but I did It anyways. I'm selfish...

I awaken from a nightmare, tears streaming down my face. I sit up and look around my room. The moonlight streams through the open window. open? I didn't open it. I stand and stretch. I close the window, not thinking much about it. I turn around, and start heading towards my bed. In the corner of my eye I see a shadow move. I turn, slightly startled. I see a silhouette of a person standing on the other side of the room. My heart begins to pound. Who is that?! I can see a white blur on the person's face. Hattori?

I turn and grab the lantern sitting on a desk. I Quickly light a match and turn on the lantern. I hold it in front of me. It quickly fills the room with a warm light. I scan the room for the intruder. Nothing. Where did he go? Was it even real? I'm I going crazy? I sigh. I lay back down, leaving the lantern on. I try to sleep but the image of silhouette is still burned into my mind. A chill goes down my spine. I feel like I am being watched. I finally fall asleep.

I wake up with no nightmares. I stretch. My legs touch something. I sit up and look. I find myself stuck in eye contact. My heart pounds. Two dark blue eyes stare at me. Hattori sits on the edge of the bed, holding his mask and looking at me. I can't say anything. I have been convincing myself that he was dead, just so I didn't think about it. Realization hits me. This has to be a dream. There is absolutely no way Hattori is here.

"Hey" Hattori says casually, as if he hasn't been gone for over a month. I don't say anything. I slowly raise my hand and touch his cheek gently. His hand finds mine. He takes it and moves it to his mouth. He delicately presses his lips to the back of my hand. My heart still pounds as I have trouble finding words. What are you supposed to say to someone you thought was dead? I think Hattori noticed I was at a loss of words because he leaned towards me. He tilts his head to the left. I instinctively do the same. My heart pounds from anticipation. I close my eyes, waiting for his lips to meet mine.

"We need to go" Hattori says quietly into my ear.

"W-what?" I ask. Hattori pulls away.

"It's ju-" Hattori gets interrupted.

"SACHIKO SHIBUYA!" A loud voice rumbles from outside of my room. The door slams open. My father stands angrily in the doorway. His eyes burn into mine. Red. His irises are completely red. He walks over to me. He quickly raises his hand. I flinch, covering my face with my hands. I look up to him. This is the side of my father that I choose to forget. The abusive, hatred-filled father. The back of his hand strikes my face. The strike makes me fall to the ground.

"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" Hattori stands, his hands balled into fists. Hattori is almost as tall as my father, just slightly shorter.

"You don't scare me." Shuichi says, almost spitting out his words. Ninjas fill the room. They chain down Hattori once again. My father walks over to me. "You are not the perfect daughter I raised. Now. You need to be taught a lesson." I can feel my body begin to shake. He begins to kick me hard in the stomach. over and over again. The pain is unbearable. The air gets kicked out of me. I begin to cough, soon I am coughing up blood. My vision gets blurry.

"STOP!!" Hattori screams. not out of anger, but worry, just like last time. My father doesn't stop. I can hear the chains moving, but it sounds like it is miles away. My father suddenly stops and I can hear Hattori yelling at my father. I can't seem to understand what he is saying. That's when I loose consciousnesses.