Chapter 6 - Worry
“You’ve gotten even weaker.” A voice rings through Kasumi’s head.
“I know.” Kasumi replies.
“You’re worrying your brother.”
“I know.”
Kasumi lies in a blank white space. Kanai is standing, looking over her.
“Am I dead?” Kasumi asks.
“No.” Kanai replies.
“What happened?”
“With someone a power as strong as yours, it’s going to take some time to circulate around your body. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming.” Kanai explains.
“Power?”
“Did you forget?”
Kasumi tries to stand. She faces Kasumi and narrows her eyes.
“Forget what?”
“The power you were given? Everything I told you?”
Something clicks in Kasumi’s brain. She straightens her posture and looks down at her hands.
“I meant to ask you, what is the meaning of this power?”
“Everything will come to you in time. Everything will come to you in time…” Kanai’s voice fades away.
Kasumi lies in a hospital bed while a doctor is fixing an IV. Kasumi half-consciously opens her eyes and then closes them back. The sounds of beeping and movement fades in and then back out.
What’s going on?
Ex stumbles back to the window seal in his mom’s hospital room. He doesn’t sit down, but he leans on the edge. He glances at his lifeless mother and then out the window.
“Should I go check on her?” He asks himself. He straightens his posture and heads towards the door. “I’ll be back, mom.”
He leaves her hospital room and then begins to head toward the exit. Just then, someone caught his eye. In the lobby waiting is Sato sitting anxiously in a chair.
Isn’t that Kasumi’s brother? Ex thinks. Ex walks over to Sato, approaching in a careful way.
“Are you Kasumi’s brother?” Ex asks.
“Who the hell are you?” Sato says, strained.
“I’m the detective that found her that night she ran away.” Ex says carefully.
“What are you doing here?” Sato calms himself just a little.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I don’t know where they took her. They told me to wait out here.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, is she ok?”
Sato glances up at him with a suspicious look.
“She passed out. Why do you wanna know?”
“Just...Just curious.”
Ex walks back the other way and into the ER. He pushes past people and looks in the separate ER rooms where people are trying to be saved. In the third room, he finds someone that looks like Kasumi so he glances through the glass in the door to get a better view and finds out that it is Kasumi. His eyes narrow, trying to see the machine connected to Kasumi to see if she’s alive. The scene closes in on Kasumi that a doctor is holding a bag valve mask to her mouth and is pushing oxygen into her system. Another doctor comes into the room with defibrillators. The doctor sets the machine and rubs the two defibrillators together.
“CLEAR!”
Right before the defibrillators touch Kasumi’s chest, her eyes open wide to reveal that they are a glowing purple. As soon as the defibrillators touch her chest, electricity sparked the defibrillators away from her chest, alarming everyone in the room. Kasumi sits up, very alarmed. Her eyes fade to their normal color and she begins breathing as if nothing happened. Ex makes direct eye contact with Kasumi.
***
A doctor and Sato sit outside of Kasumi’s hospital room. Inside the room, Kasumi is staring at some jello placed in front of her. The doctor closes the door to Kasumi’s room to talk to Sato.
“What happened?” Sato asks.
“Truth is, we aren’t actually sure what happened. According to all the medical tests we did, she should be dead.”
“Wha-how?” Sato looks at the doctor in surprise.
“Well, her resting heart rate read 210 beats per minute. Her heart should’ve exploded. I have no idea what happened, but she seems to be ok now.”
“I don’t understand…”
Kasumi stares at her jello as Sato and the doctor continue talking outside.
“These people saw what you did. Now they suspect your power. You really shouldn’t have come into the hospital.” Kanai’s voice says.
I didn’t really have a choice.
“That shouldn’t matter. You should’ve fought him.”
I didn’t have enough strength to fight him.
“There’s something else you should know, as her emergency contact.” The doctor tells Sato.
“What is it?” Sato asks.
“When we were helping her, I spotted some bruising. Especially around her groin area. Is there anything going on at home?”
Sato thinks deeply for a moment, biting his lip out of anxiety.
“Yes. When I’m not home, our father tends to be abusive.” Sato responds reluctantly.
“We need to run an x-ray and a rape kit on her.”
“I understand. What does all this stuff prove?”
“The x-ray will show us if any deeper damage was done to her. The rape kit will show me the extent of the damage done. I’m going to have to go to the police about this.”
“No! Please. My father can’t find out about this.” Sato exclaims, worried.
“Are you two in direct danger?”
Sato sighs and runs his hand through his hair, looking at Kasumi.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll just get one police officer to come in and ask a few questions. Your father won’t know a thing. We’ll keep it confidential.” The doctor suggests. “Does that sound alright?”
Sato silently nods in agreement.
“Ok then, I’ll be right back. Feel free to go inside and talk to her.”
The doctor gives Sato a smile before walking away. Sato carefully steps inside the room. Kasumi continues staring down at her jello, barely noticing that Sato is in the room with her. Sato sits in a chair next to the hospital bed Kasumi is in.
“Hey, sis. How are you feeling?” Sato says softly.
Kasumi doesn’t answer, but just looks at him.
“Kasumi?” Sato tries to get her attention.
“What happened?” Kasumi asks.
“You passed out.” Sato tries to be as gentle as he can for how upset he is.
“Why am I still here?” Kasumi asks with a lump in her throat.
“The doctors just want to examine you a little further-”
“What are they going to do?” Kasumi’s voice rises in worry.
“Calm down, Kasumi.” Sato says softly. “They just want to run a few more tests.”
“What tests are they going to run? Sato, what did she tell you?” Kasumi flings questions at her brother, scared.
Sato looks down at the ground then runs his hand through his hair, ruffling it in the back.
“They’re going to run an x-ray.”
“What else?”
“And they’re going to do a rape kit.”
Kasumi looks over at Sato, unsure what to think. “What?”
“Don’t worry, Kasumi.”
“What the hell does a rape kit mean? Why are they doing one? What do they know, Sato?” Kasumi throws even more questions at him, one right after another, her voice showing a tint of anger.
“They...she found bruises on you when they were helping you.” Sato says reluctantly.
“What does this mean? Will he...will our father kill us?” Kasumi becomes even more scared than before and begins trembling.
Sato widens his eyes and looks at Kasumi. He stands up and gives her a hug.
“No! No he won’t. I promise. I promise nothing will happen to you, Kasumi.” Sato says reassuringly.
“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about him getting to you.” Kasumi says.
Sato tightens the hug and shuts his eyes tight.
***
Ex is outside of Kasumi’s hospital room hours later. He sees that she’s asleep and Sato is sitting next to her. Ex sees that Kasumi seems to be ok and then walks away.
Why the hell did that hurt so much? I really need to heal her but how do I do that without seeming suspicious? Maybe I’ll just let the hospital take care of it. They seem to be doing good so far. Ex goes back to his mother’s hospital room. He sits on the window seal and stares out the window. What if I’m not able to protect her like I’m supposed to? This is frustrating.
***
Hirata walks furiously through the hospital. He barges into Kasumi’s hospital room that currently has Kasumi, Sato and two police officers. Hirata disregards the policemen and goes straight for Sato. He grabs him by the shirt alarming everyone in the room. Sato widens his eyes in fear and tries to free himself from his father’s grip, but fails.
“What the hell did I say would happen to you, huh?! Why would you do this to her?!” Hirata yells.
Kasumi darts her eyes at her father; speechless. The policemen pull Hirata off of his son and step in between them.
“What the hell are you talking about?! YOU did this to her!” Sato fights back.
“You can’t prove that!” Hirata directs his attention to Kasumi. “Kasumi, honey, you wouldn’t betray your father, right?”
Kasumi clenches her fists and stares at her father, still speechless from fear.
“Kasumi, just don’t listen to him, alright? He’s fucking crazy.” Sato glares at his father. Kasumi doesn’t budge.
“Sir, I’m going to need you to step out of the room so that we can continue asking them questions.” The police officer states.
“As you wish, officer.” Hirata bows out of the room sarcastically.
“I think that you should step out too.” The police officer says to Sato. “There are some things I need to ask just her.”
“Whatever you need, officer.” Sato says kindly. Sato takes one more glance at his sister before leaving the room. He sits in a chair that is sat right outside of her hospital room. Hirata leans on the wall on the other side of the door.
“I told you not to bring her to the hospital.” Hirata says coldly.
“She needed medical attention. She passed out when I got home. I had no other choice.” Sato says in a monotone voice.
“She would have woken up. She did before.”
“She passed out before and you didn’t think to help?!” Sato’s voice rises in anger. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Don’t you dare speak to me like that, boy-”
“I have a name.” Sato interrupts.
“Unless you want a fistful when we get home, I suggest you stop.” Hirata threatens.
“You’re not going to hurt us anymore.” Sato says back to his dull tone. “There are currently two policemen in that room getting the answers and evidence they need to lock you away.”
“There’s something you don’t know, son-”
“Don’t call me son.” Sato interrupts with a dark undertone.
“What your tone.” Hirata shoots back. “I knew something like this would happen. I’ve wired her brain to make sure she won’t give me away when the time comes. She’s on my side. No matter what you do or say, even if I do get locked up, I’m your father and you won’t ever be able to get rid of me.”
“I might not be able to get rid of you, but I can make sure that you don’t hurt her again.”
“She won’t ever escape me.” Hirata adds. “You might be able to on your own, but she will not.”
“What did you even do to her? Why are you so confident that she won’t turn you in or leave you?”
“It’s simple, that girl can’t live without me.”
Kasumi stares off into space as the policemen carefully observe her. One is sitting on a stool next to her bed while the other one is pacing the room.
“So, Kasumi...Hirata Yamazaki is your father, right?” One of the policemen asks.
Kasumi doesn’t respond.
“You can talk to us, Kasumi.” The policeman says calmly. “We won’t tell anyone. We’re here to help.”
Kasumi continues staring off, not saying a word.
“Can you at least confirm Hirata is your father?” The other policeman asks.
Kasumi silently and half-conscientiously nods her head.
“We really can help you.” The first policeman says. “You just need to tell us what we need to know in order to do so. Do you understand?”
Kasumi doesn’t respond.
“Listen, if you’re not willing to cooperate, we’ll have no choice but to lock him away anyway. So I suggest you start talking.”
“Please, Suzuki, calm down.” The first policeman tries to calm the other one before he says something that’s going too far.
“My father didn’t do any of this.” Kasumi says robotically.
“That’s not what the rape kit said. It had his DNA all over it. Either way, you’re not going back home with him.”
“SUZUKI-”
“What? Where will I go then?” Kasumi asks nervously.
“Your brother has agreed to take full responsibility for you.”
“But then where will we be staying? We don’t have enough money to have our own place, right?” Kasumi begins flinging questions again.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Seriously, we need you to answer these questions. Can you do that for us?”
“I’m sorry.” Kasumi shakes her head reluctantly. “I’m not willing to answer any of your questions.”
“Ok I understand. You’re not willing to answer any questions about your father, but are you willing to answer questions about what happened when you came back?”
“No.”
“Very well.” The policeman sighs.
Hirata and Sato are still waiting outside of Kasumi’s hospital room.
“She can live very well without you. I think she could live even better without you.” Sato says plainly.
“You are mistaken. Although you seem to be nicer to her, I’m tougher on her and I’ve been there for her longer than you have.” Hirata says back.
Sato stands up, royally pissed at his father.
“Excuse me?” Sato says angrily.
“You heard what I said.” Hirata says.
“You think that all you’re doing is being “tough” on her?” Sato retorts angrily. “There really is something wrong with you.”
Hirata charges at Sato, grabbing his shirt again.
“Don’t you dare say that there’s something wrong with me again. I’ll beat your ass right here, right now.” Hirata threatens.
“You know I’m right.” Sato says confidently. “I may not be there all the time, but when I’m not, I am busting my ass off to earn money just so that she can get away and not have to feel the wretched pain that you torment her with. I’m more of a parent than you or Sando will ever be.”
Hirata slams Sato up against the wall, catching the attention of some civilians nearby. They glance and then move on like nothing’s happening.
“Don’t you dare disrespect your mother.” Hirata says with a dark undertone.
“I think we should hash this out back at home.” Sato suggests. “Right now, we’re in a hospital. My number one priority is getting Kasumi to a safer place, far away from you.”
“You’re going to pay for this later.” Hirata threatens.
Hirata lets Sato go and walks away.
“Don’t count on it.” Sato says under his breath.
Just then, the policemen walk out of Kasumi’s hospital room.
“Where’d he go?” The policeman asks.
“He’s probably going home. Who knows.” Sato says.
“Well, she didn’t give us anything. I’m sorry, but without her confession, we don’t have the evidence we need to lock him up.”
“She wasn’t willing to answer any question we asked.” The other policeman adds.
“So we can’t save her? That’s it?” Sato says with rising anger in his voice.
“Well, there is another option.” The first policeman says.
“Since you are taking full responsibility for her as her older brother, you can move out of your current home. You can get a small loan to get you started and then buy a small place. It’s the best option you have and I heavily suggest that you take it.” The second policeman adds.
“What if he follows us? Or what if he tries to threaten us again?”
“Then dial 9-1-1. We’ll take care of it.” The policeman says. “You should really try to do this as soon as possible.”
“Thanks for helping officers.” Sato says.
“No problem. I’m sorry we weren’t able to do more. Our hands are tied here.”
“I understand. Thanks anyway.”
Sato shakes both of their hands before they walk away. Sato runs his hand through his hair; distressed. He takes a deep breath and then walks inside. He shuts the door behind him and then sits in the chair besides her bed.
“Hey.” Sato greets softly.
Kasumi looks down at her folded hands, not saying a word.
“I just want you to know that you’re the strongest person I know. You’re so tough and I know that you’ve had a rough child-hood, but I’m hoping that the rest of your life will make up for that.” Sato adds whole-heartedly.
Kasumi doesn’t move or speak.
“You should get some sleep. The more rest you get the faster you’ll recover.” Sato adds.
Kasumi suddenly smiles.
“Do you remember that thing we used to do when we were really little?” She asks abruptly.
“I don’t think-”
“When we were walking home from school, we would each kick a rock all the way home and see who kept it up the longest.” She smiles.
“Kasumi, are you ok?” Sato asks.
“Yeah I remember. Those were good times.” Kanai says.
“Or those days I showed up to school without lunch and you gave me some of yours?”
“Yeah I remember. You really liked peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches.” Kanai responds.
Kasumi giggles. “Yeah.”
“Kasumi, who are you talking to?”
Kasumi blinks her eyes and snaps back to reality. “What?”
“You were just talking to someone I think. Who was it?”
“It was nothing. I was just thinking out-loud. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry, Kasumi. I really think you should get some rest. It’s been a long night.”
“It’s been a long night for you too, Sato. When’s the last time you’ve taken care of yourself?”
Sato scratches the back of his head.
“I took a shower last night and slept for a few hours. I’m fine. You shouldn’t worry about me. Just get some sleep, alright?”
“Ok…”
***
The next night, Sato and Kasumi get released from the hospital.
“So, I don’t think those police officers told you, but we’re going to be moving out.” Sato brings up.
“We are?” Kasumi becomes slightly happier and smiles.
“There we are!”
Sato ruffles Kasumi’s hair in a playful manner.
“I haven’t seen you genuinely smile in such a long time. It’s nice, Kasumi. We’re going to be getting a small apartment a few blocks from your school.”
“That’s great news, Kasumi. Why aren’t you purely happy?”
I don’t know…
“The great thing is, there will be police officers there to make sure that he doesn’t interfere when we are moving out.” Sato adds happily.
“That’s great.” Kasumi smiles again.
“This will be a great new start for us.”
“You might be able to start a new life, but you won’t ever be able to forget the pain that your father inflicted on you for all those years. You’ll never be truly happy as long as that man lives, Kasumi.” A voice echoes in Kasumi’s head.
“What if he comes and tries to get us?” Kasumi asks worriedly.
“He’ll take you back and he’ll hurt you even more.” The voice adds, worrying Kasumi even more.
“That won’t happen.” Sato says. “If that ever does, I’ll call the police and then protect you. I swear on my life, Kasumi, nothing will ever happen to you again. Nothing should’ve ever happened to you in the first place, but I’m making up for that now.”
“I’m just...scared.”
“I know. One day, you’ll be able to live your life without fear. That’s something to look forward to.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Kasumi slightly glances over her shoulder, feeling like someone’s watching. The scene pans out to show that there are four men dressed in black following Kasumi and her brother discreetly.