Chapter 2: Cracks in the picture

The cicadas' song continued its relentless hum, a familiar backdrop to Rei's childhood. Yet, as he turned seven, the harmonious melody of his life began to falter.

It started subtly—muted conversations behind closed doors, his parents' voices low and strained. Rei would catch glimpses of their tense faces, their forced smiles when they noticed him watching.

One humid summer night, the tranquility was shattered. Rei was jolted awake by the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. Heart racing, he sat up, the darkness of his room pressing in around him. Through the thin walls, his mother's voice rose, sharp and anguished, cutting through the stillness.

"How could you? After all these years..."

His father's reply was muffled, defensive, but Rei could sense the anger underlying it.

Curiosity and fear battled within him. Slipping out of bed, he tiptoed to his door, opening it just a crack. The hallway stretched before him, a dim path leading to the living room where shadows danced erratically, illuminated by the flickering television.

Peering around the corner, he saw his mother standing amidst shards of a broken vase, her face streaked with tears. His father stood opposite her, fists clenched, eyes averted.

Rei's young mind struggled to comprehend the scene. The parents who had once been the pillars of his world now seemed like strangers, their love a distant memory.

As days turned into weeks, the arguments became more frequent, the silences more prolonged. The warmth that once filled their home was replaced by a cold, palpable tension. Meals were eaten in silence, and Rei found solace in the solitude of the fields, where the whispering winds seemed more comforting than the strained voices at home.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, Rei sat alone beneath the old cherry blossom tree near their house. The first petals had begun to fall, signaling the end of the season. He watched as they drifted to the ground, a gentle reminder that even the most beautiful things come to an end.

In that moment, a profound sense of loss washed over him. The innocence of his childhood was slipping away, replaced by a heavy understanding that nothing remained the same forever.

Little did he know, this was only the beginning of the sorrows he would come to know—and the unique burden he would soon discover within himself.