Chapter 35 : Morbid Secrets

Sora

"Kari...are you ok?" I placed my hand on Tai's sister's shoulder. She flinched visibly and turned to me. She had small rings under her eyes, as if she hadn't had sleep in a long while. It looked wrong, that someone so young should look like that. "I-I'm...fine...Sora..." I raised an eyebrow slightly, she stuttered a bit and her her voice was quaky. Yes, she had been quite paranoid and completely freaked out with the current events but still the sound of her voice seemed different. Or maybe I was just thinking up things now, it's impossible to tell. Still, I couldn't help but think that something was wrong. "Are you sure? Anything you want to talk about?" I asked her.

She seemed a bit shocked, but the expression passed quickly, as if she was trying to hide it. She then turned away a bit, thinking, before finally answering with a quiet; "No." Something was up. There was something she didn't want to talk about, and it probably isn't just Mimi's death. What was on her mind? I had heard from Taichi that she had been having horrific nightmares since Takeru's death and they had been getting progressively worse. Has one been bothering her? Or was it something else? Was she worried that Yama would come to get her for turning him in? Wait, Tai never told her that he escaped. I had disagreed with that idea, I thought Hikari had a right to know.

I debated whether or not to tell her. It would only frighten her more, yes,...but...was ignorance really bliss? Or would she rather have known...What if Yama comes to confront us? Then would she be doublely scared because she never knew that he had escaped? I don't know... But I should tell her..."Kari..." I started, but was interrupted. "There's nothing wrong!" she snapped suddenly, her eyes were wide and she was trembling. Something was really wrong. She wasn't normally this snappish. She was hiding something. She knew something....wait, what? I rewound my thoughts, trying to find a logical explanation for why Hikari would hide anything from anyone.

"Ok, you just proved that something is wrong." I told her firmly. She looked scared, like a kid caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing. What was it? Did she know something? Maybe she found out that Matt escaped all on her own and thinks that the rest of us don't know. That's it...why else would she be acting like this? I saw tears start to form in her eyes. "Promise me you won't tell Taichi...?" she whispered, not looking at me. I softened my expression, now positive about my theory. "Promise, now tell me what's on your mind." She nodded slowly, looking deep in thought. I smiled, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"I..I..." Kari swallowed hard, "I saw Yamato." I felt my heart freeze momentarily and my blood ran cold. What did she mean she saw Yama? She didn't say where or how or when? She means on TV right? When they had announced his escape...that's what she meant...surely she hadn't actually seen him on the streets? Tai had told her about her little adventure after school the other day, when she wandered off into town. "What do you mean you saw him?" I wondered, hoping that she did mean that she saw him on television. "I saw him. In an alley after school Tuesday." her voice was uneven and quivering, obviously very afraid.

And I froze completely. She had seen Matt. She had seen him in person. Why hadn't she told someone earlier!? What had happened at their meeting? Had he seen her as well? Or had she fled at the sight of him? What happened? I couldn't find my voice, and the Keeper of the Crest of Light continued. "He was unconscious in a dumpster. It looked like he had been in a fight because he had blood all over him and cuts and bruises." So he hadn't seen her? He was hurt! Why didn't she call for help? How serious were his wounds? How much blood had there been? Who had he fought? Why was he in a dumpster? But then, I realized that Kari couldn't have called for help. The authorities would have taken him away again as soon as they found him.

But...wasn't she afraid of him? She had turned him in once without hesitating? Why not again? I answered my own questions again. She had felt very guilty for calling the police the first time, she had taken it hard when Tai treated her coldly because of it. She didn't want to loose her brother's trust again. She couldn't have helped Yama. I could guess the rest. Kari knew she couldn't help Matt, so she left him there. But she couldn't tell anyone either, especially Tai, who would have demanded her to take him to Yama so that they could talk. Or something. Poor Kari...no wonder she was having nightmares. She was still afraid of Matt, she would have probably turned him in again if she wasn't afraid he could come after her like he had Mimi.

"Oh Kari...how badly hurt was he?" I asked gently. She shook her head, "I don't know, he was wearing a black trench coat and couldn't tell for sure. I didn't want to wake him up. But there was a lot of blood on his shirt and his face and his hair was all messed up." I nodded, understandingly. I hoped Matt hadn't been too injured, if he had been he could be dead now. In these lowering temperatures...he wouldn't last long without shelter. Kari had found him in a dumpster? He'd freeze if he was still out there... Damnit, I needed to know... "Where did you see him?" Kari looked at me, her eyes were damp from fighting back tears. "You want to find him." It wasn't a question, she knew I wanted to see him, to see if he was alright. That was why she hadn't wanted to tell. I didn't bother denying it. "You can't Sora! He'll kill you!" she cried.

"No, he won't." I said more confidently than I felt. I knew that Yamato would be angry if I approached him. I knew he would be angry if I told him what he was doing was wrong. And as much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't deny the possibility that he might pull a knife on me like he did Mimi. But I needed to see if he was alright. He couldn't be dead... "Kari, please, I need to see if he's ok...he might not even be where you found him. It won't hurt to see...please, Kari?" I hoped she could tell, I didn't want to force her to. She'd been through so much already, seen her friends drop like flies around her. She didn't need me trying to pry things out of her. But I would if I had to.

She continued to shake her head. "Sora...please don't go...I don't want you to die. TK...and Mimi...I don't want you to die too..." I could tell she was trying hard not to cry, and that it was very difficult for her. Poor Kari. "Hikari...I'm not going to die. None of us will. Just please, tell me where you found him. If I see him I won't let him see me. Please..." My voice was pleading now. The eighth child looked down and was silent for a while. "I...I don't know for sure where it was, I was lost. But I think it was in an alley somewhere on 7th Street," her voice was barely audible.

I pulled her into a hug, hoping to reassure her that I would be alright. But I doubted I'd be able to, I couldn't even reassure myself. I would try and find Yama this evening. We got up off the park bench and started towards the Kamiyas' apartment. I had been accompanying Kari to the park because she didn't want to be cooped up and her parents didn't want her out alone. Tai still wasn't well enough to leave the house for too long. We made it to the apartment momentarily. Taichi was in his room sitting on his bed; his arm was in a sling, the gash and stitches covered by a thick bandage. After a quick exchange of greetings and thank yous and get wells, I departed. I noticed Kari had been casting glances at her brother and myself, afraid that I would tell Tai about Yama no doubt. But I wouldn't tell...not just yet.

It was chilly outside. The first snow of the year still hadn't come, but it wouldn't be long. I walked briskly down the street, trying to keep warm. The streets were mildly crowded, just another ordinary day really. But somehow nothing felt normal anymore. I noticed that I was getting a bit paranoid too; I watched my back to see if I was being followed and my eyes darted towards the dark shadows of the alleys, expecting to see Aymichi crouched and ready to pounce. I shivered, I didn't like the feeling of being unsafe. My parents had been very reluctant to let me out of the house in the first place. But after much persuading, I managed to get them to let me out and accompany Kari and to go to Joe's tonight to study for a chemistry exam.

My cell phone rang, it was Joe. "Hey, still coming over tonight?" he asked, "Yeah, " I answered, "I'll be over in an hour or so, I need to check something out first." "Alright then, my parents and brother are all working late, come over whenever." "'Kay, see you in a bit." "Bye." I shoved the miniture phone back into my purse and glanced at the nearest street sign. I was on 5th Street, almost there. I hoped Kari hadn't lied to me, because it she very well could have. But I would have to trust her on this one. I pulled my hat down a bit, covering up my freezing ears, then stuffed my hands back in my pockets, trying to find some warmth. I really hoped Matt had some warm clothes.

I slowed as I stepped on to 7th Street. It was fairly deserted, only a few people scuttled along the streets and there were no cars at all. Creepy place, or maybe it was just me. I looked around, there were several alleyways leading off of the street. I looked down all of them for a dumpster. One alley had a bunch of boxes with those little white foam things all over the place. Another alley had an old bike propped up against an empty shopping cart. The third alley I looked in had a dumpster. I walked down that alley. There was nothing but trash in the large metal box. Still, I looked around, trying to find some sign that Yama had been here. Nothing, not even a bit of blood or cloth.

Feeling a bit discouraged, I walked on past the dumpster, searching for a door or something. The building that the dumpster was next to was an abandoned/for rent store. Finding nothing but a locked door, I decided to look down another alley. The next alley had nothing but a few tin trash cans and a stray cat. The one after that had a dumpster as well, along with a few bags of stinking trash. I examined this trash heap as well, trying to find any sign of my escaped friend. A saw a few red stains on the ground, but I couldn't tell if it was blood or tomato sauce. I was busy looking at it when I felt someone come up behind me. I stood up and turned.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" a cold, muffled voice asked me. The face of the figure before me was hidden by the large white scarf that was wrapped around half his head, only his eyes and hair showed. His eyes were pale, silvery blue, and his hair was a mangled, dirty, stringy mess. It looked dirty blond, but I couldn't be sure, it might be a light brown color. The guy was a bit taller than me and he was wearing a thick, black, leather trench coat, it looked very expensive, though the tattered jeans he also wore made me wonder. "I...was looking for someone..." I answered unevenly. Who was this guy? What did he want?

"By staring at a bloodstain on the ground?" he snapped. So it was a bloodstain? That meant that this was where Yamato was! Where was he now? "I...um..." I couldn't really tell this stranger I was looking for an escaped 'psychopath' could I? What if he was a police agent in disguise? What if he already knew I was looking for Matt? "How did you know I was here, Sora?" the strange growled. What? Matt! Oh my god...I didn't even recognize him...I didn't recognize his voice at all until now...I couldn't recognize his eyes or hair....how could I have not recognized him? How could I have?! "Matt...." I realized I was trembling, not from the cold, but from shock that I failed to recognize my friend.

I forced myself to get over the feeling, what should I say to him? I didn't want to say that Kari had found him first, then he'd be angry at her and I didn't now want Yama to feel any more resentment towards Tai's sister. But if I lied, he'd surely be able to tell...just because I no longer knew him doesn't mean he doesn't know me. I couldn't lie to him... Aw, fuck, I sure as hell couldn't send him after Hikari! "I overheard someone saying they saw you here." I told him, trying to make my voice sound convincing and confident. He scoffed, I don't know if he believed me or not. "Well you found me, now what the fuck do you want?" he demanded. "And if you're going to tell me to come home or that what I'm doing is wrong, you can just save your breath and leave. I'm not going anywhere until that bastard is dead and at this point and really don't give a flyin' fuck about all your morals and righteousness."

"Yamato...please, think about this. If you keep doing this then you'll be just like him. Revenge is no way get about this...you'll just make him angrier." I pleaded, but in the back of my head I knew he wasn't going to listen. "Sora...ask me if I care. Ask me if I care anymore. Because I don't. He ruined my life and there's no point in turning back now." He growled. "No, Matt, you can turn back. Just stop now, you can still fix things. Aymichi...he killed Mimi. There's no point in your staying at the asylum anymore... we know you're not whacked...please...Mimi's parents might even bail you out..." The news of Mimi's death didn't seem to phase him at all. I still did not believe that he ever meant to kill the Keeper of the Crest of Sincerity, but did his indifference now confirm that he really didn't care if she had lived or died?

"Fuck you, Takenouchi! Stop lying to me. There's no way I can ever go back to my old life. The people at school think I'm insane. My parents think I'm insane. You and everyone else think I'm insane, so don't pretend you don't. And you know what maybe I am fucking whacked. But I don't care, I'm going to kill Aymichi if it's the last thing I do. And if you, or anyone else tries to get in my way I'm going to kill you too." he threatened. No...Yama...please, you don't mean that. Right? Please don't say that....we don't think your insane...we don't. We're still your friends, please believe us...but I could not find my voice anymore. I was afraid saying more would only provoke him more. "Y-Yama..." I froze as he threw a knife down suddenly. The blade landed at my feet, just short of my toes. I jumped back reflexively, terrified. "Get out of here, Sora." he hissed. And I ran.

I ran for Joe's house, which is where I should have gone in the first place. I shouldn't have gone to see Yama. How could I have believed that I could have changed his mind? How could I have believed he would listen? Matt is no longer who he was, Aymichi had transformed him. Takeru's death had transformed him. He wasn't who he was. He was a killer now. And I could do nothing for him. I hated that I couldn't do anything for him. I felt helpless and pathetic and hopeless. I ran up the apartment steps of Joe's complex. Wanting to get away from the meeting that had just occurred. Wanting to talk about homework with my friend. Yes, I wanted to talk about homework. Anything to get my mind of Matt. I just didn't want to think about it anymore. Kari was right, I shouldn't have gone.

I shivered and knocked on Joe's door. Yama would be find...his wounds couldn't have been that bad because I didn't notice anything. And he had gotten decent clothes for the coming winter. He would be fine...and although I've lost almost all my hope for him, somewhere in the back of my head, I held on to the possibility that he would still come to his senses. After all...anything was possible right? Maybe he would kill Aymichi, and come home. Maybe...it could happen. I could wish couldn't I? I could wish, I could dream. All of this can't last forever...it has to end somewhere. It has to end sometime... I knocked again on Joe's door, wondering why he wasn't answering. "Joe?" I knocked the door a third time, a fourth time.

Feeling a bit nervous now, I tried the doorknob. It was open. I walked in, half-afraid and confused. "Joe!? Are you home? Where---" I screamed. There, hanging from the ceiling, on a long twisted metal cord, was Joe's head. Blood dripped from from where there was once a neck. Broken veins and arteries hung loosely from the opening and the stub of the spine poked out, it was a grotesque white color, stained with black and red. A puddle was on the floor where the blood had been dripping and even now it continued to drip. A drop of red blood fell from the head and splashed in the pool. Joe's eyes were open and wide, the veins in the eyes were visible, red and ruptured. His eyes were bleeding too, red liquid flowed from the sockets and made it look as if he was crying blood. His glasses were crooked and broken, the glass fractured into a million pieces. I screamed again, my cry echoed off the walls of the homely apartment, and I passed out on the floor.

Next Chapter

© Kiriska