~~~
I woke with a start. There was an empty, cold space in the bed beside me. I got up and walked out of the patio doors, finding Haru smoking a cigarette.
“Hey stranger, why you up so early?” I asked him, smiling.
“Thinking.” He muttered, tense, a frown on his face. “Do you remember when we were kids?”
My smile broadened in surprise. “Of course! How could I forget, gummy bears on the swings, the lake-“
“Exactly, the lake. You remember all the swimming and stuff we did?”
“Yes…why? Feeling nostalgic are we?” I padded over to him and wrapped my arms round his waist.
“A bit, it’s just…” he paused a second, thinking. “I think we should go stay there a while. Take a tent and stuff; take some cans, just like when we were kids, y’know?”
“Yeah ok, that sounds fun.” I walked back to bed, slightly concerned, but soon fell fast asleep.
~~~
Less then forty eight hours later, we were there. The tent was set and we were swimming. It was just like when we were children, and Haru had finally relaxed.
I splashed water in his direction, and he retaliated by ducking under and pulling my legs.
I gasped, choking back the cool water as it filled my nose and mouth. I felt arms around me holding me by the surface, opened my eyes to see Haru’s beautiful green eyes beseeching mine for forgiveness. I kissed him swiftly, before swimming away towards the other side of the lake.
He gave chase, and we raced and raced, into unknown waters we hadn’t entered before. We swam further and further away from the safe, shaded area that filled our childhood, and further towards the dense trees on the other side.
We stopped by the bank, holding onto the thin grassy verge, to hold us afloat while we caught our breath. The forest ahead of us looked wild, untamed, and to a pair of wildfires like us, oh so inviting.
“Hey, Hinata, want to come back and explore this place later?”
He’d read my mind.
~~~
Later that day, about an hour before high noon, we clumsily swam across the lake, only with shorts and t-shirts on and walking boots around our necks. A few times across the way I had to stop to get my breath and Haru held me.
We reached the other side, and heaved ourselves out of the water. We slipped into our soggy, uncomfortable shoes and squeezed through the dense outer rim of bushes.
We found a surprisingly well trodden footpath. We followed it, it took us on a merry dance, twisting, turning and leading us astray.
We walked for a couple of hours, until we decided to sit and rest. The forest was cool, quiet, eerie. I started to feel a prickling sensation on the back of my neck. I felt eyes on my, heard a crack behind us, then a gloved hand covered my mouth to stifle my scream.
~~~
I woke much later, and it was dark out. My bleary eyes gazed around the room, and a painful, throbbing sensation filled my head.
I heard a noise from a far corner, and saw a door opening. A strange man entered, carrying two bowls. I began to whimper with the sheer fear that came over me.
“Sh, shh, it’s ok, my name is Katashi, I’m here to help you.”
He knelt down beside me and placed the two bowls by his knees. One bowl contained hot water and clean cloths, the other a sort of soup or broth.
I eyed the bowls wearily, whilst he carefully picked out a cloth, wrung it, and reached for my forehead. I flinched away, but he placed a soft, warm hand on my chin, holding my head still.
“I need to clean your head…hold still now.”
I began whimpering again as he peeled the sticky hair out of the gash on my forehead, and tears spilled down my bloody, smudged cheeks.
“Where am I?” I whispered, my throat parched and dry.
“You are in Aoi’s cabin, he captured you and your boyfriend. I was captured once too, but I gained his trust, now I work for him. He feeds me, waters me and doesn’t….”
He broke off, not wanting to finish.
“Doesn’t what?” I said, feeling braver in his presence.
“Never mind. I have to go. Drink your soup, I’ll come by and see you later.”
~~~
And he did come by and see me. Several times a day, and I was there for weeks. I wasn’t allowed to see Haru, but Katashi told me he was fine.
Me and Katashi got along well, and were interested in similar things. We had similar sense of humour. I found myself less and less longing for Haru, and more waiting and waiting for Katashi to arrive, either with more water or soup, and an amusing titbit or anecdote.
One day, about a month after I was first taken, Katashi came in, looking pale and drawn. I knew something was wrong. I gazed at him enquiringly.
He knelt down next to me and took my hands in his.
“I have to get you out of here,” he whispered. “Aoi has gone mad. I don’t know what’s wrong, he’s on a rampage. He’s already killed all his pets, I’m taking you away from here, into the woods. Here.” He took off his shirt, revealing a toned upper body, and shoved it into my hands.
“Put this on, and he won’t notice you very well. Just stay close to me and we’ll make it out.”
I was terrified, but hurriedly did as he bid me, and followed him out of my cell. I heard a sorrowful howling from somewhere nearby. I grasped at Katashi’s hand, seeking it’s warmth.
We made it to the front door, and calmly walked to the edge of the woods. Then we began to run.
~~~
We ran for what seemed like years, and by the time we stopped I was panting like a dog on a summer’s day. Katashi’s back glistened with sweat. Then I realised something.
“We’ve forgotten Haru!”
He turned to me and took my hands in his.
“It’s too late for Haru. I didn’t want to tell you back there, lest you go look for his body. He was the reason I came to get you. When I saw what happened to him, I dreaded to think what Aoi would do to you.”
He hung his head, and a solitary tear slid down his cheek.
“I wanted to help him. Honest I did. But I need to get you, to save you. If I’d have interfered, we would all be dead.”
I reached up, and kissed his tear away.
“That was a very brave thing to do.”
We stayed together in the woods like that for a few days. I mourned for Haru, but not as much as a good girlfriend should have, as he had already been missing from me for so long. Katashi was delicate towards me. HE treated me kindly, and gave me the sweetest, most succulent fruits he gathered.
One morning, he turned to me and smiled. I asked him what he was so happy about.
“You just laughed at that squirrel being nearly pushed off a tree!” he exclaimed.
“And?” I inquired.
“And,” he said, “it was the most beautiful sound, because I haven’t heard it in days.”
I smiled at him and walked over to him.
Suddenly my back was against the forest floor and he was kissing me. A stone dug into my back, but I didn’t care. I needed this, I needed this embrace, I longed for it. We moved together, and I fell into oblivion.
~~~
We lived in this manner for around two weeks.
One night, when the moon was full and high, I woke with a start to the sound of voices.
I rolled over, and peeped through slitted eyes towards the other side of our clearing. I saw Katashi and another man deep in conversation. I was about to get up and ask what was going on, but then saw the other man looking towards me.
I decided to listen carefully.
“….bring her to you tomorrow. She will come, she trusts me.”
“And what of her assets? Presentable?”
“Oh, hahaa, oh yes. Very.” I heard something in Katashi’s voice, something I’d never heard before. It chilled me to the core.
~~~
The next morning I woke to find Katashi smiling down at me.
“We’re setting up camp somewhere else today kiddo, give this place chance to repair.”
I gazed up at him wearily, then nodded. I would go with it for now then go through with my own plan.
We walked for about two hours, before coming to a stop. Katashi directed himself behind me, and pointed ahead, to a wren on the forest floor ahead.
He clamped a hand over my mouth.
“I’m so sorry.” He whispered into my neck. He kissed my neck discretely, before shoving me along a side path, towards a familiar cabin.
We barged into what I assumed to be the living room, I assumed because I’d never seen it before.
A large, muscular man was in an armchair. He smiled when he saw us.
“Ahh yes, young Hinata and slightly older Katashi. How lovely. Do sit.”
I waited for Katashi to sit, before taking my sit, the furthest one away as possible.
Aoi leant over and whispered in Katashi’s ear. He turned pale, but smiled cruelly and nodded. He got up and walked towards me.
“Listen carefully, we have to get out of here. He wants us to have sex in front of him. I’m so sorry. It’s that or death.” He whispered this in my ear.
“I’d rather die.” I spat back at him. He pleaded at me with his eyes, and I relented, keeping my plan in mind.
Aoi insisted we use the coach whilst he watched from across the room.
A few minutes in I put the plan in motion.
I slipped my hands around Katashi’s neck, and began to squeeze.
“Die,” I whispered again and again. “Die!”
Katashi put up a fight for a while, then suddenly lay still. I clambered off him. I turned around to find Aoi right behind me. He grabbed me by the throat and dragged me to another room. He pushed me in and I tripped over something soft. I turned and look and saw Haru. He was breathing!
I knelt and clasped at him, holding him, and got a hard kick in the side for my troubles. I fell away, gasping for breath.
Aoi stood over us, an evil leer on his face.
He knelt next to Haru’s unconscious body. Quick as a flash he had a knife in his hand, plunge, plunge, one, two. Blood splattered his crisp, white shirt.
I panted and stared. The knife was red, dripping, hovering over my love. He lay, his beautiful face hidden in the thick, warm carpet. A fire roared across the room from us, its hellish light reflected in the knife’s polished edge. He leaned closer, walking towards me, an evil grin on his face, a manic look in his eye. I felt a searing pain then, blackout.
One year later
I walked through the park pushing a pram. Baby Haru was wriggling and whining, the big, healthy, bouncing baby. He was around three months old, and conceived during the two weeks leading up to Haru the elders death.
He was Katashi’s child.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned and smiled up into Katashi’s face. He bent down to kiss me, then baby Haru.
There are a few things that happen, that always result in both parties falling in love.
One of them is saving the girl of your dreams’ life repeatedly, then committing murder to save her again. The jury let him off on the grounds that Aoi was about to kill me.
We meandered through the park together, ad Katashi lit up a cigarette.
