Unnamed

There was a split second of silence as lightning struck the ground in the outskirts of Nayoro, Japan. During that split second, the boy rises in his car seat to get a better look, fascinated. He then cowers back down at the booming sound, fidgeting in the seat belt as if he should have known better. The nearly tangible sound had yanked him from his momentary panic relief. He didn't exactly know what was going on and was confused as to why his father would want to take him some place in a storm. He couldn't mind too much, however; what if it was some place new and pleasant? Although he knew that was most likely not the probability, he began to dream up possibilities, winding the temporary panic relief back up.
He looked at the car window to his left and watched rain droplets come and go. Lights flashed across his eyes and he clenched his seat belt readying himself for the boom that came not long after. His what-if fantasies became less and less pleasant as he looked to his right at his father. The much older man seemed to be in a state of disarray clenching the steering wheel as if for his life. The boy could sense the man's fragile temper ripping at the seams. They sat in a weary silence with only the sound of the engine and a muffled storm. The younger was still trying to piece things together from moments before. The memories, still fresh in his mind, he played them back over trying to find the story in the now.

-

Every sense, from the feel to the sent of the air, was soaked with the threat of rain. He did have his video games. As much as he loved playing in the family yard, he needed days like these in which he could just sit in his mother's lap in the lounge and do his best to explain every game as she asked every question. The day indeed started off just like that. She held him in her lap as she gently stroked his distinct light hair. She would always say it looked just like his fathers but whenever he compared their hair, he found no similarities. Even his own mother's hair was straight and black but he had a brown tint and a little bit of a curl to it.
His mother loved his hair and he knew this much, but the way she cautiously stroked his hair as if she were going to lose it put him off ease. She didn't ask as many questions about how the game worked. She didn't make sad or encouraging exclamations when he lost a round. She didn't even question the graphics or what the moving figures were supposed to be. She just seemed to want to focus on the moment. To him, these actions felt a bit familiar; like when he would sneak a cookie or play his game late at night. She was acting like she was doing something she shouldn't be or was already in some sort of trouble. The five-year-old felt as if he were in no place to question it, however.
By the time his father came home, it was already dusk. The man walked into the lounge, silent as if he was gathering the energy around him and saving his voice for his own emotion; he didn't look up from the red and yellow patterned carpet. The boy's mother was the first to speak. She patted him on the shoulder.
"Abiko, darling. Why don't you go play that somewhere else?" She didn't have to tell him twice.
"Yes." Was his simple response as he hopped off his mother's lap, off the sofa and patted down the hall. He stopped when he heard his father's voice.
"Why?" Abiko silently powered off the game, hugged it securely to his chest, and sat at the end of the hallway.
"I didn't want you to find out like this." Her voice was cracking.
"So it's true?"
"Please understand, you-"
"No. No! I cannot seem to understand why my wife would lead me to believe that that child is-"
"Please lower your voice, dear he could hear you"
"Perhaps I should have him come sit out here and watch."
"Please." His mother was sobbing now. He began to get a knot in his chest and his mouth became dry. There was no way he was listening to this. No way his father would make his mother cry
"Unbelievable." The man's voice, harsh.
"It wasn't my decision."
"So you were forced into it then? So it was rape?"
"It wasn't." She failing to control her sobs.
"Then what part of it wasn't your choice because I'm still quite confused on the matter."
"You know my parents didn't want me to marry you. I was arranged to marry him when I was six! I've known him my whole life!"
"Yes, I see. So that just gives you the right." There was silence. Abiko was practically holding his breath.
"I-I had to continue the bloodline."
"Oh my god."
"I wanted nothing more than to have a child with you." Her voice was frantic. "I wanted to have a life with you! You were there for me like he never was. I went against my parents' wishes and chose you!"
"Shut up."
"I never wanted to betray you. I never wanted to hurt you. No words could describe how sorry I am. These years of guilt."
"Shut up."
"You know I love you. I would never deliberately-"
"I said shut up!" The young boy heard a smack, his mothers cry, and a heavy thud. He let out a gasp and turned his head around the corner. The boy's own mother was left sobbing on the carpet holding her face and letting the tears fall.
"Five years, Hiyomi. Five years I thought I was raising my own child. I should have known. That piece of shit looks nothing like me."
"Don't take this out on him. He's done nothing wrong."
"Don't give me that. He shouldn't even exist!"
"Isaki!"
"What, Hiyomi!? Were u ever planning on telling me yourself?! I had to find out from your stupid sister! Have you any regard for what you've done!?"
"Of course I had regard! Sometimes" her sobbing now just tears as she slowly stood,"Sometimes, when he was still very young, I couldn't even look at him. I hate my self for it," time slowed in a way," I do. But you, you should have seen the way you held him. You looked at him like he was the most magical thing on earth! And my god you should have seen the way smiled at you." The man took a deep breath, a settle fire in his eyes as if he had already made the decision.
"That's not my boy."
"Oh, but he's-"
"That's not my boy!" Hiyomi clenched the robe to her chest. Now it was everything beyond her power. She could only plead with her actions. "Abiko!", Isaki kept his fire burning. Abiko didn't know whether respond or hide. This was the man who raised him but at the same time, it wasn't.
"No! Please, he hasn't done anything wrong!", Hiyomi gripped to her husband's arm in an attempt to keep him from Abiko.
"Let go of me." He ripped her off and she fell to the floor. She looked and felt, completely, helpless. "Abiko!", Isaki began to stamp toward the hall. Abiko froze as the man stopped right above him. The boy's eyes were filled with fear and confusion. The man's eyes contained no emotion, well they did, but it was the opposite of having emotion. It was more like he was dumping it all out with a touch of hesitation. The emotions. They weren't sad, angry, or unpleasant; they were all the most amazing feelings- gone. He flinched at the abrupt face of pure hatred. He was grabbed by the arm by a fierce grip that was most likely to leave a bruise. He couldn't do anything but cry out.
"Father- argh! Please, father, you're hurting me."
"Shut up!" He began to drag the boy across the lounge and toward the door. "And don't call me that!". Abiko didn't want to leave his mother still holding her robe in close and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Mother!? Wait! Please I'm sorry! Please, I said I was sorry!". Abiko dropped the game and grabbed on the arm of the couch with his freed hand. Isaki looked back at the struggling boy, furious. He yanked him with a force that should never be used on a five year old. "Ah-ha!", the tears began to pour. "Wa-hait please I'm sorry!". He watched the door slam with the last sight of something that scared him half to death: his mother, sitting in the middle of the lounge not taking a single breath without a muffed sobs, who couldn't bear to even look at him. Before he knew it, he was thrown into the passenger seat of the car and the sky began to pour.

-

Now, he was here, in the car trying his hardest keep an attitude that would prevent the knot in his chest from tightening. He was trying to think of everything he did wrong. He did break the handle of the top drawer of his dresser but he put it back so that it looks okay but if u touched it in the slightest, it would fall out of it's wood socket and on to the floor. He would get in trouble for that for sure! But the most his father would ever do is yell at him and at most take his game away for the day. They couldn't know about that though, he was always careful with that. That was truthfully the only thing he could think of that would make them angry. He was still racking his brain for anything and not bothering to look where he was.
He looked up at the man who had not spoken a word and he didn't dare to speak to. He then leaned forward and looked around him. It was still raining heavily and the first thing he noticed was the mud. They were off the road. He looked way to the right and noticed a creek. More like a river. He remembered that there was a lake in the next town. He had heard that there were plenty of rivers leading to it. He could barely see the river, however, because there was a great ledge leading down to that was at least ten feet. The setting was scaring him. The silence was scaring him. The weary feeling of dread was scaring him.
His father reached over and grabbed the seat belt. The boy again looked upon at the man with his eyes on the mud in front of him. He began to speed up as he finally spoke.
"You say it was your bloodline, huh?" He wasn't addressing Abiko. "In that case, I will gladly spit on it." He spoke between his teeth with no pauses. The man clicked Abiko's seat belt and it slid off of him. The boy didn't know what to think! He'd always been told to wear his seat belt and never to take it off when the car was still in motion. His father always expressed the importance. Suddenly, and seemingly on purpose, Isaki slammed on the break leaving Abiko to side forward bash his head against the glove box. He began to cry out like any five-year-old with a bloody gash on their forehead would.
He was grabbed once again. Isaki opened the car door and dragged the younger over to his side all while not letting go. The boy was now soaked, crying, covered in mud, and was being dragged once again. He saw exactly where he and the man were heading and his heart skipped a beat. Cries turned into screams and for the first time in his life, he fought. He physically fought his parent who was dragging him to the ledge.
"SHUT UP!" He grabbed Abiko by the neck and the screams turned into muffled choking sounds. Lighting struck somewhere far off. Abiko snatched and clawed at the hand around his neck but in vain. The ground gave out before his feet and he was dangling by his neck. He made inhuman sounds of protest. He began to see stars and his head spun and rushed. The tears never stopped. He looked hard into cold eyes as a last plead. Intense begging eyes met murderous ones within a relationship that shouldn't have either. Lighting hit twice in a matter of three seconds.
The stars stopped. The head rush stopped. The tears stopped. The sounds stopped. The eyes no longer with a murderous intent or pleading.
Abiko's Hands dropped to his sides.
He was dropped into a rushing river.
Only one pair of eyes remained, once murderous, now satisfied.


Spoilers...he lives