Crimson Storms // A Hiroto Amamiya Fiction

Chapter One: A Night of Lies and Tears

• Suki Nakamura •

   My mother carried her bitterness like a shield. The identity of my father remained a mystery, locked away in the depths of her silence. From a tender age, I found myself assuming the role of caregiver, tending to her inebriated state long before I could even learn how to write. Her job involved drinking with wealthy men, dressed provocatively and with heavy make-up.

When she woke up, she'd pretend to love me and thank me for being her daughter. Next, she would release promises that she will never do.

"Mommy won't drink again."

"Mommy will look for a decent job."

"Mommy loves you."

But she's a liar.

I would always have this battle with myself on the way home from school, would my mother even realize if I didn't come home? Should I go home at all? Or should I just run away?

And I would always choose to come home, not because it was my best choice but because I worried about my mother coming home drunk and no one to drag her to bed. Or that I had this small hope in my heart that her promises may come true this time.

The woman doesn't even remember her own daughter's birthday but I still chose her every day.

Until one day, when my choice to be there for her turned into a haunting experience. I arrived home to find my mother unconscious on the floor, and our usual routine of helping her to bed and changing her clothes took a horrifying turn. This time, blood was gushing from her neck.

At the tender age of nine, I witnessed the lifeless body of my own mother. The police took me into their care, eventually placing me with relatives who had no desire to welcome me. I became a burden, passed from one relative to another like unwanted trash, and as a result, I was forced out of Sannoh.

I lost all connection with Takeru. He was the only boy who made life seem worth living, he cared for me like an older brother would and he was more like a family to me than my own mother.

"I won't ever leave you," but he too was a liar.

I stood before Takeru's grave with the feeling of heaviness weighing my heart and emptiness at the same time. How can one be so full yet empty at the same time? Overloaded with problems and grief yet alone in the battle.

"How dare you?" I spoke heavily, "How dare you leave me too? How dare you lie to me? How dare you, Takeru-senpai?"

I pull out a lighter from my jacket along with a stick of cigarette, I put it on my lips before lighting it up.

A sigh left my lips as I let myself consume that satisfying deadly smoke, it felt like escaping but I remained in the same place.

"What am I even doing here?" I mumbled to myself as I look down at my boots then looked up, "I'll visit you again, senpai."

I bowed my head then I walked away.

As darkness settled in, an intense desire washed over me—to drown my sorrows and temporarily escape the pain. Just for tonight, I longed to be liberated from the harsh reality that I am utterly alone in this world, and the only two individuals I once held dear were mercilessly taken from me. Their murders remain untouched, a case the police seem reluctant to pursue.

My mother's death was unjustly labeled as suicide, while Takeru's involvement with the Kuryu Group ensured the police turned a blind eye. Fortunately, S.W.O.R.D. stepped in and took them down. I heard Mugen played a part, along with the assistance of the Amamiya Brothers. It's a relief to know that justice found its way, even if the authorities failed to act.