Silence Lay Steadily

Chapter 1

Dense woods in Shimane prefecture was lit only by the moonlight. The leafless branches crossed each other like skeletal hands in the woods. A sprawling family home stood all by itself, surrounded by trees... large, striking, and brimming with history.

Huge sliding doors, tatami flooring, with an enormous veranda, displayed on its facade. Traditional Japanese houses are usually smaller, but this seemed boundless and old. The longer one stares, the more off-kilter the minka seemed to be. 

All around, the a few signs of "Renovation in Progress" were seen. Scaffolding, tools, abandoned to the late hour were scattered on some parts outside the yard. 

Fujiwara mansion, not sane, stood by itself against the hill, holding darkness within. It had stood so for a hundred years before, and it might stand for a hundred more.

The architecture was old, but the interior has been mixed with present-day materials, mostly 1990's. Small home improvement projects were seen throughout the entire house. Fresh paint on some elements, absent on others. Within walls stood upright wood, met neatly; floors were firm. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of the house.

--------------------

1999.

12-year old Keishin stepped into the hallway, looking smaller against the sheer size of the home's high ceilings and walls. A sound of a child crying woke him as he rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked towards the sound. The crying grew louder as he passes through dark hallways with tatami floors. He sees young Tetsurou, standing by his bedroom doorway, rubbing his eyes. The crying woke him, too.

"It's okay, Tetsurou, go back to bed..." Keishin assured the messy-haired boy as he walked towards the room where the crying came from, "I'll take care of this..." He moved past Tetsurou, towards the last sliding door in the hall. He slid it open and moved into the room.

In the soft glow of night light, he saw young Osamu parched at the foot of his bed, crying his little tears, clearly afraid. "You okay, Samu?" Keishin asked the young boy.

"No," his replies were in between sobs as he shook his head.

"Are you scared?" Keishin asked once more. Osamu only nodded as he rubbed tears away from his face.

He stepped nearer Osamu and looked over to the bed on the other side, where young Atsumu slept soundly, despite his twin brother's cries. "Tsumu sleeps through anything, huh?" Keishin asked calmly, "What was it?"

"It's the scary man with a broken neck..."

"Oh him again, " Keishin held young Osamu's shoulder in an effort to calm him down. The two turn towards the doorway and saw Ikkei Ukai in his pajamas, eyes tired, but still managed a gentle smile. He seemed exhausted, but he sure looked happy for an overworked man in his 50's. He worked as a coach while he took care of four adopted boys and his grandson. 

"Where was he?" Ikkei asked. Young Osamu didn't respond, and only pointed to the foot of his bed, almost where Keishin was standing. Ikkei smiled as he stepped into the room.

"Alright, let's take a look..." Ikkei moved to the spot. "Here?"

Osamu only nodded.

"Maybe you were just dreaming," Keishin said calmly.

"I wasn't dreaming... he was real..."