Patterns in the Snow

Chapter Five

A gentle tear fell from Yui's face as she gazed at the object in her hand. It was a small, small wooden box, bearing her initials. It was just small enough to fit in her two hands. On the outside, there was nothing special about it, but it, like all things, only held its worth by what was on the inside. After all, this was no ordinary jewelry box. No. This seemingly simple item contained something far more important, more cherished than anything else. Yui's hands twitched as she felt the lid. What was inside hurt more than anything else she'd ever known, but it was something she could never allow to escape her mind. And so, she opened it.

In the box, there lay four old photographs, a crumpled piece of paper, and a small brass key. More tears spilled from Yui's eyes as she silently cried. Her hands trembled as she reached for her bag, slowly drawing out the silver ring that Sora had nearly stolen from her earlier that same day. She wiped it gently, running her fingers over the engraving. Yori Murakami. Yui's bottom lip quivered as she brought the ring to her heart and held it there.

Nii-chan... Nii-chan...

She remembered his jet black hair that matched her own. She remembered the way his strong arms held her and Yuuto tightly when they were scared of Oto-san. She remembered feeling safe with him, and happy, and loved. But now, he was gone. Even Yuuto's eyes didn't shine like they used to.

Yui gazed at the ring, diamond tears continuing to sparkle in her dark eyes. She shook, holding the ring tightly. She cried, saying, "Gomen nasai... I can't be like you... I don't know how to be brave."

She picked up the photographs, and shuffled through them, listlessly as she always had. The first, a picture of her as an infant, a small boy holding her awkwardly with his tiny arms. The second, an image of the same boy, a little older, with Yui as a child. They were playing with blocks. The third photo, a family picture, with a changed Oto-san, the mother Yui could barely remember, a baby Yuuto, and the boy, a teenager. The last, a simple picture of the boy, now an adult, with toddler Yuuto on his shoulders. He was ruffling Yui's hair; she could still feel it. That picture always hurt the most. It tainted her, smiling at her with a vicious sadness. That photo was taken only a month before...

Yui hurriedly stuffed the pictures back into the box. She couldn't stand looking at them another moment. She saw them every day, but the pain just wouldn't subside. It never would, it was consistently raw, fresh, and agonizing.

Yui wiped away her tears and quickly hid the box under the floorboard between the cabinet and the bed. She grabbed her schoolbag and darted out the door, shouting behind her, "Oto-san! I'm going to the park for homework!" She heard her father's grumpy voice saying, "Just be home soon enough to make dinner for you and your brother! I'm not doing chores for you!" Yui answered, "Hai, Oto-san! I will be back soon!"

"Where are you going, Nē-chan?" Yui stopped. Oh, dear. She turned with a smile plastered on her face and said, "To Maruyama Park." Yuuto widened his eyes so that they were absolutely irresistable, and asked, "May I please go too, Nē-chan?" Yui tried to resist, but his face was just so cute. She sighed and said, "Alright, Yuuto-bō. You can come too." Yuuto grinned and said, "Yaaaaay! Arigatou, Nē-chan!", giving his sister a big hug. Yui smiled and thought to herself, Never get older. She wrapped her brother in every scarf, hat, and coat she could find. Yuuto said, "Silly, Yui-chan. You need a scarf too." Yui knelt down to his height, and allowed him to gently wrap a scarf around her neck, delicately resting on top of an old and worn-out woolen coat. She stood and said, "Ready?" "Ready!", Yuuto answered. Yui took her brother's small hand into her own, and together, they walked through the door.

Yui watched Yuuto as he ran ahead of her towards the park. "Wait for me, Yuuto-bō!" She breathed in the cold, winter air of that morning. The park was filled with the cherry blossom trees she'd always loved, though their buds were gone for the winter. In the spring time, they were perfect for flower-viewing parties, hanami. The sky was clear, and she could see her breath, soothing her all the more. She could smell the scent of the earth around her, the smell of the outdoors. It was her favorite in the whole world. It was always blissful there.

As Yuuto zoomed around and around, Yui grew worried. "Slow down, Yuuto-bō, you'll trip!" Too excited, Yuuto kept running. Suddenly, Yuuto's foot was caught on the root of one of the cherry blossom trees, and went tumbling forward. Yui gasped and ran to her brother, but noticed something of the most strange and extraordinary degree. Her little brother was hovering over the ground by mere centimeters. Yuuto appeared to be just as shocked as she was, his eyes as wide as saucers, and his jaw was open. Yui bent down to lift her brother, but in her surprise, she slipped on the ice, and fell backwards herself. She and Yuuto laughed, but were still equally confused. Before very long, a voice from above said, "What are you doing?" Yui and her brother looked up and saw the face of Akio Tanaka. He was wearing a tattered red scarf over his old black aviator jacket. He was tall, towering over the siblings with the same majestic aura he always maintained.

Yui shook her head and said, "I fell over." Akio raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?" He reached out a hand, and Yui took it with a laugh, saying, "I didn't do it on purpose, Akio-san." Akio shook his head and said, "You can speak informally to me. No need for that. Akio-kun is fine." Yui nodded. She helped her brother to his feet, and then turned to face Akio.

"What are you doing here, Akio-kun?" Akio seemed quiet as he answered, "I like the wintertime. It's chilling, and the scenery is nice, I thought I'd observe. Yourself?" Yui said, "Well, I'm here with my little brother. Say hello, Yuuto-bō." Yuuto came out from behind her and bowed, saying, "Kon'nichiwa, Akio-san." Akio nodded at him politely and said, "So, where would you like to go?" Yui, surprised, asked, "Pardon?" Akio said, "Well, you just slipped on ice. I thought you had injured yourself. Besides, your brother clearly needs to run for a while, as little boys do. If you'd like, I could watch him for you while you do your homework." Yui bowed and said, "Arigatou, I-" Wait, she thought, I never told him why I came. How did he -

"Are you okay? You look a little sick." Yui shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. She said, "You are very kind, Akio-kun." Akio shook his head and said, "Just doing what I do." He took Yuuto's hand and said, "Let's go play hide-and-seek." Yui watched as her little brother and the strange schoolmate walked slowly away.

Yui sat down on a park bench, not too far away from where Akio and her brother were playing. Yui looked at Akio and thought carefully about what sort of strange person he could be. She knew something connected his appearances to her, somehow, but was completely unaware of what it could be. After all, she had seen him in school before, maybe said hello once or twice, but other than that, she didn't know much about him. And he was involved with the Kitsune gang. Strange, he seemed too polite for such a thing. At any rate, Akio somehow could find her at any time. Whenever something had happened, the boy was nearby. The year before, the hall moniter somehow didn't see her when she was late for class, and as she turned the corner, there he was, speaking to the adult. Yui had never thought much of it before, other than the fact that he made eye contact, which was so rare in her experience. It was a strange, prolonged eye contact, as if making sure she knew that the only reason she escaped a dentention was his intervention. Yui couldn't explain any part of the scenario to herself, but she knew this much: Akio had a secret, one relating to her, in some way. He was the reason for all of the strange occurances in her life that were one-by-one flooding back into her memory.

Yui decided right then and there that she would watch the boy more carefully, and try to see what exactly it was that he was hiding from her. If it was regarding her, then she had every right to know, didn't she? Still, everyone was entitled to privacy... but if he had somehow searched through her brain to find her location, wouldn't that give her the ultimate authority to do the same? Yui thought, What if he can read my mind? Yui saw Akio look over at her, and her eyes shot back to her notebook. What if he heard me? She hurriedly took her pen and scribbled into her notebook, Do NOT think about anything related to your secrets around the boy from school, Akio.

Yui promptly shut her notebook and approached Akio, keeping her mind as empty as possible. She said, "Yuuto-bō! It's time to go home!" She took her brother's hand and bowed towards Akio, saying, "Arigatou, Akio-kun." She looked over at Yuuto and nodded. Yuuto looked at Akio and bowed, saying, "Arigatou, Akio-san." Yui said, "It was lovely to see you again. Mata ashita." She turned, hair waving behind her, and commenced her walk home.

I know that from the first step I take, something will change. Whatever it is, I'm prepared.