So Close Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two: Once Upon a Time

"Sumi, you're bleeding." Akemi noted. I had been here for almost a month now. And things were getting worse by the day.

"That's because Nakamura's got her punching bag back." I stated, "How's everyone been? What happened while I was gone?"

"She got angry." Akemi replied, "We didn't get food for almost a week. It wasn't till Nakamura's sister, Maki, came to look after us for a few weeks while Nakamura was out that we actually got real food, the woman may not be able to cook worth a damn, but it was better than eating cold mush."

"She promised to take the orphanage from Nakamura!" Cho exclaimed.

I shushed her, "Don't wake Hana up, it took us forever to get her back to sleep." I looked at the little six year old girl sleeping in the bed across from us, "Cho, Maki is nice and if she got the orphanage from Nakamura, but don't put all of your hopes on it, pie crust promises are easily broken."

"You do know Hana thinks you're going to take her out of here soon, right?" Cho replied, "Or was that just a pie crust promise too, Sumi?"

"I know and it wasn't, I got caught." I told her pointedly, "You try running from Nakamura and see how far you get. It's not possible. I used to think otherwise, but I was wrong."

Eventually Cho amd Akemi got into their beds and fell asleep. I lied awake to think.

I was broken. All I could feel was pain, physical and emotional. My dreams have died. The only man I've ever loved is gone. The promise I've made to Hana, who was like my own kid, I couldn't keep because I got caught. The time I had been away had been for nothing. I was stuck back in my own circle of hell. I was hopeless, helpless, and unforgiven. Everything that had happened brought me to a depressing conclusion. No passion could reach me; I left all the passion behind with Takashi. There were no more lessons that could teach me anything; I highly doubt there was an actual book in this hell hole.

No pain could be deeper. No life could be cheaper. It certainly didn't have much of point anymore. I had no hope left within me for me anymore. If I didn't have the girls to look after, I would just let the world be done with me. If she's hitting me, she's not hitting them. Every decision I made would have to be for them now, like it was before I left, I was living for them. I was keeping myself alive, and keeping myself going for them. I wasn't going to be let out anytime soon. I didn't look my age. I could easily be kept here for longer, but the longer I was here, they longer they were protected.

I sighed and rested my head on the pillow, eventually falling asleep.

Reiko's POV

Dream

Like all good stories go, this one begins with 'Once Upon a Time' the cornerstone adage for all good stories; the stories with the forever love 'Happily Ever After'…

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, lived a beautiful little girl with her parents. Okay, so it wasn't that long ago and it wasn't a far away kingdom, it was Hiroshima, Japan, but for Sumi growing up, the city was her Kingdom. The mother was a famous theatre actress and the father was the owner of a magnificent toy company. Since the little family was so busy and traveled so much, she was their best friend and they were hers. Although not spending much time around kids her own age, put her behind in the social departments, she never felt like she missed out on anything. She was the luckiest girl in the mother was one of the most famous theatre actresses in all of Japan, people would come around from miles around to see her shows and Sumi had a front row seat to every one of them. Her father's toy company was one of the most well known in the world, his toys were famous, and Sumi had her pick from any one. What did she have to wish for? She had the coolest loving parents. She got to travel. She had everything. What more could a little girl want?

"Mommy!" Sumi exclaimed as her came to get her after her last show for the season. Her mother picked her up, and Sumi whispered about the two little boys playing in the wings, one was very short with very blond hair and the other was slightly taller with dark hair, "I made friends!"

"That's fantastic; maybe you can see them after we come back." Her mother kissed her head, and set her down, "Say goodbye to your friends, we have to go home and pack. I'll be in the lobby, come out when you're done, Hatsumi." Her mother set her down and Sumi ran over to the two boys.

"I have to go now." She told the two boys, "But maybe we could see each other when I get back?"

"We could have cake!" The blond exclaimed.

"Yeah." The dark haired one nodded.

"I'd like that." Sumi smiled, and then hugged the blond, "Bye Mitsu."

"Bye Sumi."He hugged her back. They let go and she went to the dark haired one.

"Bye Taka." Sumi said shyly.

"Bye Sumi…" He looked down shyly. She kissed his cheek lightly and pulled away quickly. He blushed.

"I'll see you?"She asked hopefully. He nodded vigorously.

"Hatsumi!" Her mother called.

"I have to go now." She replied sadly. She started to leave.

"Sumi?" Taka said.

She turned back to him, "Yes?"

He pecked her lips lightly and quickly, "I'll see you."

"See you." She smiled and headed out the door to meet her mother.

The next day Sumi and her family took a cruise together to celebrate Sumi's mother's last show. She was going to take a break so she would be home more often and the family would be together, but they would never be together struck and they're ship went down when they were returning home.

"My music box!" Sumi cried, realizing she forgot it back in the room. She ducked under the crew members trying to board the people on the lifeboats before the ship went down.

"Hatsumi!" Her parents called after her, but the crew stopped them from following after her.

Sumi made it to the room safely and grabbed the music box.

"Come this way out the servant's passages, it's faster." One of the waiters said as she was running back. She followed him and they made it into a boat. Their boat however, like the rest of the ones that made it out into sea, didn't make it too far when the storm hit.

Hatsumi like most of the people on the ship were lost to the sea. So many lives were lost that night. What had always been was now gone forever. Hatsumi and her parents never saw each other again.

"Hey, I think this one's still alive." She heard a voice say.

"How the hell did she even make it?" Another asked.

Sumi opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was or who she was, all she knew was she was wet, cold, and there were people surrounding her.

"Do you know what your name is?" A person asked.

"I don't know." She replied, "I think it's Sumi…"

"Well, Sumi, we're going to get you some help and then we're going to take you somewhere where you'll be taken care of."

They did take care of her. They got her a doctor and got her checked out, and then they sent her somewhere they thought would take care of her. She was sent to the orphanage.

Since she didn't know who exactly she was and couldn't remember anything of her past, the police looked into her case, but to no avail. Nothing was found. There was nothing on her; it was like she didn't exist. Sumi didn't have anything, and to the orphanage owner Nakamura, she now had to take care of Sumi.

End Dream

I woke up in a cold sweat. I rarely had a vision instead of a dream, without checking to see what time it was I called Hunny, he was friends with Sumi.

"Rei, it's two in the morning." Hunny groaned annoyed. I started quickly telling him what I saw. "I'm still not awake and you're talking to fast."

I slowly explained what I saw.

"You think Sumi's a what?"

"I think she's an heiress." I told him, for the third time. "I think her name's Hatsumi and her family drowned on a cruise and I think you and Takashi-senpai knew her, and I think she's in trouble-"

"Rei, I'll have someone look into it."

"Alright."

"Get some sleep."

"Okay." I hung up.

Hunny's POV

The next day I went to find Yuki before school. She was sitting in the club talking to Kyoya.

"I need you two to look into something for me." I told them.

"Um, sure?" Yuki replied confused.

"What are we looking for?" Kyoya asked.

"Sumi's past." I stated.