A few days before Hanami's disappearance...
"Why would you tell me this?" Junkyu couldn't understand his own feelings and he was standing in front of Asahi, confused, puzzled, and angry at the same time. Yet, he was unable to express his emotions like the usual. Everything was basically isolated inside his chest, slowly turning himself into a time bomb.
Asahi was half regretting his decision for talking with Junkyu about matter that should not be theirs, especially after seeing Junkyu's reaction. Rather than unperturbed, he was zoning out and didn't seem to comprehend the situation completely yet.
"Because you must know about that. Because they have killed too many people and that must stop." Asahi panted heavily. "Please, you must escape from that house. You might not die in that house but the family will always find a way to kill you."
"And what makes you think that I'd believe in this rubbish? Aren't you ashamed of yourself for sharing untrue story to an outsider like me just to slander the family?"
"Because the story is not untrue and you are no longer an outsider!" Asahi snapped, outraged by Junkyu's constant rejection. "Please, just get out of there and save yourself. Haruto is sick and he is not getting better, means the ritual will start very soon and that involves you too, definitely!"
There was no space for Junkyu to breathe. Standing on the threshold of believing and not, Junkyu questioned himself, did he refuse to believe because the story sounded absurd or because everything felt so real that Junkyu chose to live in his own bubble? Junkyu didn't even know who to side with, because he felt that the case was not about who was right and who was wrong, but about himself who had to be bolder in revealing the truth.
"If you are wrong about this, what will you do?" Junkyu asked in a deep voice.
"Wrong? My family has known the Watanabe family from the first time they stepped foot in that house. My family had even suffered from the same case. If anything went wrong about all of this, those people would not die at the hands of the Watanabe family."
Junkyu took a deep breath and then glared at Asahi. "I will find out the truth, even if I have to die. And you'll be hold accountable if anything goes left."
Not wanting to be there anymore, Junkyu finally left Asahi, as if he didn't care. However, deep inside, Junkyu was scared to death. He was less scared of the death itself, but more likely scared that what Asahi said was true. Junkyu regretted having spoken to Asahi as he thought it would be best if he didn't know a thing about Haruto and his family. However, it was undeniable that death is one of the many things that Junkyu fears. And if Junkyu had to die at the hands of his beloved human, wouldn't that be tragic?
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In the year in which a baby boy was born weak and barely breathing. The boy was his parents' only son, the only blessing occured after years of sufferings, at least that was how they planned their life in the beginning.
The baby boy closed his eyes, tightly shut. No crying sound was heard even though his entire body was covered in excruciating pain. His body was so small and weak, perhaps his pinky finger was no bigger than a toothpick. The child was supposed to be born in April in the spring, but the mother and baby would not survive if they had to endure that long, so in the bitter cold of winter, the baby was brought into the world.
His father was hurt, his mother was crying and endless in tears. Both of them had almost given up on keeping their baby. "If it has to die, then let it die, for there is no point in allowing this innocent being to suffer in the world." However, their struggle to get a baby could not be said to be easy, especially when the mother had to go through a lot of pain, and eventually she was healed to be able to be pregnant. Should not that be a joy for the family?
It should be. Yet, fate extended the string of the mother's unluck and passed down to their firstborn.
Watanabe Haruto was the name of the baby boy, born in South Korea even though his blood came from the Land of Sakura. True, he was the baby who did not cry even though his whole body felt such extreme pain. Haruto was born prematurely in a hospital in a small province. When he was born from his mother's womb, Haruto didn't cry. Though he was breathing, the doctors were not sure that he'd survive for a longer time. Even when he was being put in the incubator, Haruto did not experience the slightest physical development. Until Haruto's parents gave up on technology and take him to a shaman's house.
"The mother must die in order for Haruto to live. That too, probably only until he turns eighteen." Said the female shaman.
The Watanabe couple fell silent and swallowed the words deep in their throats. Dumbfounded by what they had just heard, the look of doubt and fear grew on their faces.
"What if I die?" asked the father. "Can I die and save both of them?"
"ARE YOU INSANE? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? SHE SAYS THE MOTHER SHOULD DIE FOR HIM TO SURVIVE. I MUST DIE."
"I won't let any of you die. No way!"
Both of them were fierce, scared, and stubborn, because when finally they were blessed by the presence of a child, they had to face another difficulty at the price of their own lives. Everyone wanted to die, but no one wanted to bear losing each other.
"Because of the mistakes of your ancestors in the past, you and your son must bear the consequences." The shaman looked at the mother who was holding her baby tightly. "I understand, none of you wanted this to happen and it's also not your fault, but there's nothing you can do but sacrifice and accept destiny. Haruto won't be able to live without sacrifice."
The mother's cries were getting louder and the two are caught in a dilemma and agonies.
"Is there another way to save our child without sacrificing lives?" asked Mr Watanabe.
"You MUST sacrifice your life. There's no other way." The shaman replied. "However, I know of another way to save Haruto and his mother, without separating you as a family. However, this is far more dangerous than killing yourself and you must be prepared to take responsibility. This is no small matter."
"Please, please tell us! We will do whatever it takes to save Haruto!"
The shaman closed her eyes for a moment, then made a circular motion on a table with both hands palms down.
"Every year, you must sacrifice a life of a young man or woman aged fifteen to twenty-five. The heart of this sacrifice must be eaten by Haruto, then the rest of the body must be burned. The ashes of the body must be stored at your house so that it will be nearby Haruto, that will give Haruto a life for one year, it can't be more than that. Haruto will fall ill and that's when he will need a new sacrifice to extend his life."
The Watanabe couple's breath hitched, not expecting that there would be such a big sacrifice they would have to make for their son's life. However, suddenly Mr. Watanabe's facial muscles were tightened, it was no longer as gloomy as before. "We will do it." He said. "We will do the sacrifice."
"Know that you have to be good at covering up your actions. For you, thi may be an attempt and a form of boundless love towards Haruto. However, others will think of you as monsters, maybe demons, as you kill innocents for your own sake." The shaman put both of her hands on the wooden table and exhaled, her face was unsettling. "If Haruto finds someone who loves him more than his own parents do and will die for him before he turns twenty, only then the sacrifice can be terminated without him dying. Otherwise, you will have to continue the sacrifice. But well, who would love a child who requires murder to survive?"
To be continued.
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Author:
Hello guys, I'm so sorry for extremely late update T____T last week was final exam and I couldn't help it but leaaarn all day all night.
This update might be shorter than you think, but I hope it can still entertain you, since I wanted to make this part specifically for Haruto's background story. And again, since I still have dense part time job schedule this week, late update might happen again. Oh God, I'm so sorry :')
I hope you guys stay happy, healthy and hydrated. See you on the next chapter!
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Behind Watanabe
Fanfiction( HARUKYU ) Returning home after several years spent studying abroad and eventually graduated, Kim Junkyu decided to take a break and went out of his comfort zone by becoming a babysitter. He came across the Watanabe Family, who were looking for a c...
