Categories > Anime/Manga > Yami no Matsuei > Venus Butterfly
The Root of Darkness
0 reviewsIn order to help his wife, Tsuzuki turns to Becky to find out more about that fateful phone call four days earlier.
0Unrated
Chapter Eleven: The Root of Darkness:
July 10th, 1983.
Daisuke sat alone on Kato's porch. Baby Anna slept in her crib in his room. He had just put her down for a nap. So much weighed on the dad's mind in this alone time.
"Hey!" someone shouted in real life. Daisuke looked up to see Kato walking up the driveway with bags of groceries in his arms.
"Could you give me a hand?" he asked. The boy slowly nodded once he got the message. Daisuke walked over and took a bag. Once they got the groceries inside, the men sat on the porch. Daisuke looked out on the yard.
"What's on your mind?" Kato asked. The young man turned rather puzzled.
"Hm?" he asked.
"You've been pretty quiet," the old man pointed out. Daisuke shrugged his shoulders.
"Not much," he said, "Just about my daughter and her mother." The old man raised an eyebrow at him.
"Her mother?" he asked.
"Yeah," he said nodding. The boy paused and glanced around for a brief second.
"Can you keep a secret?" he asked. Kato gave him a rather perplexed look.
"Sure," he answered. "What is it?" Daisuke leaned into the old man's ear.
"Her mother's still alive," he whispered. Kato turned his head with his jaw dropped.
"What?" he asked, "So, you mean…?" Daisuke nodded as he prepared to expose the truth of Anna's birth.
-------
July 5th, 2010, 6:00 p.m.
Tsuzuki decided to go to the root of the storm for the answers. He remembered that Anna got a call from San Diego three days ago. Learning about her mother sent his wife into a shock that led the kitsune to take over. Yet, he didn't have the full story.
Tsuzuki waited until his wife was in the shower. He found the phone on the coffee table in the living room. The shinigami unlocked it and scrolled through the dialed call list. His eyes stayed locked on the list as he listened for down the hall.
Come on/, he thought. /Who called her that day? He paused when he found his answer.
"Becky Campbell," he read on the screen. Tsuzuki looked down the hall. This would have to be quick. The shinigami dialed the number. He moved to the balcony outside as the other line rang.
"What is it?" a tired voice asked, "It's two in the morning here! Make it quick!" A sweat drop formed on Tsuzuki's head as he remembered that San Diego was in a completely different time zone than Tokyo in Chijou. Too late to turn back now, he might as well say it.
"It's Tsuzuki," the shinigami said.
"Tsuzuki?" Becky repeated. "What's wrong?" Tsuzuki stepped back in shock. She's speaking Japanese? he thought. Okay, that would make things easier for this.
"Do you remember a few days ago?" he asked, "When you called Anna?" Becky paused on the other line.
"No…" she mumbled.
"It was about Anna's mother," he pushed.
"What about it?" the American woman asked.
"What exactly did you tell her?" the man asked. Becky groaned the phone.
"I don't remember," she muttered.
"Please try to remember!" Tsuzuki pleaded. "This is important!" Becky took a moment to think.
"Well, I came to over to check on Mrs. Parkman," she began. "I found her sitting in the living room talking to herself about random things."
"Okay," the shinigami said, nodding.
"I asked what she was talking about," Becky went on. "She slurred out that she was Anna's mother."
"And that's it?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Well, I did ask her about it the next morning," Becky said. "Funny thing, Ms. Parkman freaked out and didn't want to talk about it."
"Any idea why?" the shinigami asked.
"Embarrassment, I guess," the American woman said. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Sure," Tsuzuki replied. "Sorry to bother you."
"Bye," Becky said. The shinigami hung up unsatisfied. /Guess I have to go to Daisuke's tapes/, he thought. Tsuzuki went back into the apartment.
Inside, the shower cut off by the time he closed the door. The Shinigami kept up his guard as he crossed into the bedroom and set up Daisuke's tape player in the corner on the floor. After twenty minutes, Tsuzuki found the right tape and hit play.
July 10th, 1983.
Daisuke sat alone on Kato's porch. Baby Anna slept in her crib in his room. He had just put her down for a nap. So much weighed on the dad's mind in this alone time.
"Hey!" someone shouted in real life. Daisuke looked up to see Kato walking up the driveway with bags of groceries in his arms.
"Could you give me a hand?" he asked. The boy slowly nodded once he got the message. Daisuke walked over and took a bag. Once they got the groceries inside, the men sat on the porch. Daisuke looked out on the yard.
"What's on your mind?" Kato asked. The young man turned rather puzzled.
"Hm?" he asked.
"You've been pretty quiet," the old man pointed out. Daisuke shrugged his shoulders.
"Not much," he said, "Just about my daughter and her mother." The old man raised an eyebrow at him.
"Her mother?" he asked.
"Yeah," he said nodding. The boy paused and glanced around for a brief second.
"Can you keep a secret?" he asked. Kato gave him a rather perplexed look.
"Sure," he answered. "What is it?" Daisuke leaned into the old man's ear.
"Her mother's still alive," he whispered. Kato turned his head with his jaw dropped.
"What?" he asked, "So, you mean…?" Daisuke nodded as he prepared to expose the truth of Anna's birth.
-------
July 5th, 2010, 6:00 p.m.
Tsuzuki decided to go to the root of the storm for the answers. He remembered that Anna got a call from San Diego three days ago. Learning about her mother sent his wife into a shock that led the kitsune to take over. Yet, he didn't have the full story.
Tsuzuki waited until his wife was in the shower. He found the phone on the coffee table in the living room. The shinigami unlocked it and scrolled through the dialed call list. His eyes stayed locked on the list as he listened for down the hall.
Come on/, he thought. /Who called her that day? He paused when he found his answer.
"Becky Campbell," he read on the screen. Tsuzuki looked down the hall. This would have to be quick. The shinigami dialed the number. He moved to the balcony outside as the other line rang.
"What is it?" a tired voice asked, "It's two in the morning here! Make it quick!" A sweat drop formed on Tsuzuki's head as he remembered that San Diego was in a completely different time zone than Tokyo in Chijou. Too late to turn back now, he might as well say it.
"It's Tsuzuki," the shinigami said.
"Tsuzuki?" Becky repeated. "What's wrong?" Tsuzuki stepped back in shock. She's speaking Japanese? he thought. Okay, that would make things easier for this.
"Do you remember a few days ago?" he asked, "When you called Anna?" Becky paused on the other line.
"No…" she mumbled.
"It was about Anna's mother," he pushed.
"What about it?" the American woman asked.
"What exactly did you tell her?" the man asked. Becky groaned the phone.
"I don't remember," she muttered.
"Please try to remember!" Tsuzuki pleaded. "This is important!" Becky took a moment to think.
"Well, I came to over to check on Mrs. Parkman," she began. "I found her sitting in the living room talking to herself about random things."
"Okay," the shinigami said, nodding.
"I asked what she was talking about," Becky went on. "She slurred out that she was Anna's mother."
"And that's it?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Well, I did ask her about it the next morning," Becky said. "Funny thing, Ms. Parkman freaked out and didn't want to talk about it."
"Any idea why?" the shinigami asked.
"Embarrassment, I guess," the American woman said. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Sure," Tsuzuki replied. "Sorry to bother you."
"Bye," Becky said. The shinigami hung up unsatisfied. /Guess I have to go to Daisuke's tapes/, he thought. Tsuzuki went back into the apartment.
Inside, the shower cut off by the time he closed the door. The Shinigami kept up his guard as he crossed into the bedroom and set up Daisuke's tape player in the corner on the floor. After twenty minutes, Tsuzuki found the right tape and hit play.
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