Chapter 16: Sakura Ishikawa, part 1

A chill ran down my spine at the mention of her surname.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure and then shook her hand.

"My name is Kai Suzuki," I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

Sakura Ishikawa's smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Suzu..ki... I already heard this surname..." She said with a deep tone of voice.

Her eyes were locked into mine and she was looking at me with a very big intensity, like she was trying to read deep into my soul.

"Maybe... you've heard of my father?" I asked, with drops of sweat falling from my forehead.

"Mmm... i don't think so..." She whispered, still looking into my eyes.

"Mmh... maybe i look like someone you know...?" I replied, not know what else i could say to her.

Then , a dark smirk appeared on her face and she spoke.

"Why don't we go somewhere more private to talk?" she suggested, her tone leaving no room for argument.

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, lead the way."

Accepting her invite was my only choice to have answers about that "incident".

In the same moment that i accepted, my phone rang a little, and i rapidly took a rapid look at it.

I saw a message of Hina with a "Good morning, darling! Are you awake?".

I couldn't reply to her.

Then, Sakura turned back and said "Follow me, Kai.", before starting to walk.

I followed her. 

We walked through the bustling station, weaving through the crowd until we reached a small, secluded café just outside the station.

Sakura chose a table in the corner, away from prying eyes and ears.

The café was almost empty. 

Me and this woman were the only clients.

When we sat down, Sakura immediately began to speak with a low voice.

She leaned forward, her expression serious.

"Tell me, boy. Why are you here?" She asked, with a direct tone of voice.

"Mhh... i'm here f-for a t-trip." I said, trying to sound convincing.

Sakura laughed a little.

"Haha... you surely are the funny one, right? Now stop lying and tell me the truth, please." She then added, while taking out a cigarette from her small bag.

I sighed and looked the floor for an istant before replying.

"I'm here for an investigation." I said.

I had the feeling that lying again to this woman would've been the worst choice ever.

"Investigation... you say?" she replied, while smoking her cigarette and narrowing her eyes.

I nodded at her.

I was feeling really flustered.

"Kai, you're digging into something very dangerous," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "The incident with Rina Kobayashi isn't as straightforward as it seems."

I leaned in, my curiosity piqued.

"What do you mean? Wasn't her ex-boyfriend arrested for the murder?"

I knew that something deeper happened.

Sakura shook her head slowly.

"I just have a little question for you, boy." She said while throwing her cigarette away.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you really want to know? There will be no turning back." she said, while still looking me in the eyes.

I nodded at her.

Then, a malicious grin appeared on her face.

"Good." She said, after licking her lower lip.

I swallowed some saliva since i was feeling pretty flustered.

Then, Sakura begin to speak.

"He was a convenient scapegoat. The real story involves powerful people who don't want the truth to come out."

My heart raced as I listened. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you deserve to know the truth," she said, her eyes locking onto mine. "And because you're already involved, whether you realize it or not."

I frowned, confusion clouding my thoughts. "Involved how?"

Sakura hesitated, glancing around as if to ensure no one was eavesdropping.

"Your friend Hiro was investigating this case, wasn't he? He uncovered things that he shouldn't have. That's why something bad happened to him."

My eyes widened by a lot after i heard what she said.

"Wait a second. How... how do you know about Hiro and how do you know that we knoe each other?!?!" I said, shocked, while standing up from the chair.

"Shhh... don't talk this loud..." She said, with a mischievous tone. "Someone evil might be hearing us." 

After she said that, i sat down again and remained in silence, curious of what this lady was about to say.

"I saw your face on TV. You were desperate... Thinking that your friend died... I remember your shocked and painful face... full of suffering... and you thought that everything was normal on moment earlier, right...?" She asked, with a broken smile.

The way she spoke seemed like she went trough some similiar experiences.

And more than that, her words made me remember that scene, when i desperately thought that my friend died.

I remember my desperation, my pain, my fear... everything.

Like it happened a moment ago.

All the images of the fire flashed in my mind and it seemed like linving those moment again.

My hand was trembling.

"You remember, right? The pain... the suffering... the fear... you remember everything, right?" Sakura asked, while leaning closer to me.

I nodded, while standing frozen in shock.

"Remember those feelings, Kai." Sakura whispered.

I didn't speak a word.

Then , Sakura caressed my cheek and whispered a phrase.

"You remind me of him" Sakura said, while looking at me with a motherly look.

Her look changed from a creepy one to a loving one.

"Who?" I asked, while feeling her soft hand on my cheek.

"My son... my dear son, who died many years ago." She said, with a glimpse of sadness in her voice.

My mind started to make some strange connection between all the things that i read and heard about Hina, murders and other things.

But i needed answers, there was no time to think.

Sakura was still looking at me like a mother.

I didn't say a word, i let her do what she wanted.

Then , she pulled her hand back and picked her phone up.

After that, she showed me a photo.

I felt my heart squeezing.

There was a photo of... Hina with a guy.

"Do you know who they are?" She asked, with a cold tone.

I nodded, not wanting to lie.

"Yeah. This girl is my... girlfriend. And she has your surname" I said a nervous tone, before swalling some saliva.

Sakura remained silent for some seconds before speaking.

"I already knew that. I was making sure that you're not a liar." She said.

"What?" I asked, in confusion.

"I knew that you were coming here, Detective Saito told me." Sakura added.

"So , you know him?" I asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, i know him well. Hina is... my niece. He's been hunting her since... she was a child." Sakura replied.

"What?!" I exclaimed, shocked by her answer.

Sakura didn't say anything, instead she started to tellk about her.

"I am... her father adoptive sister... and my son, was her boyfriend. You probably heard about her past, right...?" She asked.

I nodded in silent, waiting for her to speak.

"Her... boyfriend..."

"Hina was the only beautiful thing of my past. She was a joyful and good child... Despite her being bullied by everyone, she was always smiling. But her parents weren't good. They used to abuse her... She was normal until i..." Sakura then stopped and took a deep breath before startint to speak again.

"I was like a mother to her... and she always called me "Mama"... but due to financial issues, my father arranged a marriage for me, making me marry a rich man..." Sakura said, while looking down.

I kept listening in silence.

"Then... when i left her alone for one year, while living with a very bad man who used to beat me, Hina became depressed and started to lose her mind..." Sakura kept telling.

"One day, when i was returning home from work, i found her outside my house. She was waiting me with a smile and ran towards me with a hug. I was overjoyed to see her, but my ex husband wasn't... When he saw Hina, he invited her to stay over and when the night came he tried to... violate her... but... something unexpected happened." Sakura said with a cold voice.

Her look was lost in the void, like she was seeing her experiences like a movie inside her mind.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I heard a scream and ran upstairs... and then... i saw Hina... I saw her stabbing my ex husband until death... But the creepy thing was that she was enjoying and smiling at that. Even when he was dead, she kept stabbing him. There, i became terrified and called the police." Sakura said, while her hands were trembling.

"Hina tried to say "Did i do well, Mama? I killed the bad man..." but.. i was stunned and started to run away and luckily i found a police car passing by... but when they entered the house, Hina was already gone."

My stomach dropped from fear. "So... Hina is really..."

I was the boyfriend of someone who... killed.

Sakura nodded.

"From police reports, my ex husband's death was from suicide. They didn't want to spread the news of a serial killer." She added.

"I don't... i don't... i didn't know..." I said to myself, while holding my face with my hands from shock.

"Kai, you're already dead if you don't listen to me." She said.

I felt a shiver of fear in my heart after her words.

"And... what does that have in common with Rina's story?" I asked.

"Rina... is also a victim of Hina." She said...