[Complete] Invisible Chains- Chapter 26
Chapter 26
I traveled up the short and narrow stairs with each step making the floor creak. My heart raced as if it was going to explode out. The Aiba family remained quiet with Aiba-san’s father in front of me, while Aiba-san trailed behind me. Even though I couldn’t see it, I had a feeling that Aiba-san didn’t want me to see Mariko. He was probably concerned about her feelings.
We reached the second floor and Aiba-san’s father led me down the narrow hallway. He stopped at a door in the middle and then turned his head towards me. “This is Mariko-chan’s room. She has locked up herself in her room since my tsuma* died. So I’m not sure that she’ll open the door for you.” He said and then turned his head back. He knocked the door before he placed his ear near the door. “Mariko-chan, you have a visitor here to see you.” There was no response from her.
Then Aiba-san came forward and took over his father’s spot. “Mariko-chan, please come out. There’s someone that you should really meet. She’s…” Aiba-san began to hesitate. I looked at him and knew he didn’t want to say that I, her sister, after so many years wanted to see her. He was worried that she might permanently lock herself up and will never open her door for anyone forever. “May I speak with her?” I asked.
Aiba-san and his father looked at each other before Aiba-san’s father pulled his son back. I made a small smile and nodded my head before I approached the door. “Mariko-san, this is…” …your sister. I wanted to say, but I felt that this wasn’t a situation where I could easily introduce myself like that. So I started from the beginning again, but this time I decided to choose my words carefully. “Mariko-san, my name is Nakashima Asuka. I’m a friend of your oniisan and first I want to say that I’m sorry for your lost. Even though I didn’t know your mother as you have, I’m pretty sure she has touched a lot of people’s lives. She probably brought and gave you happiness that you could ever wanted.”
Then I bit my lower lip. My heart ached, as I couldn’t help to have memories of my mother appear in my head. “She probably smiled whenever she saw you, gave the things you either asked or begged for even if they weren’t necessary. Then during the sad times, she would wrap her warm arms around you and whisper in your ear that it was going to be okay. She was always there for you no matter what. Even if you hated her after an argument, or she didn’t let you do something and she wouldn't tell you the reason why. But after a few days after pondering and missing the interaction you have with her, both of you at the same time apologize to each other. Then your mother-daughter relationship continues like that argument never happened in the first place.”
Then I changed my expression. I stared coldly at the door as I continued to speak. “However, there are some things that you can’t forgive her for doing. No matter how nice she treats you or gives you everything that you want, there’s absolutely no way you could accept her apology. She did something unthinkable that you begin to hate her. Even on her deathbed, she would try to ask for forgiveness from you, but you just can’t accept it because she did something that shouldn’t have had happened.” I swallowed hard, feeling my throat was now being parched from talking a lot. Even though my throat was sore, I had more things to say.
“Even though our okaasans are not here anymore, that doesn’t mean that we should isolate ourselves because we may feel like that spot that was there before is gone. Your okaasan has gone to a better place and is waiting for the right moment to come back down. Maybe you’ll be able to see her again. Then you can continue sharing memories with her as much as you want. However in order to see her again, you need to make sure you need to get there. The gods are usually fair when it comes to our lives. If you live out your life to the fullest and be truthful to yourself, they will kindly reward you. There was a saying that I read in a book before. ‘We are bounded by something that we cannot see.’ Even though we can’t feel or see it, every soul-every human being are connected in an intricate web. Eventually the people that we desperately want to meet again will get to see each other.” I swallowed and then I straightened my back. With weary eyes, I stared at the door and then took one deep breath. This was my now or never moment. “Can you open your door to let us see you? Your otosan and oniisan are worried about you.”
Slowly there was a clicking noise from the doorknob and Aiba-san’s father reached for the handle to toggle it to find it unlock. He looked at us surprised. Then he nodded once to Aiba-san before he turned the doorknob and opened the door to reveal a dark and messy bedroom. There was one single thing that was lit and it was a computer screen. On the screen revealed a picture of a beach. I changed my focus to the room in its entirely. There were clothes thrown everywhere and bottles of drinks piled up in a corner near a garbage bin. The room looked like it was the end result after a hurricane had passed through.
My eyes trailed towards something on the bed, but it looked like a silhouette of a person. My eyes widened and my heart raced. The room was too dark that I wasn’t able to see her face but I was excited that this day has come. I was now able to see how my sister looks like. Quickly Aiba-san and his father stormed into the room, Aiba-san rushed towards the silhouette and his father had turned on the lights before he approached them. Meanwhile, I took a few deep breaths before I approached them as well. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. Now is the moment of truth. I walked closer to the bed to be quickly disappointed. Her hair had grown so long that it had covered most of her face. I clenched my jaw tightly. I got excited for nothing.
“Are you all right?” “Mariko-chan, why did you become a hikikomori?” “We miss okaasan too.” “Thank goodness that you finally opened the door.” Aiba-san and his father talked at the same time. They were relieved and happy to see her. I smiled to myself, I was happy to know that Mariko has a family that is her number one of support even if she did something good or bad. No matter what, they were going to be there for her. That’s another thing that I became envious that she had something I didn’t.
I looked around the room again to notice a picture frame of a family photo. It was a picture of Aiba-san and his family in front of the house. I recognized Aiba-san and his father in the photo. Then I noticed another male that looked like Aiba-san, I assumed that's his younger brother. My eyes began to trail towards the right where I saw a beautiful lady, which I could immediately tell that it was their mother. She had a sweet smile on her face. Even though I haven’t had the chance to meet her, I had a feeling that she welcomed everyone with a bright smile. I sighed under my breath and moved my eyes to the image of a young girl. She too also had a bright smile on her face as she posed beside their mother. I took me a few minutes until I realized that the girl look a lot like my mother. I bit my lower lip to hold back my tears. My dream and wish to finally see how my sister looks like has finally came true.
“Is that your friend that was speaking to me?” I heard a female voice speaking. I quickly tossed my head to see that everyone was looking at me. I swallowed. For some odd reason I was nervous to speak to her face-to-face. Then I thought of what I should say to her. I was scared that I might make her lock her self again. I slowly approached her. With my heart beating rapidly and heat rising from my cheeks, I bent down and smiled up at her as I took her hand into mine. “I’m glad that you allowed us in. I understand that life can be sometimes difficult but that doesn’t mean you can just hide your life away from it. You have to think of the things that you are leaving behind.”
She slipped her hand away and started to yell at me. “Who are you to tell me how I should live out my life? Who are you to tell me what things I can and cannot do?” My eyes widened. Why is she…? My jaw dropped when I realized that her stubbornness and attitude was like of my father’s. With my mother’s looks and my father’s personality, I had no doubt that she is my sister.
I decided to stay calm and tried to reason myself with her. “I know that I’m a nobody but I’m just telling you that you should have thought about your family. Can’t you see they are worried about you? If you just go lock yourself up and become a hikikomori, did you think of the impact that caused on your remaining family members? You know, they share the same pain as you.” She folded her arms and started to hide herself under her bed comforter. She looked like she was angry at what I said. I clenched my jaw and grabbed her arm quickly before she could go back into hiding.
“What are you doing Asuka-chan?” Aiba-san shouted. I shot my eyes at him and glared. “I know what I’m doing.” I said with fierce eyes and I yanked her back to make her sit on her bed. Without thinking, I lifted up my hand and slapped her. From the impact of my slap, her head turned and she quickly placed her hand over the spot I had slapped her. I quickly stood up and stared down at her. “Stop acting like a child and grow up! You need to realize that the world does not revolve around you so that you can do whatever you want at your own pace. What about your oniisans or otosan? Can’t you see that even though they share the same pain as you, they are trying to move on as if your okaasan is still here? Stop living in the past and think about your future. Would your okaasan want you to mourn for her death everyday, or use that time to create a brand new future filled with the same love and care that your okaasan brought to others?”
Even with her face covered by her hair, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. I bit my lower lip and wrapped my arms around her. “I can understand how difficult it must have been for you to lose your okaasan. I also lost mine too. As I said earlier, everyone is bounded something we cannot see. Therefore you eventually will get to see her again. So don’t give up and continue to live out your life to the fullest with that in mind.”
She nodded her head and I could hear Aiba-san and his father sigh in relief behind me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: *tsuma - wife
If you were wondering where the quote came from in the header, well now you know it comes from this chapter. (*・∀＜*)
I traveled up the short and narrow stairs with each step making the floor creak. My heart raced as if it was going to explode out. The Aiba family remained quiet with Aiba-san’s father in front of me, while Aiba-san trailed behind me. Even though I couldn’t see it, I had a feeling that Aiba-san didn’t want me to see Mariko. He was probably concerned about her feelings.
We reached the second floor and Aiba-san’s father led me down the narrow hallway. He stopped at a door in the middle and then turned his head towards me. “This is Mariko-chan’s room. She has locked up herself in her room since my tsuma* died. So I’m not sure that she’ll open the door for you.” He said and then turned his head back. He knocked the door before he placed his ear near the door. “Mariko-chan, you have a visitor here to see you.” There was no response from her.
Then Aiba-san came forward and took over his father’s spot. “Mariko-chan, please come out. There’s someone that you should really meet. She’s…” Aiba-san began to hesitate. I looked at him and knew he didn’t want to say that I, her sister, after so many years wanted to see her. He was worried that she might permanently lock herself up and will never open her door for anyone forever. “May I speak with her?” I asked.
Aiba-san and his father looked at each other before Aiba-san’s father pulled his son back. I made a small smile and nodded my head before I approached the door. “Mariko-san, this is…” …your sister. I wanted to say, but I felt that this wasn’t a situation where I could easily introduce myself like that. So I started from the beginning again, but this time I decided to choose my words carefully. “Mariko-san, my name is Nakashima Asuka. I’m a friend of your oniisan and first I want to say that I’m sorry for your lost. Even though I didn’t know your mother as you have, I’m pretty sure she has touched a lot of people’s lives. She probably brought and gave you happiness that you could ever wanted.”
Then I bit my lower lip. My heart ached, as I couldn’t help to have memories of my mother appear in my head. “She probably smiled whenever she saw you, gave the things you either asked or begged for even if they weren’t necessary. Then during the sad times, she would wrap her warm arms around you and whisper in your ear that it was going to be okay. She was always there for you no matter what. Even if you hated her after an argument, or she didn’t let you do something and she wouldn't tell you the reason why. But after a few days after pondering and missing the interaction you have with her, both of you at the same time apologize to each other. Then your mother-daughter relationship continues like that argument never happened in the first place.”
Then I changed my expression. I stared coldly at the door as I continued to speak. “However, there are some things that you can’t forgive her for doing. No matter how nice she treats you or gives you everything that you want, there’s absolutely no way you could accept her apology. She did something unthinkable that you begin to hate her. Even on her deathbed, she would try to ask for forgiveness from you, but you just can’t accept it because she did something that shouldn’t have had happened.” I swallowed hard, feeling my throat was now being parched from talking a lot. Even though my throat was sore, I had more things to say.
“Even though our okaasans are not here anymore, that doesn’t mean that we should isolate ourselves because we may feel like that spot that was there before is gone. Your okaasan has gone to a better place and is waiting for the right moment to come back down. Maybe you’ll be able to see her again. Then you can continue sharing memories with her as much as you want. However in order to see her again, you need to make sure you need to get there. The gods are usually fair when it comes to our lives. If you live out your life to the fullest and be truthful to yourself, they will kindly reward you. There was a saying that I read in a book before. ‘We are bounded by something that we cannot see.’ Even though we can’t feel or see it, every soul-every human being are connected in an intricate web. Eventually the people that we desperately want to meet again will get to see each other.” I swallowed and then I straightened my back. With weary eyes, I stared at the door and then took one deep breath. This was my now or never moment. “Can you open your door to let us see you? Your otosan and oniisan are worried about you.”
Slowly there was a clicking noise from the doorknob and Aiba-san’s father reached for the handle to toggle it to find it unlock. He looked at us surprised. Then he nodded once to Aiba-san before he turned the doorknob and opened the door to reveal a dark and messy bedroom. There was one single thing that was lit and it was a computer screen. On the screen revealed a picture of a beach. I changed my focus to the room in its entirely. There were clothes thrown everywhere and bottles of drinks piled up in a corner near a garbage bin. The room looked like it was the end result after a hurricane had passed through.
My eyes trailed towards something on the bed, but it looked like a silhouette of a person. My eyes widened and my heart raced. The room was too dark that I wasn’t able to see her face but I was excited that this day has come. I was now able to see how my sister looks like. Quickly Aiba-san and his father stormed into the room, Aiba-san rushed towards the silhouette and his father had turned on the lights before he approached them. Meanwhile, I took a few deep breaths before I approached them as well. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. Now is the moment of truth. I walked closer to the bed to be quickly disappointed. Her hair had grown so long that it had covered most of her face. I clenched my jaw tightly. I got excited for nothing.
“Are you all right?” “Mariko-chan, why did you become a hikikomori?” “We miss okaasan too.” “Thank goodness that you finally opened the door.” Aiba-san and his father talked at the same time. They were relieved and happy to see her. I smiled to myself, I was happy to know that Mariko has a family that is her number one of support even if she did something good or bad. No matter what, they were going to be there for her. That’s another thing that I became envious that she had something I didn’t.
I looked around the room again to notice a picture frame of a family photo. It was a picture of Aiba-san and his family in front of the house. I recognized Aiba-san and his father in the photo. Then I noticed another male that looked like Aiba-san, I assumed that's his younger brother. My eyes began to trail towards the right where I saw a beautiful lady, which I could immediately tell that it was their mother. She had a sweet smile on her face. Even though I haven’t had the chance to meet her, I had a feeling that she welcomed everyone with a bright smile. I sighed under my breath and moved my eyes to the image of a young girl. She too also had a bright smile on her face as she posed beside their mother. I took me a few minutes until I realized that the girl look a lot like my mother. I bit my lower lip to hold back my tears. My dream and wish to finally see how my sister looks like has finally came true.
“Is that your friend that was speaking to me?” I heard a female voice speaking. I quickly tossed my head to see that everyone was looking at me. I swallowed. For some odd reason I was nervous to speak to her face-to-face. Then I thought of what I should say to her. I was scared that I might make her lock her self again. I slowly approached her. With my heart beating rapidly and heat rising from my cheeks, I bent down and smiled up at her as I took her hand into mine. “I’m glad that you allowed us in. I understand that life can be sometimes difficult but that doesn’t mean you can just hide your life away from it. You have to think of the things that you are leaving behind.”
She slipped her hand away and started to yell at me. “Who are you to tell me how I should live out my life? Who are you to tell me what things I can and cannot do?” My eyes widened. Why is she…? My jaw dropped when I realized that her stubbornness and attitude was like of my father’s. With my mother’s looks and my father’s personality, I had no doubt that she is my sister.
I decided to stay calm and tried to reason myself with her. “I know that I’m a nobody but I’m just telling you that you should have thought about your family. Can’t you see they are worried about you? If you just go lock yourself up and become a hikikomori, did you think of the impact that caused on your remaining family members? You know, they share the same pain as you.” She folded her arms and started to hide herself under her bed comforter. She looked like she was angry at what I said. I clenched my jaw and grabbed her arm quickly before she could go back into hiding.
“What are you doing Asuka-chan?” Aiba-san shouted. I shot my eyes at him and glared. “I know what I’m doing.” I said with fierce eyes and I yanked her back to make her sit on her bed. Without thinking, I lifted up my hand and slapped her. From the impact of my slap, her head turned and she quickly placed her hand over the spot I had slapped her. I quickly stood up and stared down at her. “Stop acting like a child and grow up! You need to realize that the world does not revolve around you so that you can do whatever you want at your own pace. What about your oniisans or otosan? Can’t you see that even though they share the same pain as you, they are trying to move on as if your okaasan is still here? Stop living in the past and think about your future. Would your okaasan want you to mourn for her death everyday, or use that time to create a brand new future filled with the same love and care that your okaasan brought to others?”
Even with her face covered by her hair, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. I bit my lower lip and wrapped my arms around her. “I can understand how difficult it must have been for you to lose your okaasan. I also lost mine too. As I said earlier, everyone is bounded something we cannot see. Therefore you eventually will get to see her again. So don’t give up and continue to live out your life to the fullest with that in mind.”
She nodded her head and I could hear Aiba-san and his father sigh in relief behind me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: *tsuma - wife
If you were wondering where the quote came from in the header, well now you know it comes from this chapter. (*・∀＜*)