Chapter 34
Sunday quickly rolls around again. Ikeda pulls up into the Seidos’ driveway and stops the car. Leaving the engine to idle, he honks the horn and waits. He watches Kazunori come out of the side door and close it up and lock it behind him. Ikeda pops the lock. He looks up again and watches Kazu come around to the passenger seat and open the car door. “Hi,” Kazu greets him. “Sorry I’m late.” He closes the door behind him and buckles his seatbelt. “When is your appointment with the Kondos supposed to start?”
Ikeda locks the doors and puts the car in reverse. “The appointment’s in an hour and a half,” he replies as he backs onto the quiet street and puts the car in drive. “It’ll take us a little longer than that to get there.” He places both hands back on the steering wheel and speeds up the street. “How goes it?”
“Everything’s all right,” Kazu replies. “At any rate, I’ll be glad to check up on Naoyuki. It’s him I’m worried about.” He takes his eyes off the scenery and looks over at his teacher. “So what made you want to bring me along?”
“You’re his cousin,” Ikeda answers. “You know him better than I do. I want your honest evaluation of what you see during this appointment. What I do with Naoyuki next depends on your response.”
Kazu’s eyes widen momentarily. “What do you have in mind?” he inquires.
“I need to be able to gauge what I can ask him,” Ikeda replies. “And also,...I’m thinking about getting him out of that house.” A pause as Ikeda glances sidelong at Kazu. “How do you think your cousin will respond to that?”
“Something that drastic,..huh?” Kazu asks, turning away to look out the window. “Then the situation is fairly dire...”
“Your cousin comes into school with his face redecorated,” Ikeda tells him, “if you know what I mean. He doesn’t pay attention in class anymore – he’s very listless. Also, he seems to have lost a bit of weight.”
Kazunori frowns. “Lost weight? He's already pretty skinny...” He watches the trees and buildings and people streak by outside the window. He heaves a sigh. “I’m not sure that Naoyuki would respond well to being removed from his parents’ house,” he says. “He put in so much effort and sacrificed so much to get there. He’s got his mother back after all this time. I honestly don’t think he’ll want to let that go so easily – even if Uncle Hiroto is treating him that badly. And on top of that, to be placed in some stranger’s house wouldn’t make him happy.”
“I see,” Ikeda murmurs.
Ikeda steps on the gas and merges onto the freeway. Once again, he glances sidelong at Kazunori. “On the positive side,” he says, “it appears that Naoyuki is opening up more. That student, Soejima – ”
“The girl in his drawing?” Kazu inquires.
Ikeda nods. “Soejima has been spending a lot of time with Naoyuki. And I’ve even been seeing Naoyuki and his stepbrother together – that was something that wasn’t happening before; they were treating each other like strangers.”
Kazu smiles a little. “Leave it to Naoyuki to find another nosy girl who could get him to open up. That seems to be his type. But his stepbrother, too? That’s unusual; Naoyuki doesn’t seem to open up to guys.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Because of Uncle Hiroto and my father,” Kazu surmises.
“Naoyuki’s relationships with male figures in his life have been less than positive; therefore, he’s much less apt to forge friendships with male acquaintances than females.”
“Yeah. That makes sense.” A pause. “Professor,” Kazu asks, “have you gotten a chance to talk to Naoyuki one-on-one?”
“He won’t talk to me,” Ikeda says. “I’ve even tried to catch him alone after class. He’s very guarded around me.”
Kazu thinks for a moment. “What about..just observation?”
“I’m thinking of making that one of the next steps.”
Kazunori nods. “That might be your most accurate gauge,” he says.
A good dozen or so miles and a refueling stop later, Ikeda pulls into a subdivision and turns down a side street. He pulls up in the fifth driveway to his right and parks the car, then kills the engine. “Here goes nothing,” Ikeda says, popping the locks. He and Kazunori exit the vehicle and lock and close the doors. They walk up to the porch, and Ikeda rings the doorbell. A few seconds later, Mr. Kondo opens up. “Good afternoon,” Ikeda greets him.
Mr. Kondo glares at Kazunori. “I told you before,” he snaps, “don’t drop in unannounced. It isn’t appreciated.” He steps out of the way and allows Ikeda and Kazu into the house.
“Kazunori!” Mrs. Kondo greets him excitedly. “What a pleasant surprise!”
Two completely divided reactions again, Ikeda thinks, even to their nephew. “I decided to bring him along this time,” Ikeda says. “So, Mr. Kondo, I apologize. Pardon me for doing so without consulting you first.”
“This is a breach of privacy!” Mr. Kondo grumbles as he drops down on the couch next to his wife. The two boys both stare at him from their opposite end of the couch.
“Once again, I apologize,” Ikeda says. “Kazunori is my student. I thought nothing of it, seeing that he is the one who originally brought this case to my attention as Naoyuki’s cousin.” He sits down in one of the armchairs, and Kazu takes a seat in the armchair next to it. It appears there would be no tea or coffee today. “How are all of you this afternoon?” Ikeda asks.
“Well, thank you,” Mrs. Kondo replies.
Kazunori looks at Naoyuki. Just as his professor had said, Naoyuki’s face is bruised all over, and the little hands he cradles in his lap are swollen, as well. Naoyuki’s eyes lock with his for a moment, as if he’d felt his stare, then Naoyuki looks down at his feet.
“Just cut the pleasantries,” Mr. Kondo says tersely, “and tell us what you want to know today. Let’s get these questions over with.”
Ikeda frowns and pushes his glasses up on the ridge of his nose. The target questions for Naoyuki are: What happened in the boys’ home? And what led up to your arrival here? For his parents... “Very well,” he says.
He pulls out his clipboard and pen and a few sheets of paper. After clipping down the paper and uncapping his pen, Ikeda asks, “Let’s start where we left off. What was that scene last week? Naoyuki wouldn’t answer my question; Mr. Kondo, you jumped up from the couch, yelling, whereupon your stepson immediately sprang up and ran away, and your wife defaulted to defending Naoyuki while you fought your way in and struck him. I take it this scene has played out in this house before,” he surmises. “Neither I nor anyone at his school is blind, Mr. and Mrs. Kondo. Naoyuki walks in with his face turned purple and blue. I told you before: you can’t expect Naoyuki to magically go back to the son you had before you left him. Life didn’t stand still and wait while you were gone. You now have to face the consequences of your actions in the form of your damaged child. You cannot pin all the blame on Naoyuki and punish him for the mistakes you’ve made.”
Kazunori cringes as he sees his uncle bristle and scowl at his professor. He doesn’t play around. Uncle Hiroto looks like he’s gonna blow.
“Excuse me?!” Mr. Kondo explodes.
“You’re right,” Mrs. Kondo speaks up. “That’s correct. We’ve had..some trouble at home lately. You’re absolutely right. We’re to blame.”
“No, you have the issue all wrong, sir!” Mr. Kondo roars. “This discipline is for his disobedience and – !”
“If you keep letting your sons see the worst of you like this, they might never recover. Can you not see that?” Ikeda asks pointedly. “Can you really not see what you’re putting them through? Shows of anger like this frighten your children. Even if you don’t lay a hand on them, you are still hurting them. And, good sir, this is not helping their performances in school. In fact, since Naoyuki first started coming to school battered, his grades have plummeted. For all your talk of grades and jobs, it would appear that your methods are backfiring.”
Mr. Kondo’s face turns beet-red. His hands clench, and all his muscles tense, as if it took all his strength to keep himself from jumping up from that couch that second and letting a fist fly at Ikeda’s face. “How dare you...!” he growls. “Telling me that I don’t know how to raise my children...! Who do you think you are?”
Kazunori’s gaze turns on Naoyuki again. He was nervously curling up, shaking, wide eyes on his father. Kazu could faintly hear him whimper. It looks like Professor Ikeda’s straightforward tactics could backfire, as well. Naoyuki looks terrified. He turns toward Ikeda and jerks his head toward Naoyuki, trying to get his attention. It works. Ikeda momentarily glances over at Naoyuki, then looks away.
Naoyuki’s getting defensive, Ikeda notes. He heaves a sigh. “I apologize if I came off out of line. But I am pleading with you: be patient with Naoyuki, and try to show some empathy; this is going to take time to repair.” He frowns. “On that note, I’m fairly well convinced that some of Naoyuki’s behavior is triggered by flashbacks – negative mental images from traumatic events that are common in PTSD patients. The best medicine for that is to find an outlet. Since talking about these things seems to bring on flashbacks for Naoyuki, try to find something constructive that he can channel his stress into, like drawing or beading, or even a sport. Any of those things could do wonders for him. But patience and understanding are key.”
Mrs. Kondo nods. “Thank you,” she says.
“And what about school?” Mr. Kondo growls.
“Right now, school is just another source of stress for Naoyuki,” Ikeda explains. “He needs to pace himself. Do a few make-up assignments a day, make sure he keeps up with his current work, and help him study. Also, make sure he’s eating and sleeping well. That, too, will help his performance.” Mrs. Kondo nods and thanks him again.
Ikeda surveys the rest of the family. Naoyuki seems to have calmed down. His stepbrother is more at ease, too. Mrs. Kondo looks happy, and Mr. Kondo appears to be appeased. “Can I ask you if you’re all settled in a little better at this point?”
Ikuo nods. “It doesn’t feel so weird anymore,” he replies.
“It seems you and your stepbrother are getting along better,” Ikeda says. “I see you together at school now.”
Ikuo glances over at Naoyuki, then back at Ikeda. “Yeah,” he replies, “we are.”
Ikeda smiles. “That’s good to hear,” he says.
Ikeda leans down and takes a couple sheets of paper out of his bag. He pushes one toward each of the boys. “I’d like you both to draw me a picture,” he says. “This time, I have an assignment for you. On one side, draw your families. On the other side, draw something scary to you.”
“Something that’s scary?” Ikuo asks incredulously. “Why?”
“That’s just the assignment,” Ikeda replies.
“Now you put on a face like a teacher,” Ikuo mumbles. “Okay...”
“What exactly is a teacher’s ‘face’?” Ikeda inquires.
Ikuo blinks up at him thoughtfully. “Someone who says ‘just do it ‘cause I said so’. And they tell you that ‘cause it’s their job.”
Ikeda chuckles a little at his response. “I see.”
“But you’re not seeing us ‘cause it’s your job. You’re doing it ‘cause you want to.” Ikuo blushes bashfully and takes his sheet of paper.
Ikeda smiles. “That’s right.”
Naoyuki silently takes his sheet of paper, as well, then looks up at Ikeda. “Is there something you want to ask me?” Ikeda inquires. Naoyuki looks away and shakes his head.
Ikeda’s smile fades. “Can I ask you boys to leave now? I need to have a word with your parents. I won’t ask for your drawings until tomorrow at school.” Ikuo and Naoyuki uneasily dismiss themselves from the living room and head upstairs. Ikeda watches them disappear on the second story landing and hears a door close.
Then he eyes Mr. and Mrs. Kondo. “So, Kazunori,” he asks, “what is your opinion?”
Kazu scratches his head and thinks aloud, “Well...Naoyuki was more subdued than usual. He acts differently around different people, so...I’m not sure you’re seeing him act natural. Though he was better by the end.”
Ikeda shuts his eyes and caps his pen. “I think I’ve gotten all the information I can gather from these questions,” he concludes. “I need to infer the rest of the answers by different means.”
“The drawings, you mean?” Mrs. Kondo asks.
“That’s part of it,” Ikeda replies. “What I’m proposing is this: I need to observe Naoyuki when he isn’t on the spot. That would be here in his home, under normal circumstances. So for our appointment next week, I do not want you all to come in here and meet me formally. In fact, it would be best if Naoyuki didn’t even know I was here. So just go about your business, and I will observe him.”
“All right,” Mrs. Kondo agrees.
“And another thing,” Ikeda continues, “I would also like to observe Naoyuki’s behavior when he is apart from you. If possible, I would like to bring him to my house for a few hours every once in a while.”
“V-Very well,” Mrs. Kondo reluctantly agrees.
“Let me be completely honest with you,” Ikeda says. “If Naoyuki continues to be abused here, I will have no choice but to contact child services. I would rather not resort to that, considering what Naoyuki has been through. But if I have to, I will take the child away. Do you understand what I am saying to you?”
“You would..take Naoyuki away from me?” Mrs. Kondo asks in shock.
“If I have to,” Ikeda replies. “This test, of seeing how he reacts to a different environment, will set up the framework. It’s preparation for the worst-case scenario.”
“I..I see...” Mrs. Kondo murmurs.
Mr. Kondo angrily narrows his eyes at Ikeda. “Stop sticking your nose into matters that are none of your concern,” he growls. “Continue to do so, and we will terminate these quack psychiatry sessions!”
“If you cut me off from Naoyuki’s case, then I will contact child services,” Ikeda retorts firmly. “I won’t allow you to continue abusing the boy.”
Mr. Kondo snorts. “Take that boy away from us, and he’ll be right back where he started. He’ll be a helpless introvert. Do you want to take responsibility for that?”
Ikeda’s mouth just about drops open. “Do you care nothing about your child?!” he cries.
“Hiroto, you mustn’t say such awful things!” Mrs. Kondo cries.
Kazunori sits there, staring, dumbfounded. I can’t believe he just said that! Uncle Hiroto is not only abusing Naoyuki, but he’s also taking advantage of his psychological scars to keep Professor Ikeda from intervening – he’s using it as a way to trap Naoyuki! “How low...!”
“It’s time for the two of you to leave,” Mr. Kondo demands.
Kazunori bolts to his feet and yells, “Give Naoyuki here! Bring him downstairs and let him come with me, Aunt Aya!”
“Kazu – !”
“Naoyuki!!” Kazu calls. He stomps toward the staircase and starts climbing. “Naoyuki!”
“No one gave you permission to go poking around in the rest of the house!” Mr. Kondo roars. “Come back here, you brat!”
Curious, Naoyuki and Ikuo crack the door open and step out. “What’s going on?” Ikuo asks. “Is something happening?”
Kazunori grabs Naoyuki and whisks him up into his arms. “Come on, let’s go,” he says determinedly as he stomps back downstairs. Naoyuki stares toward his mother, but doesn’t put up a fight – until she stands up and calls out to him. Just as Kazu is about to open the door and carry him out, Naoyuki reaches out for his mother and starts hollering and fighting to get free. “Naoyuki – !” Before Kazu can plead with him, Naoyuki’s hand flies up like he intended to smack him, and Kazu drops him to the ground. Naoyuki scrambles toward his mother and buries his face against her side, clinging on to her clothes.
Mr. Kondo turns toward his son and his wife and furrows his brow; but one side of his scowling mouth turns up into a smirk as he looks back at Kazunori and Ikeda, as if to say, “See? I told you so.”
Kazu grimaces. His uncle’s disdain for Naoyuki was absolutely disgusting. Inexcusable. But before Kazu could speak up again, his professor holds him back. “We’ll be on our way now,” Ikeda says. He opens the door and steps out with Kazu. Closing it gently behind him, he starts down the front porch steps with Kazu in tow.
“We can’t leave him here,” Kazu says as he follows Ikeda toward the car. “Naoyuki is in danger here.”
“I can see that,” Ikeda grants him. “However, unfortunately,...as demonstrated by that scene just now, your uncle is correct. You were correct. Naoyuki won’t leave here – he won’t leave his mother. If we force him to come with us,...”
Kazu stops, turns and sadly stares back at the house. “...he’ll be scarred again,” he finishes. Silently, he turns his back on the house and climbs into his teacher’s car. Ikeda climbs in, as well, starts the engine, and backs out.
***************************
Mrs. Kondo spreads the thick blanket over the couch and sets the pillows inside. She frowns as the psychiatrist’s words replay through her mind. He would take Naoyuki away. He would take her son if he had to. Then her husband said that – that if Naoyuki were taken away, he would go back to being helpless and introverted. Though she hadn’t seen Naoyuki in the three years after they’d left to find the specialist, she’d heard – they’d both heard – about the way Naoyuki behaved in their absence. Relatives had gone to see him and reported back about him.
“The boy’s strange,” her sister had reported. “He doesn’t speak. He won’t even shake hands with anyone. If anybody tries to touch him, he throws a tantrum. He’s not the same child you raised, Aya.”
Mrs. Kondo could barely even imagine that – could barely even believe it. But reports from other relatives were the same. I don’t want Naoyuki to go back to that. I don’t want him to be that sad. What should I do?
She heaves a sigh and makes her way across the room and up the stairs. She quietly opens the boys’ cracked bedroom door and steps inside. Ikuo was sound asleep; she steps over and kisses him on the cheek. She turns around to check on Naoyuki and sees him tossing and turning, hears him whimper. Mrs. Kondo gently untucks him, picks him up and carries him downstairs to the couch. She sits down and lays Naoyuki in front of her, then spreads out on the couch and pulls the blanket over them. She puts her arms around Naoyuki and feels him snuggle up against her. He reaches out and pulls her arms closer to him. She sees him smile. “That’s my boy,” she says, “my sweet little Naoyuki.” She curls up and kisses his warm cheek. “I love you.”
***************************
“XLA?” Mrs. Kondo asks, holding Naoyuki in her lap.
“X-linked Agammaglobulinemia,” the doctor says. “In layman’s terms, it’s a genetic defect that appears most commonly in males which inhibits the body’s production of antibodies.” He leans back against the sink and puts his hands in the pockets of his white coat. “At this time, there isn’t a cure for XLA. But what I can do is prescribe some medications that can cover for the antibodies that Naoyuki’s body isn’t making. Now, these particular drugs have to be given intravenously, so...”
It was all alphabet soup to Naoyuki. His attention wanders to the work in his backpack. They’d come to the specialist right after school, stopping over at home only a few minutes for a snack and a change of clothes. Naoyuki had decided to bring his work for the waiting room – it was better than being bored. He leans over and reaches for his backpack again, but his mother holds him still.
The doctor laughs. “He’s getting a little restless, huh?” he asks. “Well, Mrs. Kondo, I’ll give you a few informational booklets and leave it at that for today. Come back after work tomorrow, and I’ll have one of the nurses show you what to do.”
“Thank you,” Naoyuki’s mother replies, accepting two or three thin books about XLA from the doctor. She finally lets Naoyuki down out of the chair, and he picks up his backpack and digs around for a pencil and a few of his papers. His mother herds him gently out of the exam room and down the hallway to the desk.
After she receives a prescription from the front desk and pays the assistant, Mrs. Kondo and Naoyuki leave and head out to the car. Naoyuki buckles up and arranges his things to work during the ride. When his mother gets into the car, he looks up from the worksheet on his lap. “You’re coming back tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yes, I am,” she replies as she puts her keys in the ignition and starts the car.
Naoyuki frowns. Me and Ikuo will be home alone with Papa again, he thinks worriedly. “Can me and Ikuo go over Taki’s house tomorrow after school?”
As his mother backs the car out of the parking space, she says, “Well, you know your father has the last say. You have to ask him.”
Naoyuki shudders at the thought and turns his attention back on his homework. He’d say ‘no’, of course, he thinks. Papa always gets mad when I bring up Taki. Speaking of Taki, it was thanks to her that he’d put a good dent in his homework. He hadn’t gotten any new work today, and he and Taki had worked on his make-up work in study hall and at lunch. Actually, even Ikuo had helped out – they’d made a study group. I think Ikuo likes Taki too, Naoyuki decides. He scratches down a math problem and works out the solution, just the way Taki had shown him. “If I said we’d work on homework, would Papa say yes?” Naoyuki asks his mother.
“I think he might,” she replies, keeping her eyes on the road.
“If you said so, too, he’d believe me?”
Naoyuki’s mother glances back at him briefly. “What makes you think he won’t believe you?” she asks.
“Papa always says we fool around. He hates...” me. And Taki, too. “– he gets mad,” Naoyuki covers up quickly, “and says I’m lying.”
Mrs. Kondo falls silent and heaves a sigh. “You know...your father just...” She glances at Naoyuki’s reflection in the mirror. “He isn’t used to the new you,” she says. “He needs time to accept that some of the things he expects out of you just aren’t..possible right now.” She frowns. “Not that I have the right to say that to you after all he’s put you through...But I know..it will get better somehow. It’ll just take time.”
Naoyuki nods. He silently goes back to doing his homework for the rest of the ride home.
As soon as Naoyuki and his mother step into the house, his father is putting up a fuss. “Where have you been?” he roars. “With no warning, you’re gone for hours! It’s bad enough that you’re out late into the night doing who knows what – !”
“We had an appointment with Naoyuki’s specialist today,” Mrs. Kondo explains.
“And you didn’t tell me?” her husband shouts.
“The results from his blood test came in,” Mrs. Kondo presses on.
Mr. Kondo stands still and crosses his arms. “And?” he asks.
“Naoyuki has XLA,” Mrs. Kondo replies.
Her husband stares at her. Glances down at Naoyuki. “XLA. As in the genetic defect.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Kondo verifies.
“How? I don’t know anyone with such a thing in my family.”
“No one in my immediate family had it, either,” Mrs. Kondo says, “but now that I think about it, my uncle on my mother’s side was always getting infections.”
“And you mention this now,” Mr. Kondo grumbles.
“But in any case,” Mrs. Kondo continues on, “I have to go back to the hospital after work tomorrow for some instructions from the nurses there. So I will be home late.” She takes off her coat and hangs it up in the closet, then gently removes Naoyuki’s coat and hangs it up in the closet next to hers. “Oh,” she adds as she pushes the coats back and closes the closet doors, “and Naoyuki was talking about going over to Soejima’s house with Ikuo after school tomorrow. So they can get help on their work. Will that be all right with you, Hiroto?” She feels Naoyuki grip the back of her shirt and turns to look at her husband, whose scowling face had turned red-hot with boiling anger.
“It never fails,” Mr. Kondo gripes. “Sure, the boy has a problem. But he’s not incapable of doing things on his own, as much as he may play at it! The last time he went to Soejima’s, he was fooling around! So, no, he can’t go! He can do his work here, by himself!”
“Hiroto, getting a little help isn’t a bad thing,” Mrs. Kondo reasons with her husband. “And besides, Dr. Ikeda said – ”
“This doctor said this, that specialist said that – What about what I say?!” Mr. Kondo roars. “I said ‘no’, and I don’t care what that quack psychiatrist said! The boy’s no helpless invalid; he can function like a normal human being! So why give him any special treatment?!” He glares down at Naoyuki and explodes, “Stop hiding behind your mother like some toddler!!”
Naoyuki retreats further behind his mother and clutches more tightly onto her shirt, beginning to whimper and tremble. “Hiroto, stop,” his mother says firmly. “For goodness’ sake, Ikuo’s in the next room, isn’t he?!” she hisses.
“Aya, you’re far too lenient – !”
“Hiroto!”
“That boy hangs onto you like a leech! He’s too dependent! Why do you keep indulging him like this?!”
“Naoyuki is our little boy, and it’s our fault he’s like this,” Mrs. Kondo says.
“Then it’s high time we change it.”
“You won’t lay a hand on him, Hiroto!”
“Aya, move out of the way,” her husband orders her. “Move!”
“Touch him, and you’ll only make things worse,” Mrs. Kondo growls.
“So now the blame’s on me, is it?” her husband shouts. His hand swipes across her face, and Naoyuki screams. “Move, Aya!”
“STOP!” Naoyuki hollers. He runs out from behind his mother and grabs one of his father’s arms. “Don’t hurt Mama!!” he bawls. “Please!!”
His father wrenches his arm away and swings it into Naoyuki’s left side, knocking him across the floor into a crumpled heap. “Stop whining and get up to your room!!” he yells. When Naoyuki doesn’t budge, he stomps up to him yanks him roughly to his feet. “Move it!” He threatens a slap.
“No!” Naoyuki yelps, retreating. He curls up defensively as his father’s hand comes down and almost strikes him in the face. “No!”
“Don’t you say ‘no’ to me!” his father growls, clawing Naoyuki’s shoulder.
Mrs. Kondo stomps in and pulls Naoyuki away. “Don’t you hurt my son!!” she yells.
“Don’t interfere, Aya!” her husband yells back.
“Don’t lay another hand on my boy!!!” Her enraged husband’s hand swings down on both of them.
“MOM!!” Ikuo cringes and squints his eyes shut as he hears his stepfather’s strike hit its target. His stepbrother screams. Ikuo’s legs buckle, and he can’t bring himself to move any farther from his hiding place behind the kitchen wall. He whimpers and covers his ears.
Mr. Kondo whirls on Ikuo. “Are you going to start, too?!” he yells.
“Hiroto, ENOUGH!” Mrs. Kondo cries.
Mr. Kondo strikes her again, then turns on Naoyuki. “SHUT UP!” He strikes Naoyuki three times in quick succession. “If you want rights in this house, you’d better work for them!” He kicks Naoyuki in the side. “Until then, don’t you dare say ‘no’ to me! And don’t you even come to me asking about going to that girl’s house! You’re grounded, boy! Get to your room this instant and get to work!” When Naoyuki doesn’t get up, he stomps on his hand. “Make me drag you, and I’ll make it hurt!” Mr. Kondo roars.
Naoyuki screams and punches his father’s leg with his other hand. His father leans over and hits him again in the arm, then in the side. Naoyuki flinches, screams louder. That side was still sensitive, even now, from that fight at his old school. His father could tell; he goes for that spot again. Run. Get up and run! His hand cracks under his father’s weight; he was breaking it. His father grabs his other hand as he raises it to hit his leg. Naoyuki lets out another sharp cry as his father pulls his arm back and lands a hard hit on the side. Naoyuki writhes, pulls away. His father was pulling his arm off. He wrenches it free and rakes his nails across his father’s leg. Enough. That’s enough! Let me out of here! As soon as his other hand is free, Naoyuki forces himself up as quickly as he can and races for the door. It was still unlocked. He opens it and runs out into the frigid air. He shivers as the cold wind blows snow at his back. He chokes a little on the dry air in his throat. But he keeps running – to where, he doesn’t care.
