Ichimatsu widened his eyes a little as he watched the priest slowly open a drawer to his desk, fumbling around in it. Karamatsu retrieved a pair of sharply pointed scissors, holding them loosely in his hands.

"Ah, yes..." Karamatsu mumbled, pulling a long, lilac colored ribbon from his desk drawer, snipping it off at a reasonable length. "Child, you never told me such, but what is your name?"

"I-I..." Ichimatsu's throat went dry, "I-Ichi-Ichimatsu...."

"Ichimatsu," Karamatsu repeated, then continued. "Please hold out your wrist to me."

"Y-Yes sir..." Ichimatsu replied, offering out his arm. It was quite an awkward, sudden thing for the priest to ask of him, yet the child felt he has no right to question Karamatsu.

With great care, the priest wrapped the lilac ribbon around the boy's wrist, muttering a prayer to himself as he did such. Ichimatsu closed his eyes and bowed his head, feeling that it was the right thing to do.

"Let this be a reminder," Karamatsu said gently, tying off the ribbon. He pressed two of his fingers on top of the little bow. "Beautiful bows cannot be tied around ones wrist when they are alone. You, Ichimatsu, are not alone. Life will be difficult, but there will always be someone out there who is willing to support you. You are loved, and you are treasured."

A single tear ran down the boy's cheek as he lifted his head, meeting the angelic gaze of the fatherly priest. Never once had such words been spoken to him directly. Indeed, Ichimatsu's heart had been lit by a flame of hope.

"Now, go in peace," Karamatsu smiled sadly at the young child. "Whatever you may be dealing with, please do not be afraid to come to me. I will always be here, waiting for you."

"Thank you..." Ichimatsu sniffed quietly as he arose from the chair. Karamatsu arose from his own chair, taking several strides to his office door, opening it for the young boy.

Resting a hand on Ichimatsu's shoulder, Karamatsu gave the boy another hopeful, yet saddened smile. "You belong here."

And with that, Ichimatsu slowly trudged our of the church, struggling to hold back tears. All the way home, he was completely unsure wether his tears were that of joy, or that of sorrow. It was only the moment he found himself at the doorstep to his own home, that he truly knew. They were tears of sorrow.

From the inside, Ichimatsu could hear his mother screaming out for help, the sounds of things being thrown around, too.

Hastily, he threw open the door, only to find the hallway stained with pools of blood and shattered glass.

"I WISH I NEVER MARRIED YOU!" Ichimatsu's father bellowed as he dragged his wife out into the hallway. For a split second, his eyes met with Ichimatsu's, causing his anger to rise even more. "I'll kill you."

And with that, Ichimatsu's father yanked open a dresser drawer in the hallway, retrieving his favorite pistol, which was supposed to be there to protect their family. It wasn't meant to harm anyone.

Ichimatsu's father held the gun up to his wife's head, his eyes full of a sort of deadly hunger. And without a second thought, he lowered the gun just a little, shooting his 'beloved one' in the leg.

Without a second thought, Ichimatsu ran out the door, screaming out for help. With pure desperation and anger, he began to cry. "PLEASE. ANYONE. HELP MY MOTHER...MY FATHER...MY FATHER...MY FATHER IS TRYING TO KILL HER!"

It didn't take long for the townsfolk to emerge from their homes in confusion, soon becoming aware of the situation. Soon, sirens filled the air, police men and paramedics arriving at Ichimatsu's home.

Father arrested, mother being rushed to hospital, Ichimatsu stood in the midst of it all, his heart breaking, aching, and pleading. He loved his parents very much, and he wished for them to be happy. Yet somehow...somehow things had ended up going south. And now, the young boy had nowhere to hide.