Stay Silent

Just a little short drabble about one of my characters; Tagome Yuratoko. She grew up in a Buke family (Family of the Samurai class) and has always been asked to stay quiet about their wrongdoings.

 

 

Stay silent.

 

That's what they told me, day after day.

 

Stay silent, Tagome, or mother will worry.

 

Stay silent Tagome, or mother will cry.

 

Stay silent Tagome, our mother is coming,

 

Stay silent Tagome....

 

So I'd learned to be silent about things. I was silent when my brothers went rafting and one never came home.

 

I was silent when Jiro left the family, and even when Heidiki followed him to America. I was silent when Shiro bullied me.

 

And I was silent the day mother died.

 

It was my fault they told me...even though I knew it wasn't. It was Shiro who killed her, eager for our families throne. I wanted to say something, to tell people that it wasn't me.

 

I tried to tell our father one night, when we were all sitting around the dinner table. The police told my family I was still too young to know what I was doing, so I was forgiven.

 

I wanted to tell someone what had happened, so I opened my mouth to say it.

 

"Stay silent, Tagome," Shiro told me, quickly, his voice full of anger and panic. I felt struck by his words. He knew it was his fault...and he didn't want me to say anything.

 

"You will know your place, Shiro," our father had said. "And you are no better than her in this family. I am family head now."

 

Shiro scowled him, clearly displeased with his words. Father scowled back, his glare clearly winning over Shiro's.

 

But the damage was done, and I could not make myself speak.

 

That night Father died as well. Burned alive in the fireplace. I tried to convince myself that it was an accident, but I knew who had done it.

 

"Stay silent, Tagome," Shiro had said the next morning as we all stood around his grave, right next to mothers.

 

And I did.

 

I was silent about what happened.

 

About how I had seen the way Shiro eyed my mother angrily when she made a desicion that didn't favor him. I had seen the way he looked at our father too,. With equal displeasure and anger. He was convinced that Jiro was their favorite, but that wasn't true.

 

Mother and Father loved each of us a lot, Shiro.

 

I wanted to tell him that.

 

But I stayed silent, as I was told.

 

The next day he became the family head. I cried to David, begging him to understand without actually saying anything. But he didn't, he meerly sat in his room, pondering what position he would get now that Shiro was family head.

 

I cried to myself after that. I never got rid of the guilt.

 

Even once I was grown and older, a young onna bu-geisha of 14, I cannot say anything to our family head about what he has done. I think it over and over in my head until I feel I will go insane.

 

MURDERER!

 

YOU TORE THIS FAMILY APART!

 

I scream so loud my head hurts, but the sounds never make it past my lips.

 

I stay silent.

 

 

*******************************************

 

I began to pick up the family chores.

 

Cooking for everyone, perfecting my martial arts, as mother and father wanted me to. I mastered the naginata without much difficulty.

 

And I beat Shiro in a sparring match a week later. He was furious.

 

Shiro wasn't that much better than me, I realized. 

 

 Jiro and Heidiki, Mom and Dad, and even Adrian are all gone now.

 

It's just me, David and Shiro.

 

A broken little family.

 

Though it feels as if I'm the only one trying to keep it together. All Shiro and David have ever done is drive us further apart.

 

It's Shiro's fault that Adrian is dead.

 

It's Shiro's fault that Jiro and Heidiki left me here all alone.

 

And it's Shiro who murdered my parents!

 

I glare at him as he crosses the porch in his hakama, ready to go for some archery practice. But I say nothing.

 

Because I must stay silent.

 

********************************************************************************

 

"But, Onii-san," I protested softly. "The school isn't that bad..."

 

"I don't think it's fit for this family's name, Tagome!" Shiro argued.

 

"But, it's not that bad! It's reputable, and it challanges me plenty," I tried to reason with him.

 

"Stay silent, Tagome!" Shi-Sho barked at me once more.

 

I admit it, I shrank back.

 

"Why don't you care about your family, Tagome?" Shiro hisses at me. "Why must you insist on hanging aroung those who disgrace our name? What would Jiro say to you? His little sister, tearing apart the family that no one is trying to keep together...what would he think of you?"

 

"He wouldn't care and you know it!" I said. "He's too-"

 

"I told you to STAY SILENT!" Shiro yelled.

 

But somewhere inside me, something snapped. Something inside me just said....

 

"No!"

 

Shiro was looking at me as if he didn't know who I was. I wasn't so sure that I knew who I was at the moment.

 

"Tagome, I said, STAY SILENT!" he repeated.

 

I felt a little rush of surpirse at myself, finding myself not the slightest bit concerned with what he thought at the moment.

 

That was irrelevant.

 

"You won't get to do this again!" I heard myself scream at him. "You won't tear apart this family any more! I won't let you! You already drove Jiro and Heidiki away, then you killed Adrian and mom and dad....Why can't you just leave the family alone? You're already family head! What more can you possibly want?!?"

 

I felt the sobs escape my chest.

 

"Tagome," Shiro spoke, his voice shaking with anger. "I told you to-"

 

"I am so SICK AND TIRED of staying silent!"

 

This was my voice...and these were my words coming out....

 

....but I didn't feel like Tagome Yuratoko at all.

 

Author's Note

Well? Love it? Not so great? Throw it in a blender? Flames will be used to boil water for RAMEN! ^^

Reviews

[Kintaro]

Togome is oh so awesome... She finally stood up to her brother! Too bad she doesnt get to kill himintheface.

[Kathlina]

It was excellent. :3 Your writing is pure genious!