Akiko’s shout brought everyone to a stop, and she ran down the last few steps.

“What are you doing?â€ she demanded of the guards, who did look a bit sheepish. She was suddenly struck by how young they were. Not even Akira’s age. Some looked no older than Kazumi.

The fallen protester got to his feet, a bit shaken but not actually injured, and Mrs Watanabe surged to the front, her finger stabbing at Akiko as she blazed with anger.

“I <em>knew</em> this would happen. You pretend to be nice, but all the time you’re preparing violence. It always ends with death.â€

“Mrs Watanabe, no-one is dead.â€ <em>Except Hideo Takenaka,</em> she suddenly remembered, surprised by the strength of the sudden urge to cry.

“Maybe not yet, but if your thugs don’t kill someone, the kami will. The priest said she’d have the kami curse us!â€

“Mother, please…â€ Naoyuki said.

<em>Mother?</em> For a moment, Akiko was too shocked to think. <em>That </em>was why she had looked familiar. It was obvious now.

“You were too young to remember it Naoyuki, but I know what happened. I know the kami killed your sister.â€

“Mrs Watanabe…â€ Mr Akiyama had worked his way to the woman’s side, while Naoyuki, profound embarrassment on his face, was trying to shrink back. Akiko had no idea what to say, or do, as Mrs Watanabe brushed the headmaster off and continued to shout at her.

“They don’t care about right or wrong. They just care about their pride, their rules. She was only a child. She needed the toilet.â€

Akiko felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach, literally having to gasp for breath. Suddenly, she knew where this story was going. Not the details, but the important points. And she really didn’t want to hear.

“So she went behind the bushes. What did she know about shrines? About kami?â€ There were tears running down Mrs Watanabe’s face now, and most of the protesters had drawn back from her. Only her son still stood by her side, but he was looking down, trying to make himself inconspicuous. Akiko wanted to run away, but she couldn’t, couldn’t make herself move.

“They said…â€ Mrs Watanabe paused, gulped air, and then looked back at Akiko. “They said it was a dog, but we didn’t see or hear anything. We just… we just…â€ Naoyuki put his arm round his mother’s shoulder now.

“We just found her body, in the ditch round the shrine.â€ She was sobbing uncontrollably now.

“She was only four!â€ It was a scream, and Akiko could feel the tears stinging at her own eyes as Naoyuki pulled his mother into a hug, glancing resentfully at Akiko, as if it were her fault.

Akiko stood there, not knowing what to say. She was vaguely aware of the family coming past the protesters, through the gaps left when they had pulled away from the grieving woman, and saw them go up the steps. She heard Kazumi greet them at the top, and lead them to the house, but she still couldn’t move.

Akiko searched for something to say, but she couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound trite, or condescending, or insulting. Blinking away the tears, she managed to look away from Mrs Watanabe, at the protesters who were edging away as if not wanting to admit that they were involved, at Mr Akiyama, looking at her apologetically, at Naoyuki, holding his mother but saying nothing.

This realisation was almost as painful as the last one.

<em>I’m the only one who believes her.</em>