WOUNDED HEART [ ✓ ] | Jujutsu Kaisen

Chapter 8: The First Time

A/N: All incidents and dialogue, and all characters-except those who are known historical figures-are products of the author's imagination and is not real. Even if real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues involving those people are entirely fictional.

[ Year 710 ]

"Sister, sister!" Reimi turned to see her little sister, Asukabe-hime, running towards her. She opened her arms and greeted her with a smile. She enveloped her in a warm embrace. "Are you going to the library again?"

"Yes, Asukabe. Would you like to go with me?" she asked. The little sister pouted. Reimi chuckled. "I see, you are not in the mood to study, are you? Do you want to go explore the town again?"

"No. The truth is...I want to go to the palace!"

"Palace? We are not supposed to wander the palace. Have you forgotten that?"

"You are going to stay there soon, right? Once you are officially tied with Shomo-hiko, you will live in the palace. Are you going to leave me?"

"Of course, not. According to the rules, the two of us may marry Shomo-hiko. Keeping that in mind, we will be able to live in the palace together. Isn't it great?"

"But Mother and Father were rooting for you only. Father even let you attend etiquette lessons. Mother always gift you with extravagant clothes and sparkling accessories. You are the only one who they wanted to marry him."

"Don't think about it too much. I will never leave you, promise. I will talk to you later again, understand? I just need to go to the library." Asukabe just nodded to her and turned around.

"I want to marry the soon-to-be emperor. I want to live in the palace. I want my mother and father treat me the way they treat her. But all of them, I won't be able to have them because of my older sister who is so much better than me." Reimi's expression softened upon hearing her little sister's words.

She was about to make her way towards the library when she noticed something on her little sister's left shoulder.

"Asukabe!" she called her sister who stopped on her tracks. "What is that thing on your shoulder? Since when did you start to have a pet?"

"Pet? Domestic animal? I never had one, sister. I do not see anything on my shoulder."

"Oh, I understand. I apologize. Would you love to have an animal companion? Maybe a dog? It will be fun to see it running around our place."

"You do not have to. A dog will only rampage around the place."

"Yes, you are right. How foolish of me. It is only because...I am just worried about you. You seemed a little bit down."

"If that is the case, then I should be more worried about you. You seemed to have some hallucinations, sister."

"Maybe it was just because of fatigue. Ever since I started taking etiquette lessons, I never had the chance to rest. I think I am exhausted."

"Then rest. Do not push yourself too much. You promised me that you will never leave me. You are always true to your words."

Reimi just smiled to her and walked away.

It wasn't the first time she saw something like that, an unusual creature. She already saw one when she was young and she would always see them around since then. Reimi always spend her time in the library trying to understand what are those creatures but none of the books there can tell her.

Seven years went by and finally, Reimi managed to discover something about those creatures. They are connected to the negative emotions of human. Everytime she'll hear her sister mumble about her jealousy towards her, the shadow on her shoulder increases its size.