SaneGiyuu: Wind and Water don't get along

PART 44: A CURSE

Kei had soon realised something.

Before she too, closed her eyes forever, she muttered quietly to herself.

"I... I now remember... My name wasn't Kei, it was... Shiori. I was not a demon from the beginning... I-I was born a human. His name wasn't Akio either. He was Kenji! I, I remember now..."
She spoke, stuttering.

"Kenji and I, we were best of friends.
We were born on the same day... Our fathers were best friends too. One day, as my father was coming back home after work, some animal dragged him to the forest and ate him alive, leaving leftovers. People found the remainings and thought that it must be a wolf. I used to live with my mother then.

During summer days, when we were five, Kenji and I, we both sat together and looked at the other kids who played outside."

Kei took a deep breath.

"My mother used to tell us. 'Why don't you two play with the others?'

But, the children never liked us. They said hurtful things to us everyday. Even if we tried our best to join them.

'Go away! We don't play with rotten eggs, you know?' They laughed."

Kei stopped abruptly and then spoke up,

"Kenji was very emotional. He used to cry over the smallest things. He cried as he heard the hurtful comments passed to me and him.

As we both lived in the same neighborhood, we got to experience the same, bitter behaviour all the time.

About four years passed, with the same bullying everyday. It was our tenth birthday. My mother had called a few neighbours to come and have dinner with us. And that included, the children. They were about 10 too.

They laughed and then, one spoke up.

"When I turned 10, my father brought me a new kimono! What did your father gift you today, Shiori? Oh, wait!
You don't have a father!

They all laughed, uncontrollably.

"I feel bad for Shiori, imagine finding out that your father was dragged into a forest by a wolf and is now dead!"
A girl giggled.

Kenji was the one who usually cried. But, this time, I was the one who felt water form in my eyes. Everything looked blurry. I tried my best to hold it in.
A drop of water fell, and the others saw it.

"She's crying!"
They laughed more.

But that's when I heard a voice.

"Hey! How dare you say that!? You should apologise, you know?"
Kenji spoke up, I didn't even know that he had enough courage to do so. I looked at him with my teary eyes.

"If you don't, then get out!"
He yelled. My mother walked in, hearing the noise.

"What's going on here?"
She asked. But it was too late,
The kids left. Kenji had insulted them as much as he could.

It was just the three of us now. The guests left. My mother cleaned the dishes while Kenji and I went upstairs.

It was a full moon, that day. We both sat near the window and gazed out.
We looked at the big moon, accompanied by the thousand tiny stars.

"The moon looks beautiful today, doesn't it?"
Kenji asked.

But, after all that had happened, I didn't think that the moon was beautiful anymore.

"No..."
I said.

He looked at me and asked if everything was okay. But I couldn't hide the truth, I cried.

"Why does everyone hate us so much?"
I cried more.

"I don't know either..."
He said, sniffing a little.

Both of our hearts filled with hatred and anger for the children.

But then, just as we were staring at the moon, Muzan-Sama appeared in front of us.

He walked in our room, his shadow from the moonlight falling on the floor.

"I will give you my blood, and you shall be demons."
He said.

He injected blood in us and we soon felt like we were growing.
We both looked like we were adults.

I was granted a power, I had the power of manipulation but I could manipulate only children. I could manipulate children's minds and they would listen to me.
Akio wasn't granted any, but he was very powerful. We decided to always work together. Muzan-Sama walked out. Kenji and I promised each other to never hurt adults and we decided to get out revenge. My mother walked upstairs and looked at us.

"W-Who are you!? Where are the two children?"
She asked. But we didn't reply and we both walked out.

Our first prey were the kids. And then we started to hate children. And we both, eventually ate children. They soon became more nutritious.

It stayed like that for a while... We both thought that turning into demons was one of the best blessings we could get, but I now regret it.

It was not a blessing but actually, more like a curse..."

With that, Kei closed her eyes, forever and the Hashiras stood, staring at her body which would burn away soon.