The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 8: Another Life

Akai awoke in an empty room. The walls were lined with shards of glass. Each piece of glass played an event. Every single one seemed to picture a part of Shinobu's life. Were these her memories?

Akai slowly walked forward and towards the wall of memories. He reached forward to touch one of the shards. He touched one and was immediately transported there. He was transported there as an invisible bystander. He couldn't interact with anyone in Shinobu's memories. But he could feel all her emotions and see what happened to her as she lived.

Confusion. Being born, growing up.

Happiness. Growing up with a happy family, and a caring big sister. Kanae.

Pain. Parents are murdered by demons.

Hope. She is saved by the demon slayers.

Determination. She and her sister begin training to become demon slayers so they can protect others.

Shame. She is too weak to behead a demon.

Realization. She tinkers with poison. If she can't behead them, then she'll kill them another way.

Happiness. She and Kanae save and adopt Kanao.

Pain. Kanae is murdered by upper moon two.

Hate. Shinobu is forever burning with hate for demons.

Sadness. Shinobu mourns her sister Kanae, and swears to carry on her smile.

Frustration. A demon claiming to be friendly shows up out of nowhere and wastes her day, acting as though he is a friend of hers and not a bloodthirsty monster.

Akai suddenly snapped from this. His eyes were wide and he looked and felt traumatized. Shinobu woke up as well, looking just as bad as him. He got up quickly and made eye contact with the insect pillar.

"S-sorr-" Shinobu was cut off.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you." Akai lowered his head and stormed out of the room.

He walked quickly down the halls and went into one of the empty rooms. He put his back to the wall and sat against it. He hugged his knees and frowned. He had witnessed all the pain that Shinobu had witnessed, he'd witnessed the death of her parents and the death of her sister at the hands of demons like him. No wonder she smelled so strongly of hate. And he was completely unaware, unaware of her pain and how disrespectful it was to even talk to her.

"D-Dammit!" Akai began crying with clenched teeth. He felt every bit of her pain, along with his self-loathing. He balled his hands into fists and cried into his knees.

Little did he know, Shinobu was experiencing his pain as well. She felt the pain of losing a father. She felt the pain of being imprisoned in a place for 1000 years with no power to do otherwise. She felt the pain of finally being set free, setting out to try and gain a powerful ally and get stronger by doing so, only to be seen as an enemy. A single tear ran down her cheek.

Shinobu: I've made a mistake...

Akai: I've made a mistake!!!

Both regretted their decisions and how they acted towards one another.

Akai finally stopped crying. He sat with his eyes closed, sniffling.

"Akai?" Shinobu called from outside the room. Akai felt a twang of panic and he shrunk into his child form.

"Y-yea?" Akai said slowly.

"I'm sorry." Shinobu apologized.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Akai was confused.