"I don't even remember when my parents died..."
{ 12 Years Ago }
"I don't even remember when or why...but I always had this feeling I was different."
"Akira!"
"Coming mom!"
She tumbled through the door, mud on her feet, dirt beneath her fingernails and still — the biggest grin known to mankind.
"Look, ma! I caught a bug! It's so huge!"
Her mother, eyes softer than the sunset and a smile that couldn't hurt a fly, ruffled her messy violet hair, "I can see that, sweetie, but you really need to get yourself cleaned up, okay?"
Akira nodded eagerly, "Can I go and get the water by myself this time!? Pleeeease mommy?"
Her mother laughed softly, but her eyes softened a little, "Sweetie, you know how the folks around here are..."
Akira's grin faltered, her voice lower now, "Is it because of me, mom?"
"No, honey, don't ever think like that..." She replied, lifting the blurry eyed mess into her arms, "You're just... different. And people, well sometimes people don't like something that's... difficult to understand at first"
"Is that why the other kids don't like me, mommy?"
The brown eyed woman's heart clenched at that question.
It was innocent. It was small.
It was a cruel reminder of just how unfair the world really was.
"Tell you what? How about you and Akashi go together, hm? Will that make you better?"
The child's eyes lit up, her grin brighter than ever as she nodded, "Uh huh, I bet me and Akashi will meet tons of friends too!"
Her mother chuckled as she wrapped a scarf around her, "I'm sure you will. Now be careful, okay? And remember, sweetie..."
She leaned her forehead against her, eyes fluttering closed, "Mommy will always love you more than she can ever hope to show you, okay?"
Akira giggled, her small hands cupping her cheeks, "I know, mommy. You'll always keep telling me the that everytime I leave, won't you?"
"Always"
However...
"... that's the last thing I remember about my mom."
"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE HERE!!"
"SOMEONE BRING ME WATER BEFORE IT SPREADS INTO THE FOREST!!"
"When I went back..."
"MOM!! DAD!!"
"MOMMY!! DADDY!!"
"...our house was on fire..."
"STAY BACK YOU IDIOTS!!"
"MY MOMMY! PLEASE SAVE MY MOMMY—"
"—SHUT UP, YOU DEMON! YOU'RE THE REASON THEY'RE DEAD!"
"I'll never forget the words that man told me..."
"That I was the reason they died..."
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY LITTLE SISTER LIKE THAT!"
"The following day...a meeting was held to decide who'd take care of the both of us. And as expected...no one did."
"Who in their right mind would take care of a curse?" One villager whispered.
"I'm surprised they're even showing mercy to that thing. The boy, I understand, but that demon? Talk about being a compassionate village head." One whispered.
"Growing up, I was resented for being a Hybrid. Being one meant I was automatically a demon child. A curse. A problem that needed to be delt with."
"Sorry, I don't take care of demons..."
"Everyone we went to for help hated me. And since Akashi couldn't stand it, they hated him as well..."
"It's cold tonight... Guess we'll have to sleep by the campfire again, m'kay, Aki?"
"We slept outside. All our valuables had been burnt to ash and when we even tried to work for cheap labour, they cursed at me saying I'd only make the crops wilt and the land infertile."
"Get away from my land, you damned demon. Come any closer and I'll kill both you and that annoying brother of yours!"
"In hindsight, I suppose I deserved the treatment. What could a Hybrid like me ever do for people?"
"It's a shame...if only you'd died instead of your mother and father. Now you're both a curse to the village and a burden to your older brother."
"I wanted so badly to just die. I wanted to disappear. But..."
"Ever since mom and dad died, you're the only one keeping me going, Aki. Please, for my sake...keep fighting."
"He needed me. And I needed him. That's when we decided to do everything we could possibly do to change our lives..."
"Please teach me how to write, Akashi..."
"Sure thing!"
"We started with being literate and moving to a different town. There, we found an orphanage, and with our previous village head wanting to get rid of us, we got there very quickly..."
"We've done it, Aki. We're no longer sleeping outside..."
" I want to change my life around, Shi."
"We will, Aki. One leap at a time."
"However, because they knew I was a Hybrid, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Some days I'd sleep on am empty stomach. Other days, I'd be punished for the littlest mistakes. But...they did teach me to make every move I make purposeful..."
{ 5 years ago}
"Aki, come look at this."
"'Accepting new students. Kiyoto Middle School.'"
"Since I was the only one in my age group who could read and write flawlessly, I took the entrance exam..."
"Ew, look at her clothes. She must be an orphan."
"Watch your tounge, I heard she's a Hybrid. You don't want whatever she has to curse you now, do you?"
"I passed. With flying colors too..."
"And in first place, Akira Hashinada."
"When that happened, I did everything I could to prepare. However...during my first day of school, the teacher called my name wrong. The kids there laughed at me, all except..."
"What's so funny? We all make mistakes. Laughing at what the teacher said is one thing, but making fun of a new student is just a low, even for all of you."
"Uh oh. Hinasuke, are you in love with her?" One student mocked.
"Shut your mouth, Shisui. That's why you're the loudest of them all, but not the smartest."
All eyes slid to the blonde boy who stood in front of the redhead and the voilet haired girl.
"What did you just say to me, Yoshida?"
"And you..." The blonde said to the teacher now, who was too arrogant to speak up, "What kind of teacher let's a class make fun of a new student? You should be ashamed to even call yourself a teacher."
The teacher's eyes widened as their face turned red, "How dare you say that to me Yoshida! Apologize at once or I'm sending you to the Principal's Office!"
"And tell her what? That you're sending me here because I'm doing your job for you?"
"I didn't even know those boys. But...from that moment on, I was forever grateful for their protection."
"Name's Yoshida, nice to meetcha'! And his name's Hinasuke! He doesn't talk much, but he's a fun grumpy old guy!"
"I'M NOT OLD AND I'M NOT GRUMPY!"
"For the first time in my life, I had friends..."
"Don't worry. If you ever need help? Just call on me! Your friend, Yoshida TSUNADE!"
"Eventually, by the end of my school year, I was already given a scholarship for High School too. Kyoto High, a prestigious, top class school. Hinasuke and Yoshida, out of their stubbornness, studied extra hard to even qualify for the entrance exam and passed, though barely..."
"Life actually seemed like it was going to be better...but then..."
{ 3 months ago }
"Akashi?..."
"The One person I needed the most... committed suicide..."