A Demon's Tale

Shiro: [AAAAAAAAAAAA!]

Awoken from the horrible nightmare, the woman clad in white, Shiro Fuloreen, returned to the world of the living. Whether for better or for worse, it was an outcome that her body forced onto her. Not only had she awoken, but the few around her jumped up from the loud shock. To her left, an angel dressed in a gi of white rose from his seat. On the opposite side, a man with spiky purple hair, a chiseled body with a long coat hanging over it and an incredibly large metallic arm by his side, had lifted his head. Finally, in her lap, a small yellow cat girl immediately jumped up as soon as the shout was released.

Though the girl was irritated, she shared the same look as the other two. A genuine display of concern on each of their faces, followed by a quick rush to her side.

Resting a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, the angelic man spoke to the woman he served.

Hidari: [Lady Shiro, are you alright?]

Her white hair wrapped around the fingers that pushed against her forehead. Her body ached, her mind felt like it was in constant pain, she had felt sick to the stomach, yet none of these things were the worst of her symptoms.

Shiro: [Where…]

She remembered it. Everything. Not just the reality that was fabricated within her mind, but the reality she had also refused to accept.

Looking around the room, she gazed at her setting. Countless medical supplies, along with flowers and chairs. Nearby were curtains presumably used to treat someone should an injury grow far too terrible. It was a hospital. That much was clear to her. What she now laid on was a hospital bed that she had likely rested on for quite some time now.

Shiro: [Where… am I?]

This time, the man to her right answered her call.

Migi: [We’re in a nearby medical center, Lady Shiro. It took some time, but we managed to find a place for you and everyone else who needed some treatment.]

Gripping her forehead, Shiro gained a new question regarding the current circumstances.

Shiro: [How… How long has it been since…]

Hidari: [A day, Lady Shiro. It has only been a day. Following yesterday’s events, you had passed out for quite some time. Only now did you wake up from your rest.]

Shiro: [Yesterday’s… Ghk!]

Hidari and Migi: [Lady Shiro!]

At that moment, it all came flooding back to her. Every piece of what happened, every detail, all she had witnessed. She remembered everything, yet she wanted to doubt it.

Worried over the condition of their lady, the angel looked towards the incubus on the other side.

Hidari: [Migi! Go and speak with Miss Devi Bloodfire about Lady Shiro’s status! I will do the same for Miss Kōkatsu!]

Migi: [R-right! Bachi, keep an eye on her condition! Shout if anything is wrong!]

Bachi: [Don’t give me orders like that! I already know what to do!]

With the two of them nodding off to her, they rushed out of the room one after another. Now, only a small cat girl and the woman in white remained. Shiro’s hands covered her eyes as she spoke with the hot tempered teenager in her lap.

Shiro: [Bachi…]

Bachi: [Hm? What?]

Shiro: [Everything… Everything that happened yesterday…]

Her voice trembled as she tried to speak. Though Bachi did not harbor the same sorrow, her voice shifted in tone out of empathy.

Bachi: [Yeah. S’real. All of it.]

Tears started to roll down Shiro’s face. Her voice started to crack far more than it had previously.

Shiro: [All of it… All of that… was my fault!]

Bachi: [Ha?!]

Bachi lifted her head and looked towards Shiro. A sudden change in tone caused her image to resemble the very same that many had grown used to.

Bachi: [The hell do n’ya mean that was n’yar fault?! That was that darkness bastard’s fault, not n’yars!]

Shiro: [If… If I didn’t hesitate… If I just continued to fight… If I didn’t get overwhelmed by my own stupid thoughts… then…]

Bachi: [Listen! It wasn’t on n’ya! I saw it, plain as day! That bastard was the one to burn down that whole place! Not n’ya! If it weren’t for him, then things would still be fine!]

Shiro: [Why…]

Bachi: [Why what?!]

Shiro: [Why are you saying these things, Bachi? You shouldn’t force yourself to act nice towards me… You shouldn’t even be happy with me after what happened… I’ve caused all of this…]

The fury on Bachi’s face only rose as she received Shiro’s words. A great deal of strength was placed behind her arms as she grabbed Shiro’s own and moved them, gazing upon the tearful crimson gems behind.

Bachi: [I’m upset with n’ya right now!]

The same gems started to widen in size.

Shiro: [Bachi…]

Bachi: [Why are n’ya beatin’ n’yarself up over this shit?! This isn’t on n’ya, yet n’ya keep doin’ it! Snap out of it, n’ya crazy bitch! N’ya were so calm and collected when we raced, as well as every fight n’ya had after, but now n’yar gonna sit here and cry until n’ya throw up all n’yar organs?! What the hell happened to n’ya?!]

Shiro did not say a single word. Her face contorted with misery only to then have her brain send a signal to her arms. In one quick scoop, she performed a tight hug to Bachi. An action that would normally receive a complaint or a counter attack, especially given the hesitant display of anger her face encompassed. Yet, no such action was made, and instead, she simply let Shiro continue to hold her.

Shiro: [I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… Bachi…]

Bachi: [S’fine… really.]

Casting her somber eyes to the side, Bachi looked towards a nearby chair. One that reminded her of the distant past.

Bachi: [I guess I was jus’ familiar with it and all. Bein’ a heartless beast at one point, with the whole idea of attackin’ what came at me. It wasn’t till I met those teacher people that I changed. I’ve changed a decent bit since then, but seein’ somethin’ like the old me, right in front of my own eyes… I guess I was jus’ a bit thrown off.]

Moving her eyes back to Shiro, Bachi grit her teeth as she looked at her state. Even if she was only crying, she could tell that one thing was clear about it.

Bachi: [That fuckin’ jerk. It doesn’t matter whether I care ‘bout the white lady or not, he completely broke her with all of that shit he performed. No matter what I say, s’not gonna get through to her.]

Bachi released a deep sigh, before speaking to Shiro again.

Bachi: [Hey, there’s a vendin’ machine with some drinks nearby. N’ya probably haven’t had much to drink since yesterday, and I doubt n’ya can walk, so how ‘bout you give me some change and I’ll bring n’ya somethin’?]

Shiro: [... Y-yeah… Here… Will you be alright?]

Passing a few coins to the girl, Bachi gave a smug smile to the disheveled woman.

Bachi: [S’jus’ a vendin’ machine. I can probably figure out how it works. People make it sound easy anyways. I’ll be back, jus’ stay in that bed like those two wanted you to do.]

Shiro: [R-right…]

Placing her bare feet on the floor, Bachi started to exit the room before grabbing the side of the door with the claws on her hand.

Bachi: [...N’ya gonna be alright, white lady?]

Shiro continued to stare down at her bed. The edges of her hair dangled over her despair-ridden eyes. Bachi did not follow up with any further statements, and instead casted her own eyes down before leaving.

By herself, Shiro placed her hands against her eyes again. Her nails started to dig into the skin as she pressed harder and harder against herself.

Shiro: [Why… Why do I even need to exist… Why was I even born…]

Her memory of that moment was hazy. She did not remember things correctly, nor could she control herself.

However, she remembered a key detail from her own insanity.

The village they fought to protect was set aflame.

Even if something had been done about it, it was likely far too late.

In the midst of it burning, Shiro stood in the way of all who tried to stop it.

There were likely countless parents, countless children, countless families as a whole that were killed due to her actions alone.

The very thing she sought to protect was now the very thing she had destroyed.

Shiro: [Me… I’m the real villain… That broadcast wasn’t even close to matching the garbage scumbag that I am…]

???: [Fuck. I knew that you’d be a mess, but it was way worse than I was expecting. You’re a fucking disaster right now.]

In the middle of belittling herself, Shiro failed to recognise a familiar sound within the halls.

The sounds of footsteps moving towards her door.

More specifically, wooden footsteps that echoed loudly throughout them.

She gazed up towards the door frame to see a familiar figure leaning on it. One with long orange hair, sharp orange ears, a blue and white kimono with a red hakama beneath it and geta resting by her feet.

Shiro: [Kō…]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah. It’s me.]

After everything she had thought of, Shiro gripped at the blankets in front of her.

Kōkatsu should have been the one she wanted to see the most. The closest friend of hers since the two met in school. The friend who she spoke with many times. The friend who shared her dream with Shiro, and the same back to her. The friend who became a sworn sister, with their friendship bracelets establishing it as such. The sworn sister who had helped her grow and continued to fight alongside. The sworn sister who assisted her with her relationship, driving it from merely dating to married, and further assisting with another task in adulthood that she excelled in. The sworn sister who tried to clear her name and helped create a plan to get everything back for her.

A sworn sister who now stood in front of her, one who she did not want to see at this moment.

One who she felt was the greatest victim of the despair that Shiro brought with her.

Harder and harder, she tugged at the blankets as her tears started to flow again.

Shiro: [Kō…–]

Kōkatsu: [Before you continue, I should probably give you the breakdown on everything. I’m sure you want to know it, at the very least.]

Her geta echoed throughout the room as she closed the door and moved to a nearby chair. Raising a single leg, she crossed it over the other as she held on with both hands tightly.

Kōkatsu: [Let’s start with the heavy stuff. The casualty list. There’s some good news to this in a way, not everyone got fucked over. I’ll go from lowest to highest, for the sake of not being too heavy with it. The first two are my people, along with yours. There were mainly some small injuries among them, but not a single one was actually killed. I’m thankful for that much.]

Moving her eyes from the floor to Shiro, Kōkatsu spoke softly to the trembling, crying woman.

Kōkatsu: [Do you want me to continue, Shiro? I’ll stop if you need me to.]

Shiro: [Please… keep going… I need to know…]

Kōkatsu: [Shiro, if it’s too much, then seriously, I mean it, I can–]

Shiro: [Kō!]

A high pitched scream was released from Shiro’s mouth, causing Kōkatsu to jump. Following it, Shiro’s voice lowered in volume once again.

Shiro: [Please…]

Kōkatsu closed her eyes as she bit down on her cheeks. Though this was something Shiro wanted, she was disgusted that she was even forced to speak about it with her.

Kōkatsu: [Right… Sorry. Next up is Sil. There were a decent few among hers that got injured… and a couple lost their lives out there.]

Shiro: [... Hk!]

Much like Shiro had done with her blankets at that very moment, Kōkatsu gripped at her hakama.

Kōkatsu: [... After that is Helig. A lot of hers got injured, and there was even a handful that ended up dead.]

Shiro: [Tequi…]

Kōkatsu: [Hm?]

Suddenly, Shiro’s panicked, messy eyes looked at Kōkatsu with fear.

Shiro: [Tequi! She’s alright, right?! That part… that part had to be a dream! There’s no way… no way that she…]

Kōkatsu answered with her expression. Her eyes lowered in tandem with her ears, causing Shiro’s face to distort as she started to cry again.

Kōkatsu: [... The person who lost the second most of their people… was that Tequi lady. She lost a ton of her own troops… along with her own life.]

Her words were like a knife through Shiro’s heart. Though it should have only stabbed her once, a second painful sensation rippled through her body shortly after. The crimson eyes hesitated as they turned to the orange fox.

Shiro: [Second…? What… What do you mean by… Kō…]

Biting down on her lips, Kōkatsu finally spoke.

Kōkatsu: [The last… was Devi Bloodfire. She was pretty injured after the fight, but luckily, she’s still kicking. With that said, almost all of her troops are gone. Her soldiers go as low as the double digits now, and as for her high ranking people… she only has that big Night guy left…]

Shiro: [... Hk! … Ghk!]

Kōkatsu: [Shiro! Come here!]

Rushing over to Shiro’s bed, Kōkatsu grabbed hold of her in a warm hug while the snow-like woman cried into her chest.

Kōkatsu: [I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have said anything. Damn it! Even if you asked me to, I should have refused. Everything has turned to shit, and now I’m only making it worse.]

Shiro: [Kō… Please… I need to know…]

Kōkatsu: [Need to know? Need to know what? I’ll tell you whatever you need!]

Shiro: [The village… Please… I need to know what happened to all of them…]

Kōkatsu’s eyes widened in horror.

Kōkatsu: [Shiro… No… As you are now, I can tell everything is too much… Please, just get some nourishment, rest, and I’ll tell you when you’re absolutely ready.]

Shiro: [Please… I won’t be able to rest until I know…]

Kōkatsu struggled to respond. She did not want to list a single detail, but she had already known that no matter how much she would refuse, Shiro would keep true to her word. She would likely not perform a single action for her own well being until she knew.

Moving Shiro closer to her chest, and placing her cheek against the top of Shiro’s hair, Kōkatsu spoke of the details she desired.

Kōkatsu: [Alright, please tell me to stop if it’s too much… I’ll tell you what happened to the village…]

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Kōkatsu: [It’s ok, Shiro! I’m here! I’m here!... KIYOMI!]

My first thought at the time was to move things along as quickly as possible.

If I could at least make it to the village sooner, I’d have a chance to save more people.

The first thing I did was shout for Kiyomi to help. I needed her to get you to safety after you passed out.

I wasn’t made aware till later, but it seems like some demon beasts were attracted to the area due to the fire. They tried to attack Kiyomi, who was vulnerable at the time, but Silvia protected her.

She ended up with some bad injuries, but we’ve been treating her since. Currently, she’s in a room not far off from your own.

Regardless, from there, I moved up the land to check the status of things.

I was hoping that even a single building wasn’t lit aflame, possibly more.

If at least some were okay, that meant saving them before the fire could spread would be even easier.

That reality… was only one I could dream of.

As soon as I moved up, I saw it. All of it.

The whole village was on fire.

Everything was being burnt to the ground. Some buildings had already crashed down, others were on their way there.

I only watched for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

It was something that should have only appeared in the worst of nightmares, yet I watched it unfold through my very own eyes.

For just that brief moment, I let the horror overtake me.

I couldn’t stay like that forever, though.

There was one place that I needed to check. Even if it was burning, I needed to guarantee the safety of those who were inside.

It was a house by the highest point of the village. Just like the rest, it was burning to the ground with every second that passed.

Kaoru… She’s a smart girl. She ran over to me at that moment.

Kōkatsu: [Kaoru!]

Kaoru: [Here, Lady Kōkatsu! Quickly!]

It was thanks to her that I had a bucket of water.

I splashed myself as fast as I could and rushed over to the place.

I could barely open the door, so I ended up smashing it open with my fist.

From there, I used every ounce of my might to move the fallen planks of wood. All the while, I paid attention to the nearby flames.

I searched deeper and deeper into the house, and as soon as I got to the room in the back, I saw them…

On the ground… were two old friends of mine. Friends that I once helped out when I was young, and in turn, they’ve helped me out countless times after. Their bodies were burnt like charcoal.

Behind them were two more. Two little girls who were crying and cowering away from the flames, only to then look up at me.

I wanted to have a moment to mourn. A moment to at least thank them for what they had done for me and telling their souls to rest, but I didn’t have such a thing at my disposal.

Without thinking, I ran in and grabbed the two.

I held onto them as tightly as I could, and didn’t let a single flame touch them.

Wood fell on my back, my body felt the burning heat all across it, but I continued to move.

Eventually, I managed to get out, and handed the two children off to some of my own. Kaoru healed my injuries, and from there, we moved everyone to this hospital.

After checking in with some others, I got the confirmation.

Other than those two, every last kitsune in that village was long gone.

… That’s what happened to the village.

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Moving down a long hallway, an orange kitsune dressed in white and blue continued to walk away from the room she had been in. With every step she took, she felt a horrible chill of sadness that was not only created within her own heart, but shared with her via a sworn sister’s. Her eyes looked towards her own feet, only to then see a pair of red and black boots drawing near. Moving her eyes up, she spoke to the individual.

Kōkatsu: [How are you holding up?]

???: [Alright, I suppose. My current situation is rather difficult, but I will try to manage. How is she?]

Kōkatsu: [She cried for a while, enough that it ended up making her fall asleep. I told her little cat companion to leave the drink she bought by her bedside and rest with her a bit. I’ll check in later this evening and see how she’s doing then.]

???: [Do you think she will be alright?]

Kōkatsu: [I’ve seen her at her worst moments… but none of them compare to this. She’s taking things a lot harder than I was hoping for. Every single thing that happened is something that she’s blaming herself for. I’m supposed to be super close to her… and yet I feel like I’m completely powerless. I can’t think of anything to say or do.]

???: [Rest, for now. I shall speak with her when she is awake again.]

Kōkatsu: [Maybe I should… Be nice to her when she does, Devi.]

With a firm nod, the regal woman with azure skin and blood red hair with eyes to match acknowledged Kōkatsu’s words.

Devi: [I can assure you, I will.]

Kōkatsu: [Thanks…]

The two now walked past each other. What now stood beyond Devi however, or rather who, was a high ranking soldier she had been familiar with for many years. In the hands of this same soldier was a clipboard with detailed documents regarding family members written on it.

Night: [Lady Devi. I did not have the time to do so earlier, but I did some research regarding Miss Shiro Fuloreen’s family and–]

Devi: [Night, at the moment, this is not what is important.]

Night: [I’m aware, however I believe these documents have information that would concern you as we–]

Devi: [Night.]

Night: [... Yes. Apologies, Lady Devi. I will speak with you when I am able to.]

Silencing his voice, Night gave a bow of his head before walking away.

Watching as he left, Devi kept her same neutral expression and set her sights on a door near the end of the hall.

Moving her boots once again, she made her way to the room.

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Placed by the bedside of the sleeping beauty was a photo album she had created. The kitsune who had placed it there informed the cat girl, who was the only one awake, about it and gave specific instructions regarding it. She was told not to show it to Devi Bloodfire, or any of her associates. Additionally, she was free to look through it if she pleased, but the purpose of the book was to show it to the woman in white.

Seated on the woman’s knees, the cat girl flipped through the pages, gazing upon the photos by herself.

Bachi: [One weird white lady, one big guy, and three goblins. Maybe dwarfs? Gnomes? I don’t know what to call ‘em. They look small and so do their faces. They’re like me but smaller, and no ears on the top.]

She turned her eyes back to the sleeping woman beside her before looking back at the photos.

Bachi: [Honestly, I don’t get n’ya. N’yar eyes don’t match n’yar hair, so n’ya decided to make n’yar clothes match.]

The placement of her pupils shifted to someone else in the photo.

Bachi: [Meanwhile this guy has the same color eyes as his hair. Honestly, if n’ya had the same color in n’yar hair, n’ya would be matchin’. Instead, n’yar total opposites.]

Shiro: [....z…. an…. d…]

Hearing the sleepy sounds of the woman beside her, Bachi raised an eyebrow.

Bachi: [Zand? What is that? Some type of weird way to say sand? Is that what he’s called? Gee, his parents sure gave him a weird name.]

Oddly, though Shiro was sleeping, a faint aura of matōki started to form around her. One that Bachi had not noticed in the slightest.

Bachi: [... At the same time, s’not a bad name, I guess. S’kinda like bein’ called Bachi.]

Her aura disappeared… shortly after Bachi’s followup.

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