"Where am I...everything...feels so warm?" Kashikoi asks.


    Suddenly, a voice of a woman speaks to Kashikoi. She is a far distance away, and her words and her soft and soothing tone could be heard as if she was right in front of him.


    "You''re dead Kashikoi, you lived a great life and you became very powerful in the end. No matter what path you chose, I am proud of you." The woman says in the distance.


    Even though the woman had been far away, Kashikoi could hear her soft, quiet voice from all the way where he was.


    Kashikoi turns around and his eyes widen. He sees a beautiful woman with black hair that touches her back. A pink and white kimono and hazel eyes, he looks at her with an annoyed face, and begins to respond to the woman.


    "What the hell is this? If this is hell, if this is my punishment for all the things I''ve done, then let''s get this over with, stop tormenting me." Kashikoi says.


    The woman begins to walk towards him, and her face reeks of sadness. She puts her hand on her chest and now makes eye contact with Kashikoi. Once again, repeating the same line.


    As she got closer, Kashikoi proceeded to walk back. In this moment, Kashikoi felt powerless, not able to access his aura, and felt as if his suffering in the afterlife was about to begin.


    "You''re dead Kashikoi, you lived a great life and you became very powerful. In the end, no matter what path you chose, I am proud of you."


    Kashikoi''s look of fear turns into one of anger, this had not been the afterlife he imagined, he didn''t see himself as powerful, he saw himself as weak at the end of his life.


    Knowing this, he believed that the woman standing in front of him was none other than a devil, but at the same time, he was unsure, he didn''t know what to believe.


    "Listen to me, I don''t need some woman trying to mock me here. I just want to step into the flames, and be gone for good." Kashikoi says.


    The woman stops walking, and a tear comes down her face. Hearing Kashikoi tell her that he wanted to walk into the flames hurt her beyond belief.


    She quickly goes up to Kashikoi and slaps him in the face, and covers his mouth immediately after.


    "Step into the flames? Mock you!? You''re so far gone you don''t even realize it! I''m your mother Kashikoi." The woman says.


    (March 18th, 1810, Kashikoi and Joki''s eleventh birthday.)


    "So mom, what will we be doing today? I need to do some training, but I think I''ve fatigued from all the fighting I''ve done." Kashikoi says.


    Kashikoi''s mother turns around, and has a bright smile on her face as she takes one knee in front of Kashikoi.


    "Well...I''ve been waiting for you to ask that, but you were a little late. Your birthday was today Kashikoi." Akurai says.


    "Oh it is...that''s...actually great! I didn''t know because of how much had been going on. So...what should we do today, how should we celebrate?" Kashikoi asks.


    Akurai freezes for a moment, in Akurai''s eyes there was nothing but fear, as she dreaded having to be asked the question by Kashikoi.


    "Well...Kashikoi, it''s the same as all events, your birthday no less, Joki had already come over and celebrated in your place. You two share the same birthday after all, but you were gone training, and he just had more free time, but don''t worry, we can always plan something tomorrow." Akurai says.


    Kashikoi freezes, the smile still on his face, but an emotionless stare. He begins to look in the eyes of his mother, and he prepares words in his mind, but he holds them in, and the emotionless stare that was once on his face leaves.


    "Mhm! That sounds great, just let me know, tomorrow sounds great!" Kashikoi says.


    (March 19th, 1810, the day after Joki and Kashikoi''s birthday.)


    Kashikoi had woken up late once again, he decided to leave his home early to go see Joki. Kashikoi always wanted to train with Joki, it was the only way he felt comfortable.


    His mind was still racked up on his birthday. Kashikoi had always had his birthday overshadowed, as Joki celebrated with his own mother instead of him. Kashikoi would always be too fatigued from training to do anything, but he would always try and make it for his birthdays, even though he would fail.


    Kashikoi eventually notices Joki, sitting next to a tree that had been secluded from everything, trying to take a nap.


    "Here you are again, in the open where everyone can see you? That''s a bad look, you know?" Kashikoi says.


    "Like anyone would actually bother me, I''m...well I''m not that strong, but I got guts! That''s all I need." Joki says.


    Joki and Kashikoi both freeze before having a laugh, they laugh because they had this conversation multiple times.


    "Anyways, you look happy, what did you do today?" Kashikoi asks.


    "Oh! Your mom had invited me over, and she had prepared a meal for me to eat, it was amazing, and then we just had a really nice and long talk. She mentioned that she planned it for me." Joki says.


    Kashikoi stops, a micro expression of disbelief flitted across his face, he remembers his mother had planned something for him, and to hear his mother had instead planned something with Joki made him feel hurt, but nonetheless he kept a smile on his face.


    "That''s good! I''m glad you enjoyed it, anyways, we should probably begin our training. Right?" Kashikoi asks.


    "Yeah! Thank you for reminding me I almost forgot." Joki says.


    As the two began their training, they would spar and train doing various activities until the night came, and when it did, Kashikoi made his way back home, while Joki slept in the tree, he had slept in every night.


    Kashikoi walked into the home, and his smile had begun to fade slowly, he went to lay down, but Akurai quickly noticed that his smile was always on his face and had begun to fade.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Son? Is everything alright?"


    "Yeah, just...I had a long day...but I''m glad to see you again mom!" Kashikoi says.


    Akurai smiles hearing Kashikoi''s upbeat voice, and she goes to sleep happy instead of worried.


    (March 20th, 1810, the day of the tragedy)


    Today, Kashikoi went to sleep on time, the fatigue hadn''t been bad on his body, as he purposely trained lighter than he normally did. He didn''t wanna mention anything to his mom, but his happiness was slowly fading.


    Kashikoi goes outside to the river water, and pours river water on his face to wake himself up, and as he looks up, he notices footsteps that had come recently. Kashikoi was curious, but he also didn''t know what to think, he walked back inside the house, and only now noticed his mom was gone


    ''Mom...where did you go?'' Kashikoi thinks to himself.


    Kashikoi begins to walk around looking for his mom, but after some hours, he can''t find her, he had already looked everywhere, and cried on his way, but he just could not find his mother.


    He keeps quiet though, making too much noise at night can attract unnecessary people to the area. Threats had not been a problem for Kashikoi, as he had been strong enough to fight for himself, but the issue lied in losing the home that his mother worked so hard to get.


    Eventually, Kashikoi gave up, and decided to go to the tree that Joki slept, and relaxed himself at. As he got there, he noticed his mother sitting next to Joki, and a smile came across his face. He tries to speak, but before he does, he hears something that catches his attention.


    "To be honest Joki...I wish you were my son. I appreciate you." Akurai says.


    That day, those words alone were able to finally make the joyous, the happy Kashikoi, stop smiling. He began crying, but covering his mouth as to not let anyone hear him, he started punching the ground beneath him, and as he thought about all of the times, his mother would neglect spending time with him, and would lie to him, his eyes turned red.


    The phenomenon of awakening your Sakusei only occurs once the user feels like there''s no hope left, the feeling of having no one, and having nothing. Kashikoi sits there, blank, and the entire time, Joki and his mother had been laughing and having a great time.


    Eventually, Akurai went away from the tree, and quickly noticed Kashikoi just sitting there.


    "Oh...Kashikoi? You woke up earlier than I expected you too. What are you doing out here?" Akurai says.


    Kashikoi turns to the side, and a sick, disorientating smile came across his face, his eyes bloodshot red from crying, and his hands bloodied up from punching the ground.


    "If I''m not the son you wanted, if my efforts weren''t enough for you. If I wasn''t the perfect child you had envisioned, maybe...maybe you should just die!" Kashikoi yells.


    Suddenly, a bolt of lightning comes down and strikes Akurai, killing her instantly. Joki notices all of this, and comes over. He begins going over to Akurai, and begging her to wake up.


    "Akurai! Akurai! Please...please wake up!" Joki yells, checking Akurai''s pulse.


    Joki begins to cry, but his brain can''t process the events that had transpired, all he saw standing over him was a bloodied up Kashikoi, who had a disturbing smile on his face.


    "It was you...you did this, didn''t you?" Joki asks.


    Kashikoi nods his head yes, and begins to laugh out loud at the body of Akurai. Joki looks up and down, up at Kashikoi, and down at the body of Akurai as his mind races.


    "Why...I don''t understand, she loved you, she did everything for you. We were planning to give you a gift too, why would you do this?" Joki asks.


    As Joki finishes his question, Kashikoi''s face goes from a creepy, laughter filled face to that of a shocked, and regretful one.


    "That...that has to be a lie! I heard everything, I witnessed everything! Every birthday I have, every damn day, my mother has lied to me, and treated you like you were her son, and I wasn''t! The day after my birthday, that plan to spend time with her, she planned it with me, but she lied to me then like she always does. I just always smiled, and I tried to stay positive, but I can''t anymore."


    Joki''s eyes widen, and he''s frozen while holding Kashikoi''s mother in his arms. Kashikoi watches this, looks around him, and notices all the people rushing towards the area, the lightning strike Kashikoi let off attracted many people to the area.


    Joki goes in and punches Kashikoi. Kashikoi takes the punch, and coughs up blood. Joki tries to go for another one, but he notices the group of people getting closer.


    "Go...like you always have, you always treated me like an inferior. Let me die like one too." Kashikoi says.


    "Kashikoi...why?" Joki says, running off into the distance away from the crowd.


    "You are all...too weak to be in my presence." Kashikoi says.


    Kashikoi puts his hand up, and multiple lightning strikes hit all of the people in the crowd. they all die, and Akurai''s dead body gets lost in all of them.


    "Why... why like this? Why, Kashikoi? You were my world, my everything, you...and your mother became the very essence of my existence. How can it be that the ones I loved with every fiber of my being, the one I held closest to my heart, could inflict such unbearable pain upon me?! I hate all of you so much!" Joki yells, continuing to run into the distance.


    (Present day)


    Kashikoi''s eyes widen, he begins to feel weak inside, as if he had been poisoned. He backs away out of fear and begins to remember his mother, and the terrible events that had transpired in the past.


    "You stand in front of me, and I don''t know what I am supposed to say. Why are you here at my end? You shouldn''t care about someone like me." Kashikoi says.


    Tears begin to flow out of Kashikoi''s eyes. He looks down, not being able to bare the expression that his mother Akurai might have. Akurai tries to put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off.


    Kashikoi''s emotions had been mixed, he wanted to believe his mother was shaming him, pitying him, but at the same time, he believes it''s love.


    "There you go again, pushing me off like usual. You know it''s a mother''s job to keep their son safe, right? No matter what happens, you can feel comfortable around me. We''re a team...you and me. We always have been." Akurai says.


    Kashikoi looks up and begins to cry even more as he drops to the ground, his mother gets on one knee and puts her hand on his head.


    "Why do you even want to speak to me...after everything that I did? I killed you, I completely misunderstood everything, the talk you had with Joki at the tree, the lies. I believed you had lied because you wanted to keep me out of everything, when the entire time you were just trying to make Joki feel loved, I was greedy, I didn''t deserve any of that, and I wanted more. I''m sorry mother." Kashikoi says.


    "Stand up Kashikoi." Akurai says.


    Kashikoi begins to slowly stand up, and as he does, Akurai takes his hand, and his hand slowly begins to glow white. Kashikoi''s body had begun glowing white alongside his mother''s body.


    "It''s a mother''s duty to protect their son. I know the pain of what you did ten years ago still eats at you Kashikoi. But I forgive you, no matter what...you are my son and I love you so much. No matter what happens now...I want you to know that I will always be with you, and Joki. I saw the promise you and Joki had to keep that boy safe, it made me smile, I''m so proud of you Kashikoi."


    Kashikoi and Akurai both begin to fade away, Kashikoi smiles.


    "Thank you...mom" Kashikoi says.