5 years ago


    "Sakura!" A man with messy brown hair and horns yelled. He lied on the couch rubbing his goatee. "Sakura get your ugly ass down here!


    "Coming Father," A timid voice spoke. An eight-year-old Sakura ran down the stairs.


    "Go fill up my glass with some beer," Sakura''s dad threw the glass at Sakura so fast it smashed into her face leaving multiple bloody wounds on her features. "Damn it, Sakura!" You broke my favorite glass cup!" he screamed.


    "Um, Father. My face hurts," Sakura said softly trying not to cry.


    "Walk it off!" Sakura''s dad yelled as he got up from the couch. "I have other things to do. Thanks to you, I have to get my own damn beer. Jackass." He walked off into the kitchen.


    Sakura lowered her head, "Okay then. Mother, I''m going to school."


    "I don''t care jut leave already!" A feminine but strong voice echoed through the walls.


    In the classroom, the teacher was giving a lecture. A spit wad landed in Sakura''s hair which was already full of a bunch of other spit wads. When the bell rang, a girl ran up to Sakura and pushed her down. "Take that, you freak!"


    Sakura sat up on the floor and hugged her bleeding knee. "What did I do?" The young Strength Bakemono started to shed tears, "What did I ever do to deserve this?" Did she do something wrong? She couldn''t remember any time she''s ever verbally or psychically hurt anyone. So then why...why did this keep happening to her? Why did this happen every day? She limped to the nurse''s office.


    The nurse opened the door, "Yes how may I help you?" She looked down noticing it was Sakura. Hate and rage began to fill the nurse''s eyes. "Never mind. I''ll never help you." The nurse slammed the door in Sakura''s face.


    "I know," Sakura mumbled. "No one will." She left the school and began walking home in the heavy rain. She seriously tried remembering if there was ever a time when she did something wrong. If there was ever a time when she committed some sort of misdeed. She tried and she tried, but nothing. She couldn''t come to a conclusion as to why she was being punished this way. But even so there was probably something...so she should apologize. "I''m sorry," she said with tears streaming down her eyes. "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry." She repeated over and over again in a desperate attempt to stop this brutal cycle of punishment for reasons unknown to her.


    "Hey, need an umbrella?" A Dog Bakemono asked Sakura while flaunting his umbrella.


    Sakura''s eyes began to fill with hope. She nodded her head, "Yes please!"


    The Dog Bakemono laughed. "Well too bad. Asshole." He walked away as a truck drove by and splattered mud all over Sakura.


    Sakura sniffled as she continued to walk until she reached her home. A pink-haired woman with wide gray demon wings was waiting in the kitchen. "Sakura! What took you so long to get home?" She leered at her daughter with her green eyes.


    "I...I thought you were gonna pick me up," Sakura mumbled.


    "Stop mumbling!" she shouted. "Now speak up if you know what''s good for you."


    "I thought you were gonna pick me up," Sakura struggled to say this loudly.


    Her mother sighed, "Now why would either of us pick you up?" she questioned. "Whatever, just go to your room."


    "But...what about my dinner?!" Sakura protested.


    "Your dinner?" Her mom laughed. "Go eat dirt or something! This is for Shun and me."


    "But I''m your daughter..." Her school, society, even her own parents. Everyone neglected her. What did she do?! Why did everyone hate her so much? She tried apologizing for whatever sin she made so many times already. But every day was still the same. It was always the same. How many more screams and insults would she have to hear? How many more scars and bruises would she have to attain?!


    "There''s no way you''re our daughter!" she yelled throwing a frying pan on Sakura''s head leaving a large bump in its place. "You look like one of those disgusting humans," she said rather coldly. "And you don''t even have the strength of a real Strength Bakemono. You''re a disgrace! You should be grateful we even let a freak like you live here." Sakura''s mother returned to cooking, now facing the stove.


    Tears started to stream down Sakura''s face. "Fine. If that''s how you feel," she mumbled. "Then I''m running away. No one cares about me anyway. No one but me!" Sakura ran out the door wiping her tears away.


    "Sakura, wake up," Sato''s voice made it into Sakura''s flashback.


    The pink-haired Strength Bakemono rubbed her eyes, "Oh good morning, Sato. So are we in Greydale yet?"


    The thirteen-year-old nodded, "Yeah, it''s right over there." He pointed north.


    "Oh. It''s close," Sakura said unenthusiastically.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Sato put a sleeping Ai on his shoulders, "Let''s go."


    "How come she gets to sleep?" Sakura questioned jealously.


    Hikaru laughed, "Because she''s a kid."


    "And because we already tried waking her up once," Arashi added. "But she just put up a shield so we couldn''t wake her."


    Sakura sighed, "Lucky. Okay then. I guess we better get going. The quicker we get out of this town the better."


    "Well, I do have some errands to run here." Hikaru reminded Sakura. "So it won''t be too quick, but I''ll try to hurry. Please be careful kids. Go and enjoy yourselves while you''re here." Hikaru ran off.


    Sakura moaned, "No thanks."


    "Why do you hate this town so much, Sakura?" Sato wondered.


    "Remember when we first met, Sato?" Sakura responded.


    Sato nodded, "How could I forget? I mean you just knocked a whole forest of trees down is all..."


    "So then you should remember how I told you that my parents abandoned me when I was a little." An expression of sadness shadowed over Sakura''s face. "So I ran away. And Greydale Town, this town. Is where I ran away from."


    "Sakura!" Her dad ran up to hug her, "I missed you, my baby."


    "Shun, what''s going on?" Sakura''s mom came out of the house. "Sakura!" She ran up to hug Sakura as well.


    "Isn''t it amazing Yuki?" Shun started. "Our lovely daughter has returned to us!"


    "Hey, Sakura. Are you sure everything you told me about your parents was true?" Sato questioned, rubbing his head. "Because they seem to love you."


    Arashi nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah."


    "Now that you''re back. Go get my beer for me you ugly asshole!" Shun commanded.


    Sakura scowled, "Yep, there it is."


    Yuki looked over at Sato. "I see you''ve found someone in your league surprisingly. "He almost looks more human than you."


    Sato jumped, "Um, nope! My name''s Sato, Warrior Bakemono!" he laughed awkwardly while rubbing his neck. "Wait a minute did she say almost...?" Sato muttered to himself.


    "You stink at lying," Arashi whispered.


    Sato grunted, "Nobody asked for your two sense."


    "Anyway," Yuki continued. "We''re pleased Sakura is still alive, sort of. But we''ll take her off your hands now."


    "What?!" Arashi shouted.


    "No way!" Sato barked.


    Ai woke up with a yawn while stretching out her arms, "What''s going on, big brother?"


    "These are Sakura''s jerkass parents who abused her," Sato said in an angry tone. "And now they''re trying to take her back."


    Ai grumbled, "We won''t let you. Big brother, Arashi, go beat ''em up!"


    "Of course," Sato began to unsheathe his sword.


    "Anytime." Orange flames started to surround Arashi''s claws.


    "No!" Sakura protested. "I appreciate that you guys care that much." The Strength Bakemono smirked. "But this is my fight alone!"


    Both of her parents scowled. "So be it," Yuki spoke. "I''ll go first."


    Sakura grinned, "Actually, I''ve been training for a while now. And I would like to take you both on. If you''re not scared, that is."


    "How dare you provoke us!" Shun yelled as he rushed across the grassy ground destroying some flowers in the process. He launched his fist for Sakura''s face. She quickly ducked under and grabbed Shun''s legs. She tossed Shun back to where he started. "Is that all, Shun? Sorry but calling you father, just doesn''t feel right anymore."


    "You disrespectful little bitch!" Yuki dropped from the sky with her leg extended for a kick. She slammed her leg hard onto the ground. Sakura leaped out of the way before she could get too injured. Yuki came running towards Sakura again releasing an array of punches. Sakura managed to dodge them by dipping her shoulders and moving from left to right.


    As Yuki continued to throw her punches she yelled at Sakura. "How dare you hurt my husband! You ugly, freaky, disgrace of a Bakemono!"


    "Me?!" Sakura caught Yuki''s fist while squeezing it tightly. "What about the two of you?! I was constantly abused and harassed at home and school! And by everyone in this damn town!" It was all because she looked like a human. She was too naive to realize it when she was a kid until her mother shouted it at her. But now she understood perfectly. All that mattered was that she looked like a human. And that was enough for them to treat her like garbage. She never did anything wrong. Everyone else were the ones at fault. She wanted to rip everyone in this whole world to shreds for all the suffering she was caused.


    Sakura squeezed Yuki''s fist tighter causing the veins to pop. "Stop!" Yuki cried out. "It hurts!"


    "Oh really?" Sakura said unsympathetically. She leered down with her raging pink eyes at Yuki who was now kneeling on the floor. "What? You didn''t think it hurt when I was constantly abused and thrown around?! I had no one to help me. No one to comfort me. No one to cry to. No one but myself! So how do you like it?!" Sakura squeezed Yuki''s fist tighter causing her to scream out in pain as the bones popped louder.


    "Sakura look out!" Sato yelled.


    Shun came up from behind Sakura with a giant tree that had just been ripped out of the ground. He swung the tree for Sakura''s head. Sakura smirked and caught the tree with her free hand. "Really Shun? You didn''t honestly think I''ve forgotten about you, did you?"


    Shun smiled, "No. But I didn''t think you''d be able to catch the tree. I''m proud."


    Sakura glowered, "Yeah. Too little too late!" She brought her leg out and released her hand from Yuki while kicking her causing Yuki to skid across the grass. "Now you!" She turned her attention back to Shun. She swiped her feet under his causing him to lose balance and let go of the tree.


    Sakura grabbed onto the tree resting it on her shoulder, "You know a little something I learned while I was away? Yuki. Shun. Is that strength isn''t everything." Sakura jumped up into the air and swung the tree onto another one causing a domino effect with the trees. All of them piled onto Shun knocking him out. "And that''s why I won here today." Despite her victory, Sakura wasn''t entirely relieved. After all, she hated this whole world, not just her parents. But vengeance wasn''t really her style...so this would do for now.


    "Yeah! Way to use your head, Sakura!" Sato cheered.


    Hikaru walked up, "What on earth happened here? Didn''t I tell you kids to behave?!" Hikaru scolded them all.


    "But, Mr. Hikaru," Ai started. "Sakura''s meanie parents were trying to take her away from us," The Magic Bakemono explained.


    "Sakura''s parents?" Hikaru raised his eyebrow curiously.


    "Yeah. Over there." Arashi pointed towards where the battle had taken place.


    Hikaru ran over to Sakura, "Sakura! Why would you do this to your parents?"


    Sakura made a rude spitting noise, "Please, they''ve done way worse things to me."


    Hikaru nodded, "I see. Well, you do look quite human."


    Sakura glared, "Don''t bring it up."


    "But Sakura," Sato interrupted. "I just want you to know, you might''ve been alone in the past. But now if you ever need anyone to talk or cry to. You''ll always have me, Ai, Hikaru. And even pyro over there."


    Sakura hugged Sato as she cried tears of happiness, "Sato, thank you."


    "Anyway," Hikaru continued. "We should call an ambulance. Then we''ll be on our way to Fairport City. It''s pretty close now."


    Sato sighed a sigh of relief, "It''s about time. It''s been like five months since I''ve been in this dang book."


    Hikaru smiled, "Let''s go then. Time''s wasting."


    "Hikaru? What kind of errands were you doing?" Arashi questioned.


    Hikaru frowned, "You''ll see."