On one random night, when Akitsu Shouga was six years old, his world quietly broke.

  He had been sitting on the living room floor, wooden blocks scattered around him like fallen teeth, while his three?year?old sister, Aki, laughed softly as she stacked them crookedly. Her towers leaned, collapsed, and were rebuilt again, each failure greeted with the same gentle giggle. The air smelled faintly of old wood and evening rain seeping through the walls.

  The house was quiet—too quiet.

  Then—

  The front door opened.

  Akitsu looked up instinctively, his hands pausing mid?stack.

  “Mom?” he called.

  No answer.

  He stood and padded toward the entrance, bare feet cold against the polished floor. The hallway felt longer than usual, stretched thin by the silence pressing in from all sides.

  There she was.

  Akitsu Kisuragi.

  Her expression was unreadable, lips pressed into a thin line. Beside her stood a man Akitsu had never seen before—tall, broad?shouldered, his presence filling the doorway like a shadow that didn’t belong. Dark tattoos coiled along his arms, twisting like living things beneath his skin, their shapes half?hidden by the dim light.

  The man tilted his head, studying Akitsu with unsettling interest.

  “Is this the brat that’s been tormenting you?”

  Akitsu Kisuragi crossed her arms.

  “Yes. He is my son.”

  The man crouched down in front of Akitsu, movements slow and deliberate, as though he were approaching a wary animal. He smiled—but the smile never reached his eyes.

  “Who are you?” Akitsu asked quietly, forcing the words out despite the tightness in his chest.

  “I’m Riyusei Arai,” the man replied softly.

  “You can call me your father from now on.”

  Akitsu blinked, confused.

  “Hello… my name is Shouga,” he said politely. “Why are you my father? I thought I didn’t have a father?”

  “Oy! Stop it, Arai!” Kisuragi snapped. “You’ll confuse him!”

  “Don’t worry,” Riyusei said smoothly, rising to his feet. “It’s alright.”

  Akitsu’s gaze drifted back to the markings crawling over the man’s arms.

  “What are those drawings?” he asked, pointing.

  Riyusei followed his gaze.

  “A dragon.”

  Akitsu’s eyes sparkled with innocent fascination.

  “I want it!”

  Riyusei chuckled, a low sound that didn’t feel warm.

  “You can’t get it for now,” he said. “But maybe you can when you’re older.”

  Then his gaze shifted—slowly—to the living room.

  “Oh?”

  “Is that your sister over there?”

  Akitsu turned sharply.

  “Aki! Come here!”

  “Don’t worry,” Riyusei said quickly, his voice strange—too excited, too tight. “There’s no need to bother her while she’s playing.”

  Something crawled up Akitsu’s spine, cold and instinctive, though he didn’t yet have words for it.

  —

  Later That Night

  The house was dark.

  Too dark.

  Akitsu crept through the upstairs hallway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His throat felt dry. He told himself that was the reason—nothing more. Just thirst. Just a glass of water.

  That was what he told himself.

  Then he saw it.

  Aki’s door—slightly open.

  He stopped.

  The hallway felt wrong, the silence no longer gentle but heavy, suffocating.

  He stepped closer and peeked through the narrow crack.

  Inside—

  Riyusei Arai stood over the bed.

  Aki lay motionless beneath the blankets, her small form barely rising.

  Riyusei’s expression wasn’t human.

  It was twisted with satisfaction, with something monstrous and unrestrained.

  Akitsu couldn’t breathe.

  His vision blurred. His legs gave out beneath him.

  The memory shattered.

  —

  Present Day

  Akitsu Shouga shot upright in bed, gasping.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  He was back.

  The Kaoru household mansion.

  Silk sheets tangled around his legs. Moonlight spilled through tall windows, painting the walls in pale silver.

  “…That bastard,” he whispered.

  “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him.”

  His hands were shaking.

  He stumbled to the window and stared out into the calm night. The garden below slept peacefully, untouched by the storm raging in his chest.

  The moon was full.

  Too peaceful.

  “Where’s Aki now…?” he murmured. “I hope she’s doing fine without me…”

  His voice cracked.

  “…A killer like me doesn’t deserve a pure sist—”

  He froze.

  “…Why did I call myself a killer?”

  His breathing slowed, each inhale measured, forced.

  “Have I killed anyone?”

  “…Am I going crazy?”

  He sank onto the edge of the bed and stayed there, unmoving, until the sky outside began to pale with dawn.

  “Even if I am a killer,” he whispered, “my sister deserves a better life than staying with me.”

  He clenched his fists.

  “If I disappear… maybe she’ll finally be free from the past.”

  The door opened softly.

  Kaoru stepped inside, wearing her night dress, hair loose and slightly messy from sleep.

  “Have you ever thought of knocking before entering?” Akitsu muttered. “You’re very immature sometimes, you know that?”

  Kaoru puffed her cheeks.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m here to check up on you, so be grateful I even came.”

  “I don’t need you to check up on me,” he replied. “Please, go away.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Don’t you remember?” Kaoru said firmly. “We’re friends. Friends care about each other.”

  Akitsu looked away.

  “…How are you feeling?” she asked more quietly. “Are you still getting those nightmares?”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “And yes. I’m still getting those nightmares.”

  “It’s been two months,” Kaoru said. “They still haven’t stopped?”

  “…Yeah,” Akitsu whispered. “And what surprises me most is that I haven’t died yet.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing,” he replied quickly. “Just get out. I need to get dressed.”

  “…Alright,” Kaoru said softly.

  She hesitated—just for a second—before leaving.

  —

  Morning

  Akitsu entered the dining room wearing a black silk tunic.

  “Good morning, Akitsu?kun,” Renjiro said cheerfully.

  “Good morning,” Rikuya added.

  “Sit down. Liora?san will prepare your breakfast.”

  “What’s for breakfast?” Akitsu asked.

  “Pancakes,” Renjiro said proudly. “Liora?san’s cooking is the best!”

  “What about my cooking?” Rikuya asked sweetly.

  “Yours is wonderful, dear!” Renjiro replied instantly.

  Kaoru walked in wearing overalls.

  “Good morning!”

  “Good morning, Kaoru,” her mother said.

  “Good morning, Shouga?kun,” Kaoru said softly, avoiding his eyes.

  “Good morning, Kaoru,” Akitsu replied in the same gentle tone.

  Kaoru froze for half a second.

  Liora entered with plates.

  “Here are your pancakes, Akitsu?kun. Kaoru?san.”

  “…Pancakes again?” Kaoru frowned.

  “You should enjoy it while you can,” Akitsu smiled.

  “No thanks.”

  “Kaoru,” Renjiro said sternly. “Don’t waste food.”

  “We’ll be back later,” Rikuya added. “That plate better be empty.”

  When they left, Kaoru sulked.

  “I don’t like pancakes.”

  “You heard your mother,” Akitsu said calmly.

  She crossed her arms.

  He sighed, took her fork, and lifted it.

  “What are you doing?!” she yelped.

  “Say ahhh,” he said flatly.

  “I’m not a child!”

  “You act like one,” he replied. “So open your mouth.”

  “…Fine.”

  He fed her.

  Her face burned red.

  “This is embarrassing!” she hissed.

  “Stop talking and eat,” he said. “Or this will take longer.”

  She stayed quiet—but didn’t pull away.

  Not once.