Kurai's tears blurred her vision, the silence made it overbearing to even utter a word.
I shouldn't have ran away.
The memories of the times she spent with her family hit her hard: playing tag with Teruna in the yard, her father reading fairy tales at night and her parents awkwardly listening to Teruna and Kurai singing to them, their voices going off key.
But most importantly, the love her family showed her.
Now she had to face the consequences of betrayal carved into her soul.
I still love them, having disagreements is what makes a family.
Kurai's eyes dulled.
I guess I have to accept my fate. The Tsukikage family will be no more.
No!
Kurai looked up at the ceiling.
Why have you forsaken me?
Kurai didn't want to be seen by anyone, if they saw her crying, they'd use her weakness against her so she walked over to the bathroom and locked the door.
That's when her tears rushed like a river and her thoughts started a flood.
All I wanted was to be seen, and maybe then someone would love me. Please, I don't want to kill my family, so please I ask you you, don't let harm be upon me and my family.
At that exact moment, Lady Caltheris began screaming and scratching her skin uncontrollably.
Who is praying such a prayer?!
The pain for Lady Caltheris was unbearable, her sclera turned inky black and her teeth snarled as she bolted towards the bathroom door, twisting the door knob, trying to make it budge.
"Now stop that...or I'll silence you myself!"
All the commotion brought the children's attention so they peeked to see what was going on.
The sight of Lady Caltheris was rather inhuman.
Her human features were now twisted into something both terrifying and hypnotic.
Her pupils glowed a molten amber, her skin, pale as moonlight was etched with crimson veins, and the ground she stood on seemed to recoil, as if it feared her presence.
And even as she yelled at Kurai, still commanding her to stop praying, her voice was raspy, her soul in pain from her prayer.
The children shook with fright, trying to remain silent.
But there was only one foolish girl who tested the waters.
Chihiro pulled out a cross she always kept with her and twacked Lady Caltheris with it in her back.
There was a deadly silence in the atmosphere before Lady Caltheris spoke up.
"Chihiro, my dear...what exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Stay back you demon!"
Lady Caltheris eyes fixated on the cross grasped in Chihiro's hand, who was holding onto it for dear life.
"Foolish mortal! The cross doesn't protect you...I would skin you alive right now but you amuse me."
She picked Chihiro by her leg and the rest of children stared in petrified awe.
"Just for being a silly little prey, I'll make your death less excruciating as the others."
Pointy teeth formed on her suit and its jaw opened wide to swallow Chihiro whole.
Chihiro squirmed.
"Still clinging to your bad habits, I see...."
Lady Caltheris' eyes twitched and she dropped Chihiro to the ground and Chihiro ran over to her friends and cowered in fear.
"Sxeneff...we meet again. Your glow hasn't dimmed...how unfortunate," Lady Caltheris groaned.
Sxeneff frowned slightly.
"Why must you always do this? Must every meeting end in pain?"
Lady Caltheris growled.
"Leave this instant! I will not warn you again. The blood of Jesus shields this place."
Lady Caltheris screeched and burst through the locked front door, not caring that she lost the children she tried so hard to maintain.
All she wanted was to make the pain go away.
"Children, is there another child in this house?" Sxeneff asked.
They nodded and showed the pretty, rich woman the bathroom door.
"It's safe...you can come out now, my dear. All is well," Sxeneff said, her voice smoothing to the ears.
Kurai sniffled and came out the bathroom seeing all the Nightmare Fuels looking calmer than before, she felt safer.
Sxeneff spotted the amulet Lady Caltheris gave to Kurai, took it from Kurai and smashed it with her heel.
"Now children let's get you all home. Your parents must be missing you all."
"How are you so sure?" Tobio asked,"My father says I'm weird..."
Tobio fidgeted with his fingers, avoiding eye contact with Sxeneff.
"I just have a feeling and I know it's true," Sxeneff smiled,"He may act harsh but deep down he doesn't understand you like you know yourself."
Tobio smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome, now children let's get you all home."
They left the house and Sxeneff's heels clicked against the pavement.
Later down the streets, Sxeneff pressed her car key and she opened the car door.
"You have a Bellvire?!" The twins chimed.
"Yes indeed, do you like it?"
The twins nodded their heads and this brought a jubilant smile on Sxeneff's face.
"Wonderful!"
The rest of the Nightmare Fuels looked a bit somber and Sxeneff took notice of this.
"There's twenty of us, how could we fit in this car?" One of them asked.
"Yeah how can we?" Another asked.
Then there was a bit of complaints, but Sxeneff shushed them.
"This isn't any kind of Bellvire; it has so many seats that it could fit all of you."
They inspected the car and when they found out she was telling the truth, their jaw dropped and they slid themselves into the car.
Sxeneff glided up the first driveway of a house and three children exited the car and waved her goodbye.
It kept going like this until she reached the last house which was the Tsukikage family, the air itself seemed heavy and thick with grief.
"Go on Kurai."
"But I can't, they would hate me after all I've done!"
"But they don't."
"Yes they do! I injuried two people, ran away and I..I don't even have my phone and handbag."
Sxeneff pulled her phone and handbag behind her back.
"Couldnt afford to leave these now, could we? Now go in there and give your parents a big hug for me."
Kurai sighed and her arm trembled as she knocked the door.
"See they don't care about—
The door flew open and three arms from each direction wrapped around her.
"Kuu!"
"Kurai!"
"Where have you been?"
Her family hugged her tightly and she hugged them back.
"How did you find your way back though?"
"Yeah, you don't know Tokyo's streets properly."
"A kind woman drove me here!"
Kurai squealed, turning around to show her parents the rich woman but Sxeneff was gone.
Nowhere to be seen.
--
Sxeneff lifted her silk fan, it's gilded blossoms fluttering as lightly as her fingers, and fanned to escape Japan's heat rays.
A criminal who had seen her driving around her car sneaked up behind her and pulled a gun to her head and without even turning around, she said calmly:
"Kenji."
How does she know my name?
Kenji yelped, caught completely off guard.
The moment their eyes met, his body betrayed him, trembling beyond his command and he fell onto his knees.
Beads of sweat glistening on his face.
Sxeneff raised an eyebrow and handed him a huge stack of yen.
"The LORD will always be with you."
Then Sxeneff, along with her car, vanished from existence, leaving Kenji startled and speechless.