"We're... really sorry Mama Aki," the boy sighed.

Aki didn't look up. She grasped her glass for dear life. "Get out."

"Mama Aki?" The girl asked.

"Get out! GET OUT!" She stood up and threw her glass at them. "GET OUT! I KNEW YOU TWO WERE BAD OMENS WHEN I SAW YOU! NOW YOU DONE IT! YOU KILLED MY SON! AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE HIS BODY TO BURY IT! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU AND YOUR CURSED MAGIC!" She screamed as she chased them out of her house. Throwing whatever she could get her hands on at them. She successfully hit the girl with a small pot, a gift her son made for her. The pot hit the back of her head, hard, sending her to the floor.

"Kairi!" Some blue haired girl shouted as she ran to the two devils.

Aki didn't care. She was happy. Now they know she was serious. "I hope the tide takes you," She snarled at them before shutting the door.

She broke down when she saw the picture of her son on her living room table. It was a framed portrait of him, taken on his 14th birthday. Her mother-in-law saved up some money to have it done. To commemorate him graduating middle school. The plan was to take another one when he graduates high school. But that is not going to happen now.

She crawled to the frame and took it into her arms. This was her most recent photo of him. It was the summer of his 14th year when the dark storm came. The summer where she first lost him. Months later, the islands returned, but not undamaged. City hall was nothing but rubble. The west side docks were completely washed away. Some people died that faithful night. Their corpses were littered around the islands, her mother in-law was one of them.

The girl returned, but not her son. It was assumed that his body would show up somewhere one day, but the girl insisted that he was fine, that he was alive! Until the day she forgot him.

It was like her son had been erased from existence. Nobody remembered him, not even her. But she knew she had a son! There was no way to deny it! His photos, his art projects, his handmade gifts, were everywhere. His birth certificate, health records, his school reports were saved with her important documents. His room was left exactly how it was that faithful day.

But no one believed her. They thought that he was some delusion she crafted after the death of her husband. She knew that her "friends" were thinking about putting her in an insane asylum. So, she spent the whole year avoiding them. When they came knocking, she pretended not to be home. When she saw them on the street, she walked the other direction. She even stopped saying hi to the girl and her friends because she knew that their parents were attempting to use them as mediators. It wasn't until the end of that summer that everyone remembered. They apologized profusely to her, and to avoid further conflict she accepted them. Although she never truly meant it.

It wasn't until months after that she could finally hold her son again. He grew, but he was still adorably short. His hair became light brown like hers, but his skin became tanner like his father's. His cute little red wetsuit got replaced with this odd black and blue outfit. (She couldn't even fathom how he could find such an outfit.) His baby fat was gone and instead he came back leaner and a bit muscular.

After she held him for what seemed to be forever. They sat down and he told her everything. At least everything he knew. She raised an eyebrow when he told her that he woke up in some type of pod in some abandoned mansion with no memory of how he got there, and that an entire year have passed without him noticing. He carried out with his story like it was no big deal, but that part made her hold on to his callous hands a bit tighter.

Not long after, he needed to leave again. She couldn't understand why. He showed her the letter, but she just couldn't understand. Why him? Why did her son have to run off and save some people he didn't even know? That mouse king and the wizard were more powerful and knowledgeable than her son. Why couldn't they do it? But Sora made up his mind. He was going. He was dead set on it. Foolishly believing that there was nothing she could do, she let him go. She sent him off with a kiss on the forehead. He promised that he will be back before she knew it. She promised to cook his favorite dinner for him once he returned. He gave her one big hug then ran out of the door to meet with the boy. She watched from the doorway, truly believing that everything will be alright.

Now he's dead!

Dead!

He's dead because those idiots just couldn't stay alive. Her poor son needed to use some cursed spell to bring them back to life. And the cost was his own.

Sora didn't deserve this! He did nothing wrong in his life! He was the kindest, sweetest person anyone would ever meet! Just like his grandmother!

Just like his father!

WHY! Why does this happen to her family?! First her husband, then her mother-in-law, now her son. The already small family of four is now just one. Why?! Why does everyone she loves gets taken away from her?! Why?!

Sora was the last thing that kept her going. Now that he was gone, maybe she should end it all. At least then she would be reunited with her love ones.

"Come now, That's a coward's way out." A voice said.

She jumped up to see the silhouette of a man standing in the shadow of the hallway.

"You just gonna give up just like that? Aren't even gonna put up a fight? C'mon mamasita, what would your dear son think about that?"

She held the picture frame tighter and glared at the intruder.

"You know what would happen if you off yourself? Nothing! No one would mourn you. The only family you had is dead and your "friends" would only look down on your grave in pity. But most importantly, the Basterds that let your son died will go on living happily ever after while your family get erased from history."

Her gripped on the photo grew tighter.

"You're mad. I get that. I would be too. So, let me cut to the chase. I can help you. I can help you get revenged on those who wronged you. On those who wronged him. I can even...

Help you bring him back."

Aki's heart skipped a beat. "I'm listening..."

Even though she couldn't see him. She was sure the man was smirking at her. "But in order to do that you need power. I could give you that power, but in exchange I need something from you."

"What?"

"I have been looking for some temporary labor. And I think you're the perfect candidate for the job. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Do we have a deal?"

Aki looked down at her son's photo. At the smile, that was taken away from her.

"Deal."