This is based on many assumptions of how Kuchisake-onna came to be; It isn't official. It might be vague at times, so please forgive me. ^^'
It was the Edo Period in Japan, a time when we were ruled by shogun and daimyo. I was living with my husband, who was a samurai. Tahei was his name. He loved me with all his heart. He said that the first thing that drew him to me was my beauty. He would shower me with his love, and I would do the same.
I also tended to visit my sister, Akemi. She was a tailor, and I found her job mesmerizing. However, as much as I wanted to repair clothing - to feel the pleasure of pulling the needle out and snipping the thread - Tahei wouldn't let me. He was afraid that I would hurt myself and taint my beauty. It didn't matter, for I still visited my sister on a daily basis and observed her, as well as play with her son and daughter.
I've always wanted children. However, I wasn't able to bear children, no matter how many times Tahei and I attempted to. Some of the villagers viewed it as a curse. Tahei, on the other hand, simply assumed that I couldn't carry because because I was blessed too much for my natural look. Now that I think about it, maybe he didn't want me to have children simply because my appeals would fade away.
Still, that didn't stop me from visiting Akemi and her children. I would play games with the children, observe Akemi's work, then return to Tahei at the end of the day and lay in his arms. I was absolutely happy.
If only I had known Tahei was not happy...
As the months passed, we slowly grew apart. He became more agitated, and I became more solemn. I would explain to Akemi about how worried I was for him, but she simply assured me that he was only stressing, and that the tide would pass. However, the tide grew worse and worse until it became a tsunami.
One winter night, after returning from Akemi's, the first thing that I noticed was how dark the house was. It was still a bit early for Tahei to go to bed - without me - so I assumed that he would be gone for the night. Lighting up a candle, I searched for a note that would explain to me where he was. I couldn't find it.
"It's late."
The voice had startled me. As I turned around, candle in hand, I was relieved to see that it was Tahei. He stood over me, grimacing as he looked down at me.
"Oh, Tahei. You startled me," I chuckled, placing my hand over my chest. I was about to stand up, but I froze as Tahei began to tense up.
"Who is he?" he asked me.
I looked at him, completely puzzled by his question. "Who?" I responded, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't play dumb," Tahei growled, his voice raising. "Who is he?"
"Tahei, you're scaring me..." I said cautiously.
"I said "don't play dumb", you little whore!" he exclaimed as he grabbed my hair, pulling me up to stand. As I screamed my pain, he continued, "Where is he?"
"Who? Tahei, you're hurting me!" I cried, cringing at the pain as I kept a tight grip on the candle.
"The man you're sleeping with! Where the hell is he?" Tahei roared in my face as I began to cry. Before giving me a chance to reply, he threw me back down on the ground. As my body collided with the wall, the candle slipped from my fingers, crashing with a parallel wall. Holding my head, I looked up at Tahei in fear as he muttered, "If I can't have you, no one can." That's when I noticed he unsheathed his katana beforehand, but before I could react, he lunged it down at me.
In the instant of the second, I felt the sword journey across my face. First, it broke through the skin of my left cheek. Then, passing through the inside of my mouth, the blade pierced through my bottom lip and exited out my right cheek. Due to the force, I fell to the side. As the skin of the bottom part of my mouth flopped over, I screamed in pain.
"Who will think you're beautiful now?" Tahei screamed in fury that matched the wall by him that lit up in flames. I continued to cry hysterically over the pain. I wanted to cover my mouth and hold it together again, but the thought of touching the enormous wound frightened. More and more blood began to pour out of my mouth, running onto the floor. The tears drenched my face, mixing up with the blood. As I laid there, Tahei looked down at me in disgust before leaving the burning house.
This was it. I would either drown in my own blood and tears, or be burned alive. Either way, it was the end for me...