Waves crashed against the sand, spraying anyone close to the shore. Fishermen pulled on nets full of fish, happily chattering with one another about their home lives. They varied in ages, some in their mid-teens, others their late sixties, and every age in-between.

"How's 'at twin of yours', Tsukie, doin', Shun?" One of the more elderly men asked of a boy coming close to his seventeenth birthday.

"She's doing well. It's a shame no one wants to marry her, though. I could get her off of my back so much faster!" The boy chuckled, as did his work companions. He was fairly tall for his age, easily capable of looking over all of his fellow villagers' heads. His shoulder length, dark brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, but pieces that were too short to go fell into his face. The healthy tan of his skin and hardened muscles a result of his hard work in the summer sun, left him looking much more alive than the aforementioned sister.

"I see. Then I suppose you don't want your lunch for today, dear brother." A pale girl with hair the same hue as the boys, only much longer murmured coldly behind him. The boy reacted by freezing, mutter a quiet curse under his breath, and turning slowly to peer down into eyes the color of the ocean, an almost mirror image of his own, or so he'd been told. The girl was every bit as feminine as the boy was masculine.

The two were a sight to behold. Their bone structures were very similar, but on complete opposites of the spectrum. The boy had more angular features, while the girls were more rounded and soft. Though, where the boy was thin from hard labor, the girl was skeletal from sacrificing her meals to the boy so he and their family would be strong enough to work. Or what there was of it. Shortly after their youngest sister, Umie, had been born, their father was called to fight in the wars. Their mother worked in the rice fields with their other sister Sora, while Shun went fishing and Tsukie stayed home, taking care of the youngest children and the home. It was how she managed to hide the fact that she did not eat. Umie and Hirota didn't pay attention to her unless they were hungry or wanted her to play with them and the others were away all day. She figured, with one less mouth eating the more for the rest of those she loved.

"Ah, Tsukie! Why are you here?" The boy asked dumbfounded. He didn't even seem to notice the two children clinging to her legs or the small bundle of leaves which held his lunch.

The girl giggled, holding the small package up to her older brother of five moments. "The sun is at its highest, dear brother. Hirota and Umie were starting to get restless." As the young girl spoke, several other women of their village began to arrive to give their husbands their own lunches. The men quickly finished pulling in their catch and quickly dispersed with the various women to different areas of the beach.

The four siblings quickly made their way along the shore to a quiet area surrounded by ocean and rocks. A strangely safe place considering many a sailor had wrecked their boats upon the sharp rocks.

"Tsukie, I want you to start being careful. I heard from some of the warriors passing through the village that demons are popping up everywhere, attacking villages and stealing young maidens and children for their supper. Granted, you're far too boney for their tastes, I bet." The boy chuckled, trying to bring a smile to his fragile sister. He knew she purposely skipped meals so the rest of their little family could eat more. He didn't agree with it, but he appreciated it, because he knew that she thought it was the only way she could show she cared for them.

"I had heard that to. I'm more concerned about those warriors though. I've seen them leering at many of the girls in the village. I don't like it, Shun." She smiled up at him sadly, carefully untying the small bundle to reveal four balls of rice. The delicate girl carefully passed out the small treasures, one to each of her siblings, then half of one for herself and the other half to her twin brother.

"I'm being serious, here! I don't think I could go on if you, or any of the others, were gone." The boy looked at her, worry quickly filling his features. "I also heard that there's a demon lord fighting off other demons." He whispered, as if the mere mention of him would cause the demon to appear.

"That's no surprise. Demons often fight one another. But, since we are on the subject of demons, did you hear about the priestess that's coming? She's supposedly very strong. She's so powerful that she can exercise almost a hundred demons at once!" The girl chuckled at the look on her brother's face. He almost looked like a squashed bug with his eyes that wide. "Shun, I'm sure everything will be fine. Soon, father will be home and we can start to get our family closer to how it used to be."

The boy looked at her skeptically, but smiled. He refused to make her worry, despite his playful teasing. He'd miss her if she were to go off and get married. "If you say so. I have to get back to work. You guys stay safe on your way home, alright?" The three nodded, though the younger children mostly did so to copy their older sister.

The girl watched her brother's back as he left, wondering if he knew just how worried she really was. She knew much more than anyone in their home did. Several weeks ago, one of the soldiers passing through the village had sought out their house. He had news of their father. The man had told her that the man of their household had perished in battle. A great moth demon had completely destroyed his battalion. There had been no survivors. For many hours, the girl had felt numb, going through the motions, as if nothing was wrong. Then days later, on one of the few instances where she found herself completely alone, the tears came. Body-wracking sobs threw her on the ground, screaming to the point that her throat had become raw. Once that had passed, she was once again solemn, coming up with ways to break the news to her family. She had quickly realized, she should have told them that day, but how could she. The moment her mother would walk through the door, she would look at her second oldest daughter with a smile, and a bright twinkle of hope in her beautiful eyes. And she knew that she could never extinguish that light in her mother's eyes. She refused to be the one to do it.

With a deep breathe, the girl stood, holding both of her hands out to the children to take. She carefully led them around the rocks and sandy slopes, towards the northern most edge of the forest, humming just loud enough to calm her tiny siblings. Their village was a strange one, or so she had been told by many a traveler. Never had they seen a forest so close to a shoreline, nor a village so carefully interwoven. The girl calmly passed through the trees, twisting easily around them with practiced movements the young ones had yet to learn. All around the three was movement.

There were men and women, nestled among the trees, selling produce and the like, or offering trades. They would all call out, endorsing their own, but they would quiet as they saw her and the children, probably for good reason. She was after all, almost a living skeleton. But, she knew that it was more so that they could hear her humming. She couldn't count how often she was told that her voice had calmed many a villager. Or maybe, somehow, they knew she was hiding a secret.

And as soon as she exited the market place, the sound of merchants quickly resumed, almost as if she hadn't passed through at all. Soon, began to walk by little homes built amongst the trees, every now and then she would see children running about, tripping over each other and the roots of trees. It made her smile, knowing that someday, her own brother and sister would join in the play, and begin to learn how to avoid falling.

The further she walked, the harder it became for her to breathe, so she held the two youngsters back for a moment, pressing against a nearby tree trunk. "Thank you, tree spirit, for allowing this humble human to lean against you." She muttered quietly, praying even quieter she would have the strength to keep going. "May I be as strong as you, some day?"

It took her only a little longer to get the children to their home, a small shack that the six of them shared. "Now, Hirota, Umie. It is time for you two to take your nap. Will you cooperate and rest for me, so that I can go and get the water we need for dinner?"

The two little ones looked up at her almost blankly. They were indeed tired, but they didn't want their sister to leave their side. Her smile instantly calmed them, which she knew. The girl picked up the two children, struggling only slightly. They clung to her loose kimono, their heads pressed to her shoulders. A smile crossed all of their lips, hers because of how much she loved these darling little miracles and theirs because they enjoyed the warmth and comfort she provided them. She laid the two on the softest bedding their house had to offer and covered them with one of the kimono they had reserved just for the two. They now clung to one another as the girl hummed them a lullaby she remembered her mother singing to her once. In mere moments, the two were sleeping deeply.

"Sleep well my little ocean and rice field." For all her family had been through, she hoped that one day, she could make the lives of these two, a million times better.

Quietly, she began to make her way out of the room; the children would be asleep for hours, which gave her plenty of time to go get a pail or two of water without having to worry about their safety. The girl grabbed the bucket that her mother usually used to get the water. With one last look at the children, mostly to make sure they were still fast asleep, she left the small hut, turning towards the north once more, to make her way towards the small, nearby river. It took the girl an hour to get the first bucket of water from the body of water to her cozy little home. She easily filled the large pot that hung in the middle of the room over their small fire pit, with the water she gathered, and covered it to keep it fresh for when she would make the family's meal later. The girl left once more and returned in half the time. She left the pail full of water next to the pot. She checked on the children one last time before grabbing a small basket. They would need herbs, she knew; to make the plain meal they would have, have flavor.

The girl confidently made her way through the trees, right back to the river. She stifled the terror that started to grow in her stomach. The chief of their village had forbidden everyone from crossing the body of water. A good twenty strides from the other shore were some of the best herbs that one could find just about anywhere. But, there were also demons. There was never anyone on guard to make sure the villagers stayed away, there was no need. The people she'd come to know, were all kind, peaceful people. Even with the wars raging throughout the land, everyone remained kind and gentle.

"Well, better get this over with as quickly as possible…" She muttered to herself, asking the trees to once again grant her strength. Her fragile body quickly fell into the cool water, leaving her sighing in bliss. Today had been especially warm, and it did not do her constitution well. The delicate child waded through the water, carefully searching for any footfalls in the river bank. She found none, and emerged from the water, drenched from the waist down. Silently, she made her way through the forbidden wood, her gaze flickering to the canopy to watch for wildlife, demons, and the time of day. She would have to make this fast.

She kept too watchful an eye on the world above her that she forgot to pay attention to the one below her. Her foot caught on something, most likely a root that had grown out of the ground, and she was sent flying. Or, rather, falling. She was quickly rolling down a hill, smacking into several sharp rocks and logs. Once her body came to a stop, her vision blurred, leaving her in darkness.

The young man pulled in what felt like his hundredth net of fish. He would need to take a break soon. After the small group settled the masses of fish into place, they all decided that it was indeed, time for everyone to catch their breath. This was fine with the boy, only he wouldn't be lying about.

He wandered off in the opposite direction from where he and his younger siblings had eaten lunch. That was a special place just for the four of them. He lifted his arms as high into the sky as he could get them, the joined his hands together on the back of his head. The boy was almost a good five hundred yards away from the small group of fishermen when he saw it.

Lying there on the sand was what looked like a human-sized fish. He could feel his mouth starting to water. Despite the abundance of fish he and his comrades caught, their entire villages had little to show for it. Soldier would come through and leave the entire village with almost nothing to eat. Every time he saw a soldier, he silently blamed them for his sister's worsening state, blamed them for everything. But, now, he could bring home the meat of this fish and tonight, even his twin, whom he loved so dearly, almost obsessively, could eat as well tonight.

The boy pulled a large cloth from the inside of his yukata and the small blade he used to cut lengths of rope. He looked back and forth, then up into the bright blue sky. It would be time for everyone working the shore and the fields to go home for the day. And he could share this treasure with the ones he loved most.

The girl awoke slowly, still fairly dizzy from all the rolling and sore from hitting so many objects on her way down. One of her hands rested on the side of her head as her awareness of her surroundings quickly began to take shape. She was in a large field of herbs. And not just one or two kinds, it looked like hundreds. When she looked up, the sky was still bright blue, which she took as a good sign; she hadn't been knocked out for too long. Within moments, she began to gather the herbs she desired, a gently smile playing over her lips as she began to hum quietly into the silent clearing.

But, then, it wasn't as silent as she had thought.

"Who is this human child that dares to enter my garden without permission?" A soothingly deep voice booms. The girl could feel her heart stop for a few seconds at the sound of the voice, a new sense of horror filling her stomach. Now she knew why it was forbidden to come to this side of the river. There really were demons.

She stayed still for a long time, the sound of heavy footfalls echoed around her as the monster made its way towards her. 20 strides, 15, 10, she counted. With the most strength she's had in a long while, the girl jolted into action, carefully cupping the small basket to her chest as she ran, fighting against the aches in her body as she climbed the steep hill as quickly as her tired body could manage. But, she wasn't fast enough.

As soon as she got to the top of the hill, an overwhelming force sent her body into a tree in front of her and the basket of herbs tumbling to the ground. Her delicate frame was trapped between a warm body and a cool, strong giver of life, fragile arms pressing against her chest to keep her from further scratches. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes as she began to realize, her brother had been right. She should have stayed safe, never have crossed the river. Now, she would never see her mother, brothers or sisters again.

Two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and quickly spun her around, pressing her back roughly against the tree trunk. A quiet whimper escaped her throat, and the tears quickly began to fall down her cheeks.

"My, my. What a beauty. And to think, you wandered into my territory without any care in the world." The deep, soothing voice chuckled. The girl's eyes slowly opened and her breath caught in her chest. The demon looked, for the most part, human. His hair was long and shone like silk that had been dyed to a sea green hue. His eyes were a dark blue, like that of the ocean in an angry storm. There were long red marks on either side of his delicate, nearly feminine features. And his robes were more extravagant than any of the lords the girl had seen wandering through the small, hidden village. As the girl stared in awe of the creature's beauty, she momentarily forgot all of her fears.

The creature smirked, a slight tug of sea green hued lips, and slowly began to make his decent on the prey that had wandered into his clutches. He would most definitely eat this delicate little morsel, despite her lithe build, but by all the circles of hell, he wasn't going to just let such a beautiful face leave this world without having a little fun with it first. As the girl tensed, the demon felt his smile grow wider at the sight of terror once again filling her eyes. His hands on her shoulders kept her in place, the more she struggled, the tighter his grip would become. It was only a matter of seconds before his lips crashed down upon the girls. Her eyes went impossibly wide, and her tiny little hands pressed against his chest, feeble attempts at pushing him away.

The girl fought against the demon as much as she could, which wasn't much considering the immense difference in the two's individuals strength. She would be lucky if she were to die quickly. She could feel a slight lifting of weight on her shoulders, thinking this could be her only chance to see her loved ones, the girl tried to make a break for freedom, only for the beast to quickly pull her closer to himself, and tugging the loose kimono she wore down to her elbows, leaving her completely exposed to him. As the cool air hit her suddenly naked flesh, a shiver ran up along her spine, and a gasp parted her lips, which the demon used as an invitation to let his tongue slither into the fragile girl's mouth, where it began to mingle with her own and bring yet another gasp from her.

The demon could feel the young woman trembling, could see the horror and fear in her eyes. It sent a thrill through his body, knowing that this girl truly feared him, and for good reason. The beast slowly moved down to the girl's jaw, flicking his tongue lightly against her flesh. She tasted of the sea and herbs, a combination of flavors he quite enjoyed. Once the girl's lips were freed, she began to breathe quicker, whimpering pathetic protests as he continued his journey downwards to her bared flesh.

"Release the girl, Umi no mono." A new voice rang around the pair, causing them both to freeze where they were. They both turned their attention towards a figure that emerged from the shadows. He wore a white hakama with a white kimono with a couple of indigo stripes at his shoulders. The vambraces, pauldron, boots and gauntlets all appeared to be from a distant land, along with the sash around his waist. It clashed so greatly against the rest that the girl could do little but stare. Then, there was his other worldly beauty. Long, flowing silver hair pulled into a high ponytail, and from what the girl could see, there was fur flowing down his back. Indigo slashes led to lips that barely covered sharp fangs. Golden orbs glared towards the creature at her collarbone. Then the girl let her eyes travel to his waist where two blades rested in wait, while the hilt to a third blade stood over his shoulder. That one in particular gave an especially strong aura of evil.

There was something the girl had never told anyone. She could see how someone would die, long before it would happen. It wouldn't be everyone and it wasn't anything more than a quick flash around the person. She held her breath for a moment as a quick flash of flames suddenly surrounded the demon walking towards her. "I said, release the girl." The creature growled, much like a dog would.

"And should I refuse?" The beast at her chest retorted, wrapping his arms tightly around the young human, pulling her closer like a shield. As he held her there, he slowly began to bite down on the flesh of her collarbone. The girl tried to scream out, but it only came out as a quiet whimper.

"You know the answer to that, you foul thing." The elegant creature answered and within moments, was pulling the green-hued being off of her, while at the same time pulling her in against his side. In hopes of saving some of her own dignity, she wrapped her arms across her chest. The girl looked up at the beautifully masculine male that held her, awe completely taking over the terror that had filled her.

"You damned dog! She is my prey!" The demon of green shouted, his nails becoming extraordinarily long.

The young girl looked back and forth between the two demons, one with long, sharp nails, and one with eyes that were once a lovely molten gold, she knew she had to do something. The girl chewed at her lower lip for a moment, and then quickly sprang into action. She pulled away from the, what she assumed was a Dog demon and moved between the two, arms wide apart as if she were protecting one or the other. "D...Don't fight!" She stuttered. "It won't accomplish anything." She muttered.

She couldn't see it, but the demon behind her gave her a look of amazement. He'd seen many humans, but none brave enough to jump between two demons of such power about to battle, especially when they were of the fairer sex in such a state of dress.

The other demon was not quite as impressed, though he was enjoying the view of the girl. Thin as she was, she was definitely well endowed. Any other time, he might consider not killing her and bedding her, maybe even make her his mate for what time she'd have on this earth. She would make a fine partner, even if she would be gone as soon as she came. But, she had trespassed and he refused to grant pardon for such an offense. His eyes quickly caught attention to a small trickle of red on her delicate flesh and he couldn't stop the smirk that quickly over took his features.

"Girl, you came for herbs, didn't you? Take them and leave. Should you ever return, expect a fate much worse than death." The demon turned on his heel and disappeared into the thicket of trees, leaving the girl shaking so terribly that her knees gave out and she fell to the ground.

The second demon slowly made his way over to the young girl and kneeled down next to her. "Are you alright?" His lowered voice whispered next to her ear. The demon gently pulled the girl's kimono back up around her, when he noticed it. He silently cursed under his breath. How hadn't he noticed him marking her? "He was right. Should you return, he'll have to bed you." He continued.

She looked up at him confused. Though that confusion quickly turned to embarrassment and fear as the demon picked her up, making sure she had her tiny basket, and began running faster than anything she had ever witnessed, and then suddenly they were airborne. The girl was more than tempted to scream, but instead just clung to the male demon's chest with her eyes closed as tightly as possible.

The dog demon looked down at the fragile creature, then back to the small mark on her collarbone. It was bleeding quite a bit. It must have happened when he pulled her away from that pathetic sea creature. He gently landed on the river bank across from the territory of that green creature, where he assumed she had come from. "Young lady, I suggest you stay far away from that garden. I apologize for what I'm about to do." The dog told her in a matter of fact tone, before leaning down to her chest and licking the blood gently off of her. The closer he got to the small wound, the lighter the pressure of his tongue against her skin was. His hands tightly gripped her fragile forearms, keeping her in place as he continued to lick the wound much as a dog would.

The girl trembled in his grasp, heat filling her cheeks and the pit of her stomach. She was biting at her lower lip, her shaking hands moving to pull at the demon's arms in an attempt to free herself from his grasp. When she couldn't hold it in any longer, a quiet moan escaped from deep within her throat only to be followed by panting. She couldn't help herself, her flesh was extremely sensitive, but she knew that to the demon, it was nothing more than a way to feed himself. She was saved from one demon, only to end up another's dinner.

The beast in question soon looked up at her, a smirk playing over his lips as pride quickly clouded his mind. No other demon he knew of, alive or dead, could make a woman enjoy herself as much as he could, much less while they were basically being eaten alive. He pulled away, giving the lithe child of man, whom had fallen to the ground, unable to hold her own body up, a moment's respite. The sea beast had been right; the girl really was a beauty, even for a human. Perhaps he would play with her when she was a little older. His mate wouldn't mind, after all, it wouldn't mean anything, not to mention, it would probably kill the poor girl. He leaned down, quickly fixing her kimono so that it was no longer hanging off of her delicate frame.

"Go home and remember, don't go off on your own to places known for demons." He leaned down, gently running a hand through her surprisingly silky hair. He smiled gently at the girl, who looked up at him with her cheeks flushed and her fragile little body shaking in anticipation and excitement, at least according to his nose. The girl nodded so gently it was barely perceptible as she quickly gathered herself together and the small basket of herbs she had gathered, and began to run off towards the small village he smelled nearby. It smelled interesting. Salty like the ocean, yet fresh like the forest. And the amount of humans living among the trees without having cut down more than a few was rather impressive. He smiled to himself one last time before jumping back across the river, there was no need for him to stay, he had the girl's scent , should he ever wish to hunt her down for some fun.

The girl quickly shoved the door open, sliding it gently shut behind her to keep out anything that could have possibly followed her while also trying to not wake the children. Though, from what she could hear, they were already up. A smile quickly overtook her features, as she placed the small basket of herbs next to the fire pit she made her way to the room where the two children were calling out for her. She spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the two children, occasionally checking the small wound on her collarbone. Whenever she would look at it, her cheeks would flush and she would tremble at the sudden waves of heat that over took her.

It didn't take her mother and sister long to show up. And even less for her sister to catch on to the odd behavior of her younger sister.

"Mother, I'm taking Tsukie for a walk, we'll be back for her to start dinner soon!" Her sister had called to their mother. They wandered through their small village; until they came to a small clearing that none of the other villagers either knew about or came to. "What happened, Tsukie? You've been jumpy and flustered ever since Mother and I got home." The girl hadn't expected so direct a question, in fact she had thought she'd been doing a good job of acting as she normally did.

"Oh, Sora, how did you know? If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. Especially mother." The girl looked down at the ground, her arms crossing across her stomach in an attempt to suppress the sudden churning of her stomach.

The older girl chuckled, sitting down next to her with a sad smile. "If it's about father, I already know. I think Mother does too, though she doesn't want us to worry about her."

The girl looked up at her sister, a slight frown forming over her features. "I see. But, that's not it." She shuddered, her body trembling at the memory. "I crossed the river and picked some herbs."

For a moment, her sister stared at her blankly, and then began to laugh furiously, even falling over as if it was just a bad joke.

"Stop laughing, I'm being serious!" She furiously shook her head. "I can prove it! I was attacked by a demon and saved by another!"

"Tsukie," her sister chuckled, looking at her sister as if she had lost her mind. "First of all, demons don't save humans, especially from other demons. Second, if you had crossed the river, your clothes would be soaked." The older girl sat up, bringing her knees to her chest as if she were afraid that perhaps her sister was telling the truth. Because, if she was, that meant the whole village was now in danger.

The girl glared at her sister, her entire body shaking furiously at the disbelief that her sister seemed to have for her story. Without any warning, the girl pulled her kimono open enough to show off her shoulders and collarbones. The small wound was red and bruised, as if someone had suckled on the flesh, but the hole was there, proving her story true, which stopped the older girl in her tracks, eyes impossibly wide. She knew that if the rest of the village heard of this, her baby sister would be exiled. Not only had she disobeyed the laws put in place by the chief, she had been marked as the mate of a demon. Of course, she knew that the younger girl didn't understand what that meant. If the Chief found out, he would have her punished, then thrown into the Garden of the Sea Beast.

"Tsukie, don't show that to anyone else. And don't tell anyone of your trip." The older girl commanded, quickly fixing the girl's kimono. She hugged her little sister close, fear beginning to surge through her for the young girl.

They quickly made their way back, Sora watching the villagers as they ran along. Did they already know that her little sister had been defiled? Had she been defiled? That was the only reason demons marked humans without killing them, and if it were a mark for death, it would be somewhere the demon could easily see when searching for her. But, hadn't her sister said there'd been two demons? Was one going to hunt her down to mate while the other to kill?

"Hey, Sora! Tsukie! What are you guys doing running around the village? Were you coming to get me only to get lost?" A masculine voice called out to them as their brother ran up, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

Sora was the one to answer. "Tsukie and I just needed some fresh air."

The three quickly made it back to the small hut they lived in where they dispersed into their own individual jobs. Sora took care of getting the fire started while Shun began to take care of the children. The small, fragile girl began to prepare dinner. It wasn't until the boy smelled the smoke that he remembered the flesh he had found earlier that day. He quickly ran to his sister, two children clinging to his calves, attempting to slow him down and keep him where they wanted.

"Tsukie, I found something today. Do you think you could cook it up for everyone?" He inquired of his twin sister. He knew she could, she was incredible when it came to the culinary arts, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone. He carefully pulled out the cloth full of the strange fish meat he had found; it was big enough that each member of the family would not go hungry tonight.

The girl eyed the cloth wrapped bundle suspiciously; she'd be amazed if it wasn't half-rotten by now. She took the small bag of clothed meat, skeptical on whether she could use it or not. When she set the bundle down, and carefully untied it, she was pleasantly surprised that the meat was more than fresh; it looked as if it were still alive and could start moving at any moment. "I certainly can, dear brother." The girl chuckled, quickly setting to work. Her brother had sliced off a giant chunk of whatever beast he had found, cleaned, and scaled it long before he had brought it home, making her job fairly easy. The girl carefully sliced the flesh into proportions equal to what those in the house needed to have their hunger satisfied. The two youngest would have less than the four occupants. Her elder brother would have the largest portion, since he had a fairly laborious occupation, her mother and elder sister would get the next largest portions, and finally, she herself would get a serving between the children and the others.

It did not take long for the smell to permeate their small home and the girl could see the longing on her family's faces. She was glad now, that she had gone to the other side of the river. The herbs she had risked her life for were perfect for the meat her brother had found. It almost seemed like fate had intervened to make sure this meal happened. Perhaps, their lives were going to get closer to the way they used to be. The thought brought a smile to the girl's saddened face, because she knew, that there was no way for their little family to ever get completely back to the way it used to be.

Soon, the small family was gathered around the small pit of fire which now provided them with warmth instead of a way to cook their meal. Their mother, now head of the household, said a quick thanks to the Gods for providing their small family with such a blessing.

"Shun, since you are the one who found this gracious bounty, why don't you be the first to give it a try?" She had said, beaming proudly at her oldest son.

"I think, the one who prepared this wonderful meal should be the one to take the first bite," the boy replied, a kind smile quickly passing over his features, though the girl thought she could see a bit of worry just around his eyes.

"How about a compromise?" Sora quickly declared, seeing her younger sister about to protest. "Why don't you both take a bite at the same time?"

The twins looked at her with matching stares, they knew it was a great compromise and that arguing with the girl would most likely get them nowhere. So, in answer, the two looked at each other before they did basically as they were told. And once again, you could see how different they were, despite the fact that they were almost the same person. The boy ate in a more brutish manner than the girl, whose movements just to eat the piece of flesh in her bowl, were as graceful as any princess in the land.

The girl's eyes widened at the same time the boy's did. They looked at each other, as if conversing with nothing but subtle eye movements, about the thoughts they had on what they had just eaten. The boy found it beyond delicious; after all, his sister could make anything taste good. The girl found it a bit bland, but other than that, it was pretty good. Within moments, the two exclaimed that it was perfectly cooked; the rest of the family began to dig in.

Their family quickly ate their rice, then began to daintily pick at the meat, or in the case of the children, pick it up with their tiny hands and shoving those handfuls into their little mouths. That's when everything started to go wrong.

Umie, the youngest, began to cough. But, it was more than just a cough; she had begun to spit up blood. The girl looked at her with a start, quickly moving to hug the child to her, patting her back to get her to stop. She assumed that she or her brother had missed a couple of tiny bones that had cut the girls throat as it went down. Except, Hirota started to scream in pain. She pulled the boy to her as well, her free hand on his shoulder to give him a gentle movement to bring his attention to her. His eyes began to bulge, and she was afraid that he was suffocating on one of those pesky bones she'd missed. Until her mother fell over with a heavy thump.

The boy quickly moved over to the fallen woman, terror filling his features as he tried to awaken her. Then, as he was shaking the woman, who had stopped breathing long before she'd hit the floor, a low moan of pain began next to him. Sora was hunched over, hands on her throat and stomach as if something was causing her great pain.

"Shun!" The boy's twin called out to him, her voice full of sadness and fear. "Shun, they're…!" He could hear the urgency in her voice. When he looked over to her, she was reaching two of her fingers into the mouths of their youngest siblings, trying to make them throw something up.

"You keep trying to help them!" He shouted back to her, moving away from his fallen mother to his aching sister. He ran one of his hands along her back, but something was wrong. Her back was trembling and shaking, but it was more than that. It moved under his hand, and became lumpier as well as bigger. Her hair had gone from a brown barely lighter than his own locks, to snow white. And the flesh of her neck had begun to darken and bruise to a shining purple.

From across the room, he heard sobbing. But only sobbing. There were no more boyish screams of pain or coughing. And a groan from right in front of him. He slowly returned his attention to his oldest sister, afraid that she, too, would be as dead as their mother and the children.

His eyes connected with those of a grotesque ogre and for the briefest of moments, he wondered if this was what all demons looked like. The moment lasted only seconds, and then the boy was sent flying. He'd been hit with so much force that his body smashed through the wall of their small home, then all was black and his breathing stopped.

The girl heard the sound over her own sobbing. She still held her little brother and sister as close as she could to her body, as if just keeping them against her would help bring them back. Her eyes wandered to the giant hole in the wall and then towards the giant beast that wore her sister's kimono. She stared up in horror as the thing came closer and closer. Her arms tightened around the children in her arms and new tears began to flow down her face as the creature quickly brought its large hand down against her skull. A terrible crack vibrated through her entire being as she slowly fell to the side, still holding the bodies of her little brother and sister.

She hadn't died instantly. She could still see the beast, still hear it shriek, still smell it as it wreaked havoc on the small hut that they had all called home. Soon it left, leaving behind it, a quickly crumbling building and the beginnings of a raging fire. The girl, close as she was to death, slowly began to crawl away from where she had fallen, somehow carrying the bodies of the children along with her. Inch by grueling inch, she came closer and closer to at least getting the two children out of further harms' way. Somehow, in her delirious state, she believed the two to still be alive. Then, just when she could see the bright rays of hope, the sound of shattering wood exploded over her and she was crushed under a large beam that had once held the roof in place.

Flames quickly overtook the small hut, leaving the girl with no hope, and that was the last thing she thought. Her eyes closed for the last time and as if she could shield the two children from death, she continued to hold them well after her last breath left her lungs.

And as the twins' corpses lay there, the beast that was once their sister tore apart their little village. Homes were left in pieces. Men, women, and children were left dead in her wake. Flames quickly rose from each destroyed home. The trees around the village quickly caught the flames and by the time morning rolled around, there was nothing left of the tiny town of humans, but ashes and bodies.