The Shrine of Gensokyo

Chapter 25: Of Forced Accusations

Original Concept: ZUN & Shanghai Alice

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Author's Notes: So i replied to everyone like i promised!

I'm used to controversy so once again, I'm pushing the line. I stress again, this is a fanfiction, I have no qualms about Sanae, i do not despise her or is biased against her. That said, she is one of my favorite characters, Shrine Maidens have priority over other characters in my book. But I am a firm believer in purity in a miko's spirit, she might be flawed, but under extreme stress, anything can happen.

Especially meeting someone which is your superior in so many ways, belittling your pride.

That said, this chapter focuses more on Reimu, any comments on the later part of the chapter, please please, do not place judgement till the end of that particular arc.

That said, again, I will reply all reviews for this chapter. :groans:

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Lady Yasaka is waiting for me!

That thought ran through my mind repeatedly as I hurried but not ran along the corridors leading to Lady Yasaka's chambers.

The note that was left on the table was not left by Sanae as the signature at the bottom right of had Lady Yasaka's symbol on it, a pair of twin logs that resembled the holy logs in the shrine grounds.

Asking me to head towards her private chambers, which was located deep in the shrine, I memorized the directions before I quickly headed off.

That Sanae had not came back worried me but the more important thing now was to find Lady Yasaka, who had summoned me.

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[Hmm? There is another person there?]

I looked down at my two companions, who are now hitching a ride by clinging on to my shoulders and slipping in between the gaps on my top.

[I'll be careful, but if it is Lady Yasaka… she won't mean me harm…. Right?]

Directing that question to them and to myself at the same time, I worriedly reached for my gohei but came up with nothing as I slapped myself in annoyance.

[That's right… I broke mine…]

Sighing, I instead hid a fear amulets in my sleeves and just to be safe, a spellcard among them as well.

[Daijobu, I'll protect the both of you.]

Smiling to them, I was emboldened when they nodded their heads and seemingly smiled at me.

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[Lady Yasaka!]

Knocking politely on the sliding doors, I composed myself when I realized I was shouting and I tried again, this time softly.

[Lady Ya-saka?]

Before I could even knock on the door, the door automatically slid open in front of me and my mouth opened wide in surprise when I saw Lady Yasaka waving me in, a cheeky grin on her face.

[You're so cute, Hakurei Reimu. Come on in, Hakurei.]

[E-Excuse me then, Lady Yasaka…]

Bowing to her, I removed my shoes before I slowly tiptoed into the room.

[Here, have a seat]

Gesturing for me to take a seat to the right of her, I obediently bowed and followed her directions. The air was not tense but I could sense a little electricity in the air which caused the two fairies to hide a little deeper into my clothes.

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[Ara ara… aren't those two so adorable?]

Noticing them, Lady Yasaka leaned closer to us and using her finger, poked at the two throbbing forms on my chest.

Amusingly thou, as soon as she was about to touch them, they moved to another spot, enlarging another part of my chest and I smiled worriedly when Lady Yasaka giggled and tried again.

[Interesting children…]

Giving up after a few minutes, Lady Yasaka smiled warmly at me as I slowly coaxed the both of them out to greet her.

[C'mon, don't be afraid… She's Lady Yasaka, a goddess… don't be… Oh geez….]

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Shaking my head in exasperation as the both of them quickly hid back into my clothes with just one glance at her, I apologized profusely to Lady Yasaka.

[No, it is quite alright… I'm amazed that you would keep the two of them by your side, Hakurei. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden with fairies, such a mismatched pair…]

Putting both her hands on the table, Lady Yasaka poured a cup of tea with a flick of her fingers and offered it to me.

[Thank you, Lady Yasaka…]

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[Hakurei.]

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A moment of silence between us was broken when Lady Yasaka suddenly called my name and as I looked at her eyes, an expression I could describe as pity appeared in the corner of her eyes as she sighed and said.

[Is there, anything you want to ask me, Hakurei?]

[….]

Looking at her, I swallowed once before nodding my head and kneeling in front of her. Lowering my head, my head touched the floor while kneeling as I asked her.

[Lady Yasaka, I… it might be selfish of me to ask this… no, it is selfish of me to ask this… but I… I've came here… because someone told me, someone told me that you could help me locate Marisa!]

[…]

[Please Lady Yasaka, if there is something you know, anything you know about Marisa… could you tell me?]

[…]

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I waited for several agonizing moments before I heard yet another audible sigh and in the next moment, of her hands touching my hair and kissing me on my head.

[…Hakurei… if I asked you this… would you… want to know the answer?]

[…]

I did not reply, I merely waited for her to speak and she did so after several tense moments when she unsuccessfully tried to coax me up.

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[Hakurei.]

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[Do you like… Gensokyo?]

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[?]

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[Do you… like, Gensokyo?]

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[… Of course, I… I love Gensokyo. All of it, the people, the youkai… everything… I love Gensokyo…]

Without noticing, I had recovered back to my sitting position and I was clutching Lady Yasaka's hands as I finished.

[Ah!]

Noticing my actions, I blushed and shrank away from her, very much embarrassed.

[…]

Lady Yasaka did not seem to amused or surprised at my words, instead she just smiled in resignation and then, told me.

[I will send you to Marisa…]

[Really! Lady Yasaka, Thank you!]

[But not now.]

[Eh!]

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Cutting my off by raising a stern hand, Lady Yasaka coughed once before reaching out to pull another sliding door open.

[Another guest… would like to see you.]

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[Eh?]

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[So we are agreed?]

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[It is not as we have much of a choice, Miss Scarlet…]

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[Nonsense, our fate is always determined by her and her alone.]

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[Oh, I'd always assumed the puppeteer behind this is you, Remilia Scarlet…]

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[My mistress is not behind this, we are just agreeing to this… truce.]

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[… As long as this protects the village, I and Mokou will agree to do this…]

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[It is not about this village, Kamishirasawa…]

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[that's right! This is BEYOND anything I've seen before. She's nearing the edge, she is.]

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[… No way around this… is there, Eirin…]

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[No Princess…]

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[Then, we are agreed?]

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Grim nods around the room signaled the agreement and the start of their hopeless struggle…

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[Hakurei. How nice to… see you here, much earlier… then I expected.]

A cold, stern voice but unmistakably female voice came from the darkness beyond the sliding door and I swallowed nervously. Lady Yasaka was a powerful goddess and even while not counting Lady Suwako's power, anyone associated with them would surely be extremely powerful.

The atmosphere in the tiny room immediately changed when the first signs of the guest revealed herself.

[… Yasaka, I would like to speak to her, privately, if you would allow me to and… there is another issue on hand that you might be concerned about.]

[Hmm? Why not…]

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Smiling at the unknown guest, Lady Yasaka's face turn ashen white just as suddenly and she faded away from sight and I swallowed again as the dimension of the room seem to change, enlarging themselves at the side and making it seem that the distance between me and the guest was infinite and within a finger's reach at the same time.

I could not describe it but it just seemed that way, she seemed to be so close and yet so far away from me.

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[This power… Miss K-Komachi?]

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[I have just borrowed her powers for a moment, Hakurei. Komachi is ferrying the dead across even as I speak.]

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[T-then… could it be?]

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Falling to my knees, I trembled in fear as the unmistakable hat appeared as the darkness receded. Her emerald green hair, striking blue eyes and the rod of convincement in her hands, she straightened her top and sternly tapped the rod on her palms.

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[Yama-sama, Yamaxanadu Sikeiki!]

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[So you know me, Hakurei?]

[Y-Yes, Yama-sama…]

Looking at the person kneeling in front of me, Hakurei Reimu, I narrowed my eyes as I peered into my Jouhari mirror, the mirror which reveals all the past sin of the person that stands in front of me.

The black tendrils that only I could see were wrapping around her and I sighed slightly.

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Here was another sinner.

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[Hakurei, do you know what is death?]

[…]

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She trembled, not daring to speak up and I could hardly blame her.

There were two kinds of people who I, Yamaxanadu Sikeiki would meet during my work, passing judgment on those who I meet:

One of those whom challenge me, wanting to defy what they saw as a twisted sense of justice. They could not come to grasp with reality that,

I wrote the book on justice

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The other in which who just tremble in fear below my feet, willing to accept all and everything that I say, knowing full well that I am justice.

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However, no matter who I meet, they will have to accept my judgment, willingly or no.

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This will stay the same for all of history, till the end of time and till there is nothing left but me and Komachi, that is the truth and will forever stay that way.

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[Death of the physical body is when the body fails to function… ]

[That is accurate, Hakurei Reimu. Death, occurs when the body fails to function and thus, the ailment known as death takes over. The body will not be able to sustain itself and is quickly destroyed or devoured. Yet, there is life after death, Hakurei. Do you know, why that happens?]

[…]

[No, Yama-sama…]

[Everyone has magic in his or her roots. Even you, Hakurei, have magic inside you, it is part of you. People call it, the soul of a person.]

[The… Soul?]

[The soul of a person is what makes everyone unique, every single soul of a person differs from one another. Thus, each person is different. One will not have the same personality same magical ability or the same form.]

[Yes, Yama-sama…]

Still not raising her head, Hakurei Reimu knelt motionless as I finished the first half of my speech.

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[Hakurei, do you fear me? What do you fear?]

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[… yes, Yama-sama… I… I fear death…]

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[If one fear death, one should not fear me and instead fear the Ferrywoman of the Lake of Styx, the Death God Komachi. She is an embodiment of death, the reaper of souls and the one who extinguishes souls before they reach me, Hakurei Reimu.]

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[Then… I fear myself… I fear the judgment that I would receive from Yama-sama from the actions that I have committed in the past.]

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A surprise, I would not have expected Hakurei Reimu to be as wise as she is now. Her meditation might have breed wisdom in her and as that thought appeared in my mind, I smile somewhat and I allowed myself to relax.

Perhaps, she deserves a second chance…

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[So, Hakurei Reimu, you do not fear me. But fear your own decisions, your own sins and own merits…]

[Yes, Yama-sama…]

[Wise… Stand up and face your sins then, Hakurei Reimu, stand and face the embodiment of Judgment if you are willing to shoulder your own sins and merits.]

Right in front of me, my table appeared in front of me and as I slammed my convincement rod on the table, chains started to encircle and to imprison Hakurei Reimu from where she still knelt.

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[The chains represent the anger and denial that still hold on to you, clouding your mind. Only when you clear your mind of those thoughts can you face your sins, Hakurei Reimu.]

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I watched her struggle within herself, a maelstrom of emotions that consisted of confusion, anger, frustration and unease that made the chains only increase in volume and their thickness.

If such a small provocation by me has such a dramatic effect, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden does not live up to her name at all.

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After all, she represents… the Hakurei Spirit, a benevolent and powerful spirit that even I, the Judge of Death felt her presence even here.

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[…!]

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Out of the blue, the confusion in her mind ceased and she had seemingly found the peaceful centre of her own mind, clearing her thoughts of disbelief, suspicion, denial and anger.

The Inner centre of Hakurei Reimu was white, pure white and was untainted with any other color.

[… …]

I was astounded by that and I struggled to keep my face impassive at such a rare sight. I have not yet seen such an untainted spirit for about a thousand years.

[It seems you are ready, Hakurei Reimu.]

Standing up, the chains surrounding Hakurei Reimu just fell apart and her eyes, a sparkling brown locked with mine and as a few moments passed, the both of us smiled grimly in understanding as I announced loudly.

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[Let the trail begin!]

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Yama-sama, Lady Sikeiki is an imposing figure, the way she looked at me made me afraid and at ease at the same time. Those eyes must have gazed upon everyone who had gone pass the yonder and she must have sent countless to hell but at the same time, countless to nirvana as well.

Her eyes, which were clear and unflinching, struck a chord with me and I felt a sense of awe just seeing her, despite her being the Supreme Judge of hell.

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A part of me wanted to be like her, strong and always sure of what her place in the world is. Having some part of her confidence in passing judgment and making decisions just the way she is.

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[Will you hate me, Hakurei?]

Yama-sama was the second person this day that had read my mind and so I was prepared for it.

Shaking my head, I managed a smile before telling her what I truly felt.

[Judgment, is placed by you, Yama-sama… The saying that, anything and everything that one does, will come back to you… was referring to perhaps… the judgment by you, Yama-sama?]

[That is accurate, Hakurei Reimu. Accept your judgment now, Hakurei Reimu, for I am the one who is the true embodiment of justice and I have the right and will to place judgment on you, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.]

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Slamming her rod on the table, I felt the earth below me shake and tremble under my weight.

[A-Ah? AHHH!]

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The earth below me crumbled and I fell into the darkness, my scream was muffled out by the screaming of the wind around me but it was not long before I realized that it was not the screaming of the wind, but rather actual voices screaming at me in the darkness.

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[Now, hear the screams of your victims. The screams of the many that you had robbed of their lives; of their future and their dreams. Look into their eyes and tell me, tell me…]

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[Can you repent?

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Can you forgive yourself?

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Can they forgive you?

Or…

Shall you face the punishment that awaits you?]

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Her stern voice echoed over everything else and I swallowed nervously and right after that, I stifled a scream as bloody hands clutched me and slowly pulled me down deeper into the darkness.

[HAKUREI!]

[HAKUREI!]

The darkness receded and I almost fainted in fright and despair at what greeted me. A sea of bloody fairies were at my feet and amongst them were a few people, clawing at me and leaving bloody scratches and claw marks all over me. Pulling me deeper and deeper into the sea of bloody and mutilated bodies, I fought the urge to scream and flail wildly even as my head was totally pulled down into the screaming mob.

Every second I could hear screams of pain and with every passing second, I felt my consciousness being ripped to smaller ribbons by them, their screams and claws corroding my very inner being.

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[Do you accept your sins, Hakurei? Do you feel their pain, their hatred of you, the one who robbed everything they have and everything they could have away from them. As you accept all youkai, all people… you are the one with the biggest sin.]

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[Killing the very existence that you wish to understand, destroying their lives even though they are fleeting is, murder, Hakurei.

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Forcibly taking one's soul, one future from an existence that you believe to be equal to you, brands you as a murderer.

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No defense shall be given to you, Hakurei. The depth of your sin is unfathomable.]

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Suffocating deep in the midst of the bloody mob, I closed my eyes and relaxed, allowing them to spend their fury on me.

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[I accept my actions… I am not god… I am not self-sacrificing enough to take all the pain from all of you…]

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Praying deep in my heart, I hoped they could hear me and I hoped Lady Sikeiki could hear my prayer as well.

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No matter how much I pray, I could not appease them… but, if I could lessen their pain somewhat…

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[Let me fulfill your dream with you… let me live, living with the sins of taking away your life… if it would appease you… would you… tell me your dream too?]

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Closing my eyes, I did not wish for forgiveness, nor will I wish for the lessening of my pain. All I want is for understanding, understanding of my own actions.

Would I be justified in making the right decision, or would I be outcaste for being wrong?

I want to know, I wish to know… whether I made the right decision and… would I be forgiven if I was wrong?

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[I… I do not know the extent of my actions… but please… please…]

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Begging internally as I felt my consciousness finally fade and give up, I gave my body up to my sins, the many youkai fairies I have killed over the course of my life.

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[let me fulfill my dreams with you… … just like how I draw strength from you… draw strength from me…]

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Meanwhile, back in time… the other Shrine Maiden was staring and kneeling in front of a small grave at the back of the Moriya Shrine.

[… Father… Mother…]

Kneeling, she bit her own lip in her frustration and watched as tiny droplets of blood slowly struck the stone plate. With two blotches of blood on the tomb, Sanae knelt down and wiped away the blood that was staining the stone, but what she left behind resembled how a hand print would look like if a person was dragged forcibly away.

A bloody trail that led away to nowhere else but to a life of hardship, sorrow and of loneliness.

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My life, has always been hard… hasn't it, Father, mother?

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Praying in her heart, she lowered her head but as she did so, she first lightly tapped her head against the solid stone block before repeatedly repeating the action with just a little more force each time.

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Bang, bang, bang…

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Pretty soon, her entire forehead was covered with blood, the results of her labor for the past few minutes and she collapsed into a heap in front of her parent's grave.

[Father… mother… I am weak… very weak…. I… I…]

Trembling, Sanae raised her hand in the air and then slammed her fist on the stone tablet slowly and deliberately repeated her actions. With each strike, the tomb shook and a splat of blood would stain yet another part of the tomb as she struck it repeatedly.

[… huff… huff…]

Stopping when her hands were a bloody mess and the gravestone being partly covered with blood, Sanae's shoulders sank deeper and deeper and finally, her entire body just collapsed out of exhaustion and of loss of blood.

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[… I… wanted to end my life… just because I… I was weakened in my resolve; forgive this cowardly daughter of yours… I… I cannot live up to the Moriya Shrine Maiden's values… I… I…]

Laughing manically, Sanae rolled over and dragged her bloody hand over her face, staining her clothes and her hands at the same time.

She was dizzy and disoriented as she started blabbering nonsense and she only caught herself when a stray leave landed straight on top of her face.

[…]

[I… lost myself… lost to myself and my own desires… I can never… never… NEVER!]

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Screaming out her anguish, Sanae cried a moment later as she started to claw herself around her neck and face, leaving bloody new trails along her neck and the sides of her face.

[Never.. never… should never… but still… I… I… I WANTED HER, FATHER, MOTHER! I WANTED HER TO BE MINE! MIIIIINEEE!]

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It was as if something had snapped in Sanae's mind. Something had undoubtedly driven her from the edge, the sanity that had restrained her inner desires and in the same time, released the caged fears that she had to deal with all her life.

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I have lost everything…

I have nothing…

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A malicious grin slowly formed on Sanae's lips and she looked absolutely terrifying with that smile on her face and the many bloody splotches on her clothes and on her surroundings.

She is like the Devil's child, smiling and literally giggling even when blood was spilled all over her.

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I HAVE NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL!

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[Forgive me, father, mother… Lady Yasaka… Sanae… Sanae… Sanae won't be able to serve you again…]

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Her values all thrown to the wind, Sanae said her farewells to the gravestone as she bowed one last time and then, unleashed her sorrow to the wind.

Screaming, she felt her throat burn with pain and she desperately clawed at her throat to try and ease the pain. Bloody streaks became long gashes and soon enough, she could only mutter and moan as darkness slowly claimed her.

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AHAHAHAHA!...

NOTHING I HAVE,

NOTHING I WILL LOSE…

WAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAA!~~

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Author's Notes: :sarcasm overloading: Ugh.. work