Chapter 4: Flashbacks

"How was your day Ayaka?" Genkai questioned while I was washing our dishes from dinner. Since we had unexpected guests, we decided to cook something instant for dinner. And nothing is more instant than instant ramen.

"It was pretty boring like yesterday until Arcinja came. She makes me feel edgy." I shivered.

"Yes. That she does. But then what do you expect from a divinity? She is the equivalent of a god in this world." Genkai explained. My eyes widened at that thought.

"A god huh.." I muttered. I carefully tucked the dishes away and wiped my hands with a towel. Genkai bid me good night and went for her room. So now I am left alone in the kitchen to gather up my thoughts.

I know Arcinja is all powerful and might and she is the one responsible for bringing me here. But I guess I never knew her from the start.

As I lay in my bed, I remembered the first time I met Arcinja, she was pretty much the same back then. Golden hair, piercing blue eyes and that child to teen like appearance. She hasn't aged a day.

It was summer of two years ago, back when I was only twelve, Genkai asked me to sit with her in the gardens. Then she told me the truth.

-Flashback-

It was a lovely afternoon and I just finished my usual routines with Genkai which comprised of hand to hand combats and tons of physical training.

"Ayaka." Genkai sternly started. "You often asked me who you are and why you live under my care, for years I have avoided that question and instead I trained you to be stronger."

I was stunned. Ever since I came to my senses, I always wondered who I am. If I have parents and why am I alone here with Genkai. Is she my grandmother, why do kids get to play while I don't? I have all these queries in my head yet all I get is: One day you'll know. And now this is that "one day" and here I am. Speechless. Genkai then motioned me to sit with her on the bench in the garden.

"You are not a normal child Ayaka. Someone gave me to you when you were just a baby. Back then I knew you are a very powerful being. And that is the reason why you have abilities that normal beings don't possess. " WHAT?! I'm not what?! What a way to start.

"W-what do you mean?" Thoughts went berserk in my head. Somehow my brain was doing some mental calculations and it was squeezing the air out of me.

"Ayaka in this universe, we are definitely not alone. We live here in the Human World, Ningenkai, a place for normal persons, but there is the Makai, the demon world, and the Rekkai, the spirit world. I for one born in the Ningenkai but learned living the ways of those in Rekkai. The Makai is a different place; chaos is their everyday unlike here with the humans, where there is peace and quiet. Some solace for a tiring fighter like me."

Talk about information overload. I just realized that I have been holding my breath and tried to gain some composure again.

"And m-me?" I was so nervous and I don't know why. I was seeking for answers ever since and now that they are being given to me I was cowering to hear them.

"You are from the Makai, Ayaka." M-makai... demon.

"I-I am a d-demon.." I choked. I'm definitely in a state of shock and if that is even possible for a demon like me.

"Yes you are Ayaka." A foreign voice answered and she was just right in front of us.

She has golden flowing hair up to her waist and dressed in white kimono with golden seams and lining. Fair complexion complimented her cat like eyes that housed crystal blue orbs and it's like they can see through my soul. It feels like I know her but I can't seem to remember.

Genkai stood up and tucked her hands backward.

"Ayaka this is Princess Arcinja. She is the one that brought you here." She cleared.

I was completely frozen in my seat. It seems like the world stopped rotating then suddenly rotated the other way around. I was only able to swallow my words and sat completely still.

And from that day, I know everything will change.

-End of flashback-

Remembering that day still feels like it was just yesterday that I shifted from human to demon. Since knowing my origin, I have never been more curious of my roots, what kind of demon I am and why I did not grow up in Makai.

Kurama was a revelation when I got to meet him months after I found out my true identity. Turns out he's good with plants as well! You see, after learning that I'm a bit more special than most humans, I discovered that I have a certain degree of control over plants. When I first started, I could make flowers bloom or die. As months of training passed, I can now manipulate plants for my defense and advantage but still inferior compared to Kurama's techniques.

I also discovered I can heal, this is what I'm good at more than plant manipulation. But Kurama advised me to limit using this ability as humans would make a science experiment out of me if ever I caught their attention. The exact reason why he refused that I heal his mother. He told me that it's unnatural and would lead to speculation from the doctors. I acceded to his request but truthfully, I feel annoyed he won't let me help him.

I lay on my bed quietly reminiscing everything. Somehow I'm still unease of not knowing everything about myself. I raised my right hand to my eye level and twirled my fingers as if playing with the wind. Moving it with some invisible force.

I can't sleep.

It's been three hours of reminiscing and reviewing thoughts in my head and now it's past midnight and my mind is awake and won't let me rest. I continuously shifted from one side to another on my bed finding the comfortable spot but fuck this. I'm getting up.

Barefoot and in my pajamas, I rounded the corner and made my way to the kitchen. A glass of warm milk with some chamomile should do the trick.

After finishing my cup of milk, I headed straight for my room and laid my head to rest. It's almost 4am when I felt my eyes slowly drift to sleep.

A pair of red eyes stared at me. Muttering something I cannot comprehend, I looked at this figure slowly becoming clearer.

There was something very familiar with the girl. She had a flowy pink hair and she was wearing my school uniform.

Her face remained emotionless as she becomes clearer from afar.

It reminds me of… ME.

Suddenly I was looking at myself in a mirror and staring back at me is my reflection, only she was piercing me with those blood red eyes. She smiled smugly and I saw my... err her hand holding a gold dagger and in a blink of an eye she, my reflection, disappeared from the mirror.

Darkness shrouded me as I stood in the void, hearing a faint sound calling my name maliciously.

Ayaka… Ayaka…

it was like a pattern of soft sounds of high pitched bells. It was echoing from all around me and I can't fathom what I was feeling.

I covered my ears and screamed only to realize I cannot hear my voice nor myself. I looked at my hands and panic started to eat me alive. My heart raced and I felt like I was losing air. It felt like a vacuum in this dark void.

Something shifted so fast in the dark and there she is again, a version of me with red eyes and holding that dagger standing a few meters in front of me. She advanced slowly and I backed with every step she makes.

Wearing that annoying smirk, her mouth opened, obviously she was saying something but I cannot hear it. All of a sudden she started to run towards me and tackled me to the ground. I fell and this figure of me straddled me and I cannot move. I tried my hardest to get away but my efforts were futile.

Clasped in her hand, she raised the dagger and aimed. For once I was able to hear a word coming out of her mouth as she drove the dagger into my chest.

DIE.