"Okasan!" A small boy cried out, his arms reaching out blindly as he stumbled in fright down the dark streets. Very few streetlamps lined the dark road and Satoru Gojo sniffled as he shuffled in between the lights, afraid of the darkness that threatened to enclose him.
His small six-year year old body shivered at the night breeze, the light t-shirt and shorts too thin to protect him. He sniffled again with a small whimper as he held onto a small bear his mother had lovingly stitched for him. It was clothed in a dark midnight cloth, wearing a simple shirt and shorts like him.
"Okasan." He called out again, his voice hoarse from calling out for his mother for the past hour. He always had trouble with sleepwalking but whenever he opened his eyes, his mother was always there without fail.
But not tonight. Tonight, he woke up to a dark and empty room in their small apartment. Frightened that his mother had abandoned him, he had run out in hopes to find her and realized belatedly that he was lost.
Satoru wiped at his tears with his arm, reminding himself that he is now a grownup, having turned six the other day. He promised he would protect his mother now. It was his turn to keep her safe.
With one last sniffle, he clutched his teddy bear tightly with one hand and stood hesitantly in front of the nearest house. He looked around him, wondering if he should ask the house owner to call the police for him.
His small forehead crinkled, worrying that it may cause trouble for his mother. He remembered the way she avoided passing officers even when they walked home together from school.
Satoru shook his head, his light silver hair softly falling into his eyes, as he made up his mind. He set off into another direction, determined to find his way back home, to where his mother surely must be waiting.
A few moments later, Satoru heard a commotion around the corner. He heard voices and he hesitated to approach. Even at a young age, his mother had always told him to exercise caution. He slowed down and decided to observe from around the corner. Holding his bear close, he slowly peeked, ready to run the other way if it were police or troublesome people.
His eyes widened in relief as he realized one of the voices belonged to his mother. His small face broke into a grin and took a step forward and froze once again.
His mother was not alone. She seemed to be arguing with someone in the shadows. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see who the other person was but found the figure shrouded in the darkness all the more.
His body tensed instinctively, knowing his mother was not safe. With a brave face, he ran forward.
"Leave my okasan alone!" He shouted, standing protectively in front of his mother.
"Satoru!" His mother gasped.
Satoru tried his most menacing look, his eyes unable to pierce the darkness to see the figure. But he didn't have to wait long since the figure stepped forward.
"So, this is the child." The figure mused, revealing themselves before a lamplight.
Satoru continue to stand in front of his mother, but he felt her arms encircle him.
"What are you doing here, Satoru?! What have you done?" She exclaimed, picking him up and brushing his hair from his eyes, so like her own.
And yet not quite. While hers was like a vivid sapphire, his was heartbreakingly brilliant.
Like diamonds tinted with infinite skies.
Satoru's face began to crumple into confusion as he felt her desperately hold him, her slim body tense.
"I woke up and you were gone. You're always there when I wake up, okasan. Why weren't you there?" His voice shook, but he held back his tears.
His mother glanced at the figure while she held him to her chest. "Leave us. You have no business here." She tightly responded.
The figure chuckled, remaining in place.
Satoru could smell the smoke from the cigar and wracked his brain, trying to figure out how to defeat this bad man and protect his mother.
"Satomi-chan, you know I can't do that." The figure responded.
Satoru felt his mother tighten her hold.
"Okasan?" He whispered in hesitation, looking up at her face. His chest tightened, seeing the conflicting emotions on her face he could barely even begin to identify. But out of all of them, he recognized the fierce love for him.
"Satoru, I want you to listen to me carefully." She murmured, kneeling down to set him back on his feet.
He gripped his teddy and solemnly nodded, recognizing the tone in her voice. There were times before when his mother would give him instructions and he knew he had to obey.
His mother smoothed down his hair, her eyes never leaving the figure. "Good boy, Satoru-kun." She pressed her lips to his forehead and peered into his eyes. Satoru could see himself reflected more than he was able to count in her eyes.
"Once I stand back up, I want you to turn back around and run as fast as you can."
He opened his mouth to argue but closed his mouth again as he felt her grip his arms tighter than she had ever done, the fear now clearly visible in the strain in her voice, the lines around her mouth and eyes. He wanted swallowed hard and nodded.
Her eyes softened a fraction, and he recognized his mother who cherished him so much.
"When you can no longer run and you have gone as far as you can go, I want you to use this." She whispered, unclasping the necklace around her neck and placing it around his own. "Think of your father. Hold his image in your mind. Once you do, he will know where to find you."
Satoru felt his chest tighten, knowing this was a goodbye. "Okasan, come with me." He begged, even as she placed another kiss on the crown of his head and began to stand up.
"My heart, I will always be with you."
Satoru felt his eyes water as she stood up and took a step in front of him, as he had done earlier.
"Well?" The figure asked.
His mother responded with a quick attack, her fingers quickly forming shapes in the air.
"Satoru!" She screamed, even as the figure held his hands up to block the barrage of attacks.
With his heart in his throat, he ran as fast as his small legs could take him.
Okasan.
He cried inside, pushing his small body to run faster.
He heard a noise and turned around in time to see his mother picked up by an invisible hand and slammed against the concrete wall.
"Okasan!" He cried, instinctively trying to run back to her.
"Satoru, run!" She cried instead. Blood dripped from the edges of her mouth, but she managed a small smile for him before she made another symbol with a quick move of her fingers and a gust of air took him away.
"Okasan!" He cried into the howling of the winds.
He managed to see his mother stand firmly opposite the figure and suddenly there was an infinite void that consumed them both.
Goju Satoru felt the memories creep into the horizon of his mind, as he slipped the worn midnight blue cloth back over his eyes.
Jogo stood frozen in his spot; his eyes stunned at the void that Satoru had just entombed him in.
Satoru rarely had to use this particular technique, but he wanted to show his precious student Yuji the concept of dimensions. He had a feeling Yuji would need to learn fast, as a war was brewing between the sorcerers and the demons.
Regardless, he felt a small pang in his chest at the surge of memories that always try to push through whenever he used this particular skill.
With a sardonic pull to the corner of his lips, he stood before Jogo. "Well? Are you going tell us who sent you?"
Jogo couldn't respond, as he was still frozen from the effects of the infinite void.
Satoru gripped Jogo around the shoulders. "Come on, we can do it the nice way or the less nice way. Either way, you will die though." He tapped his chin with a thoughtful look.
Satoru felt a slight irritation from the nonresponsive demon, already sensitive from the use of that particular skill. The same one his mother used her life to save him.
Without further warning, he struck at Jogo, and his head rolled down to the ground. He walked forward and put a foot on his head.
"How about now?"
He pressed his foot down a fraction harder, knowing the demon would feel the pain. He found the cruelty overtook him at times like these.
Yuji stood beside him with an awed but concerned look on his face. "Um, sensei. I think he's had enough…"
Satoru responded with pressing harder, knowing just a little bit more and this demon would easily become nothing. This demon who's probably harmed countless humans deserved to die. He would pay for the lives taken with his own. Maybe then, there would be no more children who would lose their mothers to monsters like him.
Or worse, the children grow up to be monsters themselves.
Yuji took another step forward. "Sensei."
Before Satoru could react, there was a sudden barrage of flowers and both he and Yuji became enamored with the scenery.
He slapped himself, realizing it was another demon's attack and watched as the demon pick up Jogo's head and leave.
Satoru felt the pain and resentment leave him as he gazed up at the night sky through his blindfold.
Okasan.