DEATH ESCAPES AT DAYBREAK

Hanabi felt the flames lick and crawl up her skin as the force of the explosion blew her body back. She was pushed through the door and felt her back smack against a nearby tree right outside her home, instantly evaporating all the air from her lungs. She let out a sharp gasp and crumbled against the floor instantaneously. While she laid on her stomach, she felt nearly paralyzed as this sharp sensation pierced her back, soon following with this warm, wet feeling that began to soak her clothes. Hanabi reached her hand around to her back and felt around until her hand brushed against a small tree branch sticking out from the bottom left side of her body. She quickly yanked her hand away though when an electric pain coursed through her body upon touching it.

"Oh no…no, no, no…" Hanabi cried softly while pressing her cheek against the wet grass.

"HANABI-SAN!" Ameya's voice howled into the night.

Hanabi lifted her head slightly at the shrill voice calling out to her. She searched around for the young child but couldn't see her at all. She was about to call out when she heard these heavy footsteps rattling her eardrums, making her choke back on the words that were just at the tip of her tongue. Hanabi looked up slowly to her scorched house, witnessing with absolute horror as the tall silhouette of the demon emerge from the burning doorway. He was covered in flames and sported an unhinged look in his bloodshot eyes.

Fighting against the agony her body was under, Hanabi pushed herself up as adrenaline sparked through her body like a burning flame. She held her breath to bite back the pain and began to shuffle away from the demon as it stalked after her, deep into the dark woods. As she shifted further and further away from the lights of the village, it was starting to get harder and harder to see. Even after her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could only barely make out limbs and tree roots to not trip on. Still, she was able to somewhat navigate through the woods, moving further uphill as the endless sounds of footsteps pursued her.

Once she was sure enough distance was made between them, Hanabi made a sharp left turn and ducked behind a tree that looked big enough to hide her body. Once there, she stayed quiet for as long as she could and listened carefully to the sound of the demon's footsteps walking right past her and melting into the darkness. Once she was sure he was gone, Hanabi leaned her head back against the tree and breathed in a sigh of relief. She reached around to her back and gently touched the branch that was still sticking out of her. Hanabi reeled in pain at first before tightening her jaw and grabbing the branch again, yanking it out of her back in one motion. She let out a small squeak at first but quickly slapped her hand over her mouth to stop any other sounds from getting through. Hanabi closed her eyes tightly and felt hot tears rush down her face as her body writhed in pain and numbness. Her muscles felt exhausted, and her skin felt like it was set ablaze.

She sat there for a couple more minutes until something began to bleed through her closed eyes. Hanabi's blue gaze fluttered open and saw fractures of light pierce through the thick leaves. Curiously, she sat up slowly and shuffled to a more open space where she could see what she now realized was morning light. It was like the sky had erupted with splashes of paint across the horizon. Spots of red, blue, and pink dazzled her eyes, creating shapes that resembled beautiful fire lilies within the clouds. The sky as of now…her fireworks couldn't even compare to what she was now witnessing…a true dawn.

"My fireworks. Was this…what I was always trying to replicate? This…is daybreak?" she said breathlessly. "I never knew…I never..."

She stared fixated on the rising sun as it peeked above the mountain range, blasting brilliant shades of color across the sky. Hanabi only snapped back to reality though when she heard a rush of footsteps coming up from behind. She gasped suddenly and turned around in an instant, letting out a small cry as the demon rushed her, still wearing the same derange look in his eyes from before. This time, Hanabi couldn't get out of the way and watched with terror as he took his long claws and thrust them right into her stomach. Hanabi stood absolutely still and slowly stared down at the claws that were buried deep into her skin. They felt hot against her organs, and she could even make out the shape of them. Every grove and every ridge. Hanabi could taste blood inside her mouth as it started to drip from her lips.

The demon's wicked grin stretched so far across his face that it looked like it would rip in two. His delight was soon burned away when he felt an intense pain on his face. He cried out and hunched his body away, catching only a glimpse of the rising sun that was starting to make its full ascent. It wouldn't be long until the area would be totally exposed to the light.

"Light…" the demon said with dread within his voice. He went to pull his claws out when Hanabi suddenly grasped a hold of his hand and kept him in place.

"What's wrong?" Hanabi growled lowly while digging her fingernails into his skin. "Afraid of the sun?"

"Let go," the demon barked, panic quickly set in for him as the sunlight touched his skin once more, causing it to sizzle. "Let go!" he suddenly howled out while yanking more forcefully and aggressively.

"Not a chance! If I'm going to die out here, then…I'm sure as hell taking you with me!" Hanabi screamed out at the top of her lungs while firmly anchoring her feet against the ground.

They stood at a standstill at the top of the hill as the sun slowly covered the mountain ridge, covering more and more of the demon's burning face. Desperate to get himself free, he used his other hand to stab into Hanabi's stomach a couple more times, but she still refused to let go. Hanabi didn't even look fazed by the pain and her grip only got tighter and tighter as the sunlight approached.

"Let go! Letgoletgoletgoletgo!" he screamed one last time as parts of his body began to flake away rapidly. He let out a disturbing howl one last time as his body disintegrated under the sun right before her eyes, floating away across the mountain ridge until nothing left of him remained.

Hanabi let out deep, shallow gasps of air as blood began to pour from the wounds in her stomach, creating a red pool at her feet. Her limbs fell loosely at her side as she turned to the sun, bathing in its warmth as the rest of her body started to grow both numb and cold. She stared at the sun for as long as she could, but as the world began to darken more and more, she noticed what looked to be a person running up the hill. She could hardly make out anything about them with the sun at their back.

"I never knew… the sky could look…so… beau..ti…ful…" she muttered one last time before crumbling into a pool of her own blood, letting the darkness consume her vision.

It felt like her mind was swimming in thick lumps of sticky black tar. She could barely move her limbs with how heavy they felt, and it was even painful to breathe. Life rapidly began to rush back into her, but as Hanabi tried to open her eyes, she became immediately blinded by pure white light that strained her vision. She couldn't help but make a small whimpering noise as she lifted her heavy arm and moved it over her eyes.

"Oh? Are you awake now?" asked a delicate voice of a woman.

Hanabi jumped almost immediately to an unbelievably delicate and petite-sounding voice. She moved her hand slightly away from her eyes and caught a glimpse of whoever was beside her. It was a rather young-looking woman with a pale complexion, kind violet eyes, and black hair that reached all the way down her back. She also had two green and pink butterfly hairpins adorned to the sides of her head.

"You were given something to help with the pain. Do you feel alright now?" she asked while tilting her head to the side.

Hanabi opened her mouth but quickly shut it when she didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but feel a little shy but also terribly confused. Hanabi was initially convinced she had gone to the afterlife because a beautiful young woman was being so kind to her. However, after getting a better feel for her surroundings, she quickly rolled it out. Once she got a brief glance around, she concluded that she was in some sort of recovery room. It was large and open, with multiple beds and pure white walls.

"I feel like…I can't move," Hanabi managed to choke out with her dry and trembling lips.

The young woman smiled warmly at her before setting a cool and gentle hand down on top of her head. "That's alright. It's understandable. When Rengoku-san found you…you had deep lacerations on your arm, a stab wound on the left side of your back, and multiple puncture wounds on your stomach," she said while smoothing out Hanabi's hair. It was such a kind and soothing gesture that it almost tempted her to sleep. "He also told me you managed to keep a demon at bay until it could burn up in the sun. That's quite an amazing thing to do.

Hanabi blinked and stared at her. "Demon…?"

She only questioned that name for a second before the memories of that long dark night pierced her mind once again. She remembered how tall he was, the details of his face, his teeth and his eyes. The sound of his voice and the way he breathed. And what was worse, she remembered the sensation and the shape of his claws when he buried them deep into her stomach. Panic swelled within Hanabi's heart like a mass flood, and she began to feel herself breathing rapidly and sharply, balling her hands up so tightly that she cut into her skin with her nails.

"You mustn't do that," the woman said worryingly while reaching out and grasping her hand. "I know that what you witnessed that night can be scarring…but you don't have to worry about that anymore. You're in a safe space now. Nothing here can hurt you anymore."

It was strange. So strange that Hanabi would consider it to be foreign. It had been such a long time since someone had been so kind to her and meant it. This woman's voice was so gentle, so caring that it was nearly frightening at times, yet…Hanabi couldn't help but melt against her warm demeanor. She dared close her eyes and tried to calm down, ease her trembling heart as it bounced in her chest. The peace and quiet only lasted for a minute though when the door suddenly opened and a boisterous voice echoed through the room, making Hanabi's heart thump hard in her chest all over again.

"Good morning, Kocho!" a man announced loudly as he entered the room.

The young woman didn't even look fazed by his sudden loudness and only smiled politely. "Good morning, Rengoku-san. You're right on time. It seems the woman you found the other day woke up."

"Is that so! That's good to hear!"

As she listened to the person approach, Hanabi moved her arm down a little more and saw a young man who looked to be the same age as her. He had somewhat of an unusual appearance with long yellow hair with red streaks that reminded her of flames, and wide, golden eyes that faded into red around the rim. What really stuck out to her though was this large, enthusiastic grin that looked almost permanently plastered to his face.

The young man pulled up a seat beside her bed. "You're probably confused, so let me explain a couple things. I was the one who found you that night when you encountered that demon. I had arrived just as the creature burned up in the sun, and saw you were the only one left standing. I quickly pieced together that you were the one who managed to hold the demon off. That's very admirable! You have my respect…" He looked like he was going to continue speaking but stopped abruptly. "That's right. We hadn't received a report on you yet. So we don't know your name. Would you mind telling us?"

Hanabi crinkled her brows. "Ah, uh…Hari Hanabi."

The man crossed his arms and shook his head firmly. "I see. Hari-san, then?"

Hanabi instantly flinched at the sound of her surname being spoken like that. It only reminded her of the old gentlemen who bought her fireworks that night of the accident. He and the rest of the villagers only ever referred to her as 'Hari-san'. She never realized until now that it bothered her.

"No…Hanabi is fine. I'd rather go by that," she said.

"If that's what you want. Then I will call you Hanabi-san, then," he said with a warm and bright smile, almost as dazzling as the morning light she saw that night. It was just as blinding, really. "Rengoku Kyojuro." He extended his hand out for her to take.

Hanabi didn't say anything more and just reached for it. She grasped his hand tightly and immediately noticed how big he was compared to her small ones. One thing they had in common though. His hands were just as rough and callus as hers.