May Happiness Reach You

Tsukimi 3

After Tsukimi once again dismissed Jun's affections and advances once again, he stormed off back to his home, leaving Tsukimi feeling regretful about her words. Later that night, Jun went to his father and agreed to participate in his plan to overthrow Ren and place Kenshiro as the new head apparent as there was no other male in the Mursaki's had no other male heirs. Jun also added the condition that he could have Tsukimi as his wife.

After the time of two months Ren, Jun and a few villagers who were unsuspecting went out on a hunt, unaware that Jun and Kenshiro had hired bandits to dispose of Ren and make it look as an accident.

However, an uneven cliff caused Jun and Ren to lose their footing and slip. Although Ren had no fondness for Jun due to his pestering of his sister, he could not in good conscious let Jun die. However, once he got Jun up to the top, Jun stabbed him with a hidden blade making Ren let go of his grip on the cliff and fall to his apparent death. Jun still paid the bandits for their silence.

He then found the villagers that had accompanied them and told them that Ren had been lost to the rivers and had probably died.

After searching 'again' to verify Jun's story and finding no traces of Ren the villagers somberly returned to the village and informed Ren's surviving family- Tsukimi- of Ren's unfortunate death. Overcome with grief and despair at losing her brother. Tsukimi could not even push away Jun who declared that from now on he'd love and protect her in the place of her deceased family, whilst hiding a cruel and cunning grin.

Later on, after Kenshiro had succeeded Ren as the village chief and Jun had taken a grief-stricken and lonely Tsukimi as his wife. All seemed well for the 14-year old Tsukimi.

However, Tsukimi was hardly at peace. Though she tried to convince herself that she was content in her marriage with Jun, she was simply fooling herself. On her wedding night, she gave herself to Jun as his wife. Nine months later their son Itsuki was born. However as joyous as this was to her, for Jun it was a different story. He soon became beseeched by jealousy as Tsukimi gifted their son with kindness and love her never received when they were younger.

Four years passed and though Kenshiro had died due to an illness, making Jun the new head of the village, his jealousy had not waned much. Unbeknownst to Tsukimi, Jun had been harming their son without leaving bruises or marks as to not arouse her suspicion due to his insecurities.

But one -night Tsukimi who had awoke due to thirst caught sight of Jun hurting Itsuki. Horrified, she immediately rushed over and tried to stop Jun. Jun who saw this as cruel to him released their son and tightly gripped her hand and took her towards one of the bedrooms in their mansion. He fiercely ordered Itsuki to return to his room and no matter what he heard; he was forbidden to leave his room. Itsuki, young and scared, obeyed his father.

Jun then tossed Tsukimi onto the futons and straddled her. Tsukimi had never seen Jun so angered or scary before , so she could do nothing but lay there in fear when Jun put his hands around his neck, and demanded with big tears in his eyes, why after all this time she wouldn't return his love in the same way. Before Tsukimi could even answer him, he forcibly tore of her clothing and stripped himself.

After forcing his love on her several times that night, Jun said if she doesn't love him as a wife should, he won't stop harming Itsuki. Tsukimi shattered and fearful for Itsuki, obeyed without hesitation.

Over the next few months, Tsukimi masked her sadness and dutifully acted as though she truly loved Jun. As she had become a mother, she was expected to give birth to a daughter who would continue with her family's position a village priestess. Although in reality, they were mikos in name only.

Unbeknownst to Tsukimi Aiko and Mie had caught wind that their friend was miserable. One day when Jun was away on another hunting trip, the pressured Tsukimi into revealing all that Jun had been doing to her and Itsuki. But what she kept hidden was the contract papers she found detailing the plot to kill her brother.

Either way the best friends agreed that Tsukimi and Itsuki were not safe in the place they once called home.

So, the devised a plan to help Tsukimi and Itsuki flee. But Jun caught wind of them, and killed Aiko and Mie, but not before Mie managed to push Tsukimi and Itsuki to safety in the river. The last thing Tsukimi saw was Mie's teary face and her mouthing for her to live.

After surviving the river Tsukimi and Itsuki collapsed in front of a village where they were taken in to recuperate . Tsukimi however, had developed a barrier around her as she had just lost her best friends and her home. The only mementos she had left was hairpins from Aiko and Mie, heart and rabbit shaped ones respectively, a hair ribbon that belonged to her mother, the kagura suzu her father had gifted her on her seventh birthday, and a ring that belonged to her brother.

Eventually she was taken in by an elderly couple and soon began her new life, she worked in a shop helping with cooking and cleaning.

Although she had found safety in a new life, she still had her fears that one day, eventually Jun would find her and destroy it.

Soon a man named Subaru started an interest in her. Naturally she was hesitant in starting a romance, especially since she never had a mutual one. Subaru was indeed a handsome man, with dark brown hair and deep forest green eyes that shined like precious jade gems in the sun. He was kind and patient, understanding that although Tsukimi never talked about it, she had sorrow in her past. Itsuki was shy around Subaru as well as weary and protective of his mother. Considering that his own blood father's actions towards him and Tsukimi, he wanted nothing more than. To make absolute sure that the next man to enter her life was the right one.

But eventually she started melting her icy exterior.

Then one day she overheard something that crashed her world. She was taking a stroll with Subaru and Itsuki when she had overheard the most devastating thing: Megumi no Mura her beloved village had been destroyed. Details were scarce and yet it was certain that there were no survivors. Rumors circulated from group of demons, to some sort of plague, to even the village head having killed the villagers himself.

Hearing that news made Tsukimi collapse on the roadside. It was several days before she awoke again. Feeling dead inside she revealed everything to Subaru. Subaru having truly fallen for her. Proposed that they become man and wife, that he'd be everything that she lacked in her former life. Though skeptical, Tsukimi truly loved Subaru. A year and a half passed and they were married and Tsukimi was two months pregnant with their child.

But that too came to a bloody end. One-night autumn night when Tsukimi, Subaru and Itsuki were sleeping, they were awoken by the village's warning bell and the smell of blood and smoke. The village was being attacked by demons. As quickly as they could they ran outside and only to be met with horrendous sights of. Their fellow villager's dead or being slaughtered.

Tsukimi noticed that a nearby house about to collapse on them and pushed Subaru and Itsuki out of harm's way, inadvertently sacrificing herself. Though Subaru desperately tried to get her from under the collapsed hut, she begged him to take Itsuki and flee. Her only regret is that she didn't get to spend more time with him and that he saved her from her misery.

With tears in his eyes, Subaru snatched up Itsuki who was begging not to leave his mother behind. But Subaru could not lose the woman he loved and the boy he thought of as his own son in one day.

Tears in her eyes, Tsukimi regretted that her child would never see life.

Then she heard a voice that froze her to her very core.