You hated your life, and you needed to start somewhere anew.
Where?
You didn't know, but anywhere would be better than the stifling walls of your oppressing Japanese mansion.
In Tokyo, places would definitely be hiring and taking in young women, even if they were slums and brothels.
After sobbing all morning, you began secretly (and angrily) plotting your escape, carefully tucking your favorite books, kimonos, and a wad of cash into a large bag.
And when night fell, you waited until your mother and house servants went to sleep before you tiptoed out past the courtyard garden and out the entrance foyer, satchel slung around your shoulder.
Stepping past the residence's gates, you immediately felt the burdens of your noble life lift from your shoulders. How refreshing.
Your soul submitted to a sweet surrender as you watched the moonlight kiss colors into life.
Just being outdoors and away from home made you feel at one with nature, vibrant yet relaxed.
Every fragrance of the night air was fresh, like the page of a new book. Each burst of cricket song was unique, a live chorus to waken the mind and to shake off whatever anger remains.
Thoughts wandered, lungs filled, and time rolled by in its silent and endless way.
You don't think you've ever felt so...at peace.
For a moment, everything felt perfect.
"What's that?" you muttered to yourself when you suddenly spotted a silhouette in the distance. From the figure, you could tell that it's a woman.
What is she doing outside and alone at night?
Spotting people on the roads wasn't what was bothering you. It was something else.
She was walking over to you.
No, not walking. Limping.
Crack. Crack.
The figure hobbled in your direction, snapping twigs under her weight.
This woman...Something seemed off about her.
Even from afar, you sensed her dangerous, menacing aura as anxiety suddenly settled over you. Palms turning clammy, you prayed that the lady had not spotted you while you dashed behind a nearby bush.
You pulled away the branches that covered your field of vision, craning your neck upwards to peer down the unpaved path without drawing any attention to yourself.
You narrowed your eyes, trying to make shapes out of the darkness. However, the woman you had seen was no longer there.
"Where did she go?" you quietly mumbled. After rubbing your eyes, you looked hard again but to no avail.
Was that an illusion? You could've sworn that you had indeed seen someone, but perhaps the nighttime shadows had tricked your eyes.
Before you could contemplate further, the bush parted further seemingly on its own.
Suddenly, you were brought face-to-face with an evilly grinning woman...the woman you had seen down the street.
You don't know how she came here so quickly, but here she was in front of you.
Her features instantly struck you as odd.
You remember what Giyuu had told you several nights back: Cat-like pupils. Discolored eyes. Gray skin.
That's when the realization hit.
The woman—or should you say, demon—in front of you had all of that and more.
She also had sickly skin, stripes across her cheeks, and a pair of white horns protruding from her forehead. Her short, black hair brushed against her shoulders, her shorter bangs laid between her horns.
With wide eyes and shallow breaths, you don't think you've ever been this close to a demon before.
"You smell of that man," the demon finally said. Her hoarse words rung like a metal fork scratching against a dinner plate. "So, you're the useless chick our master adores."
"Master?" you repeated under your breath.
What was this crazy lady talking about?
You don't know anything about her so-called master.
But this monster in front of you thinks that her master—the demon lord—wants something to do with you?
A good-for-nothing eighteen-year-old?
She had to be mistaken.
The demon snickered, effectively ignoring your question as a snaking tongue ran across her bottom lip.
She hummed. "I wonder what that man wants from you."
You stared back in fear, not sure what to do.
"Well, who cares about him anyway?" she snickered, her voice laced with amusement. "What matters more is that I've found my dinner."
Immediately, she reached over the bush to grab your wrist, but you managed to pull away before she got a hold of you.
Your breathing labored, your mind raced.
What do you do if you encounter a demon?
What do you do?
What. Do. You. Do.
Giyuu's words resurfaced in your head.
You run.
And you did. You burst into a sprint down the street and into the nearby woods, panting as you raced to the sound of demon feet quickly chasing after you.
You ran until your lungs and legs were begging you to stop and rest, but you couldn't.
The demon was right behind you.
Your sandals thundered against the ground, your satchel smacking your side.
Nothing bothered you. Nothing could distract you.
Because you were running for your life.
You ran as fast as your legs could take you, not daring to ever look back.
When you neared a dead end, you took a soaring leap over a nearby shrub and almost crashed into a low-hanging tree branch. When thorns snagged at your dress, you let the precious fabrics tear.
This is it, you thought, realizing that you would not make it to see the sunrise.
Your body was nearing its limits, and there was no way that you could outrun a superhuman beast.
You were slowing down.
You were gasping for air.
You were ready to be eaten alive.
Only to be saved by powerful, unrelenting arms that dragged you away.
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SO AnYWAys, I've been simping for BNHA boys recently and I need to STOP.
