ikigai | s. sanemi

; - prologue

Priests and priestesses hurriedly rushed through the gates of the Himorogi house upon receiving the letter that the youngest Himorogi started trashing on the tatami floor of her bedroom, disturbing the night peace of their home; teeth gritting with eye pupils turning red and iris turning white, veins appearing on either side of her temples, cheeks and neck all the while letting out deep sounds of growling.

They knew this day would come, but what they didn't expect was that it would arrive this early. The sudden transition is what caused the older sister and their parents to suddenly feel nervous and agitated, not knowing what to do and to whether or not open the door to her room. If they opened the door to her room, would she jump and attack them? Eat them in front of each other? That possibility alone brought an unnerving chill down their spine.

But the growling stopped causing the older sister and their parents to suddenly become curious. What was happening inside her room? Why did she suddenly become quiet? Has she escaped through the window and fled into the night?

"My lady!" A female house servant rushed through the hallway before bowing her head to the distressed family members. "They have arrived!"

"Let them enter! Quickly! My daughter is in pain!" The mother stresses, beads of sweat forming on the side of her head and trickling down her skin. The comfort of her husband was somewhat comforting, but what would really comfort her is to see if their youngest daughter is alright or not.

"Are you okay?" The older girl asks, pressing her left ear on the sliding door. She couldn't hear anything at all and the silence worried her. Without thinking and with a brave heart, she opens the sliding doors with a brunt to see what is happening inside.

Horrified expressions are what painted their faces.

Inside the dark room is the youngest Himorogi sitting down on the foot side of her futon, pale and skin coated with sweat, hair sticking on her face, her pale lips covered with the crimson color of blood.

"Older sister..." She begins to speak, her teeth also covered in blood. "Mother...Father...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry" She repeats the words as if she is chanting a prayer, tears brimming down her eyes while rubbing both of her palms together, getting down on her knees and bowing her head to them, forehead pressing on the floor.

"What did you do, my flower?" Their mother asks, cautiously going closer to her.

As she slowly sat up straight, still sitting on her knees on the floor, she lifted the sleeve of her white yukata and showed to her family her left arm - to which they stared at it in horror. A huge bite mark is seen and blood still profusely dropping out of the bitten wound.

"I was so hungry..." She explains, looking at them with dried blood and tears on her face. "Instead of attacking you all, I fed on myself instead."