[DISCONTINUED] NOLHLID | shu yamino

PROLOGUE

　"How is she..?"

　"I hope she just dies…"

　It broke the 8-year-old's heart into two. She just held her futon tightly while stopping her tears from escaping.

　She's a nuisance. She's making it too hard for everyone…

　But she doesn't want to die. She still wants to live.

　The little girl coughed and weakly glanced outside the open door of her room. In a traditional japanese house, her parents were kind enough to let her stay where she could see the garden.

　It was raining. pouring, rather. The skies were gray and she could hear distant thunders.

　She continued clenching her futon. it's so dark and lonely.

　She just closed her eyes as tight as she could, trying her best to keep all the noises out of her ears.

　But a soft squeal escaped her lips when thunder roared.

　"Can't sleep?"

　She opened her eyes and glanced to the side, only to see a man sitting by the edge, leaning on the tatami door.

　The kid froze when another came but with lightning, giving the man a horrifying demeanor.

　"Ah, why are you crying?" he asked and lifted his hands.

　She flinched and closed her eyes once again, waiting for the pain.

　"Hey, now. I'm not going to hit you." He said while caressing the kid's hair. "Is the thunder scary? do you want me to chase it away?"

　The little kid slowly opened her eyes. Is he really not going to hurt her?

　She cautiously stared at him, but she didn't mind her hair getting caressed like that.

　He's so gentle… No one has ever been this gentle to her.

　"Or are you actually afraid of me? You don't have to be scared of me, I'm not going to hurt you," He said.

　"I just saw you. You kind of reminded me of myself when I was near your age. I was alone, in a weather as dark as this. the tatami doors of my room were opened too. There's just the urge of running away and not coming back, but you couldn't."

　The man's clothes were intricate and detailed. It's a bit similar to what she and her parents wear, but the man had more accessories; cuts in his clothes, even fur and hair ornaments.

　"Say, have you ever been tempted to run away from here? Your house is a bit isolated, honestly speaking."

　The child averted her eyes.

　"How about you? Why were you tempted to run away?" She asked with a soft, weak voice. "Why didn't you do it? Would you still like to try?"

　"My. So many questions from a little kid," He said, chuckling.

　"it just felt a bit lonely. do you want to be lonely?"

　The little kid shook her head.

　"That's right."

　"So why didn't you run away..?"

　He smiled and looked up to the gray skies, still caressing her head with his long, dainty fingers wrapped with a tight glove.

　"Because I love my family. My reason for staying is a bit more… pertinent than my reason to leave."

　The child just nodded.