Everchanging

Unfading Love

!!TW!! Slight descriptions of scars, mention of Diet/ED culture, flashback to panic attack in chapter 8(Useless) including; self-harm, apathy, struggles with apathy/loneliness, flashback to a suicide attempt/bullying

If she was being entirely honest, it was painful to look at the child for Kie. Something deep inside of her broke and shattered with every mannerism Genya made, his sweet smile so gentle as he let the children pull him around the house without complaint. He was such a kind boy, so much so that it sparked a worry inside of her. He was so soft, a type of soft that crueler people would try to take advantage of.

And she knew that people had .

She couldn't fathom the pain that child was living with, didn't even want to think about what his mother would feel if she were still around to know. It choked her up, trying to imagine her own family in the Shinazugawas' shoes.

No one should ever have to live a life so painful, no matter how evil they were.

But that was the thing, neither brother was evil. Neither of them was cruel nor bad, they were simply hurt. They were kind and sweet, so horrible people used that against them.

And it made sense to Kie, the harsher armor that Sanemi wore around everyone. He was the eldest, he must've been made to protect his younger siblings. He was the weapon, and Genya was the shield. Both wielded by a weak mother as they all were sent into battle against a monster so much bigger and stronger than them,

"The kids love him." Tanjuro smiled over at his wife, such a beautiful and gentle expression that Kie couldn't help but soften at the gaze. But, it seemed, she wasn't quick enough since a harsh look or worry entered his warm eyes and he leaned closer. "Something wrong, my love?"

"Just thinking." She was, it was like she couldn't stop thinking when Genya was around. His toothy grin brightened as he lifted Hanako onto his broad shoulders. He had so much experience with little kids, that was obvious, and she recalled the conversation she had with him before and something sharp prodded her heart. "He's such a good kid."

"He is." It was clear that Tanjuro knew that that wasn't all there was to it, wrapping his thin arm around his wife as he watched the kids play. "He's really good with the little ones."

"He– my baby um, my baby brother was the same age as him."

"He's free now. He went somewhere really far away without me."

They lived in such a small town, one originally made for farming and agriculture, that crime rates were low. If anything happened, gossip spread like wildfire. Everyone knew everyone's business, that was just the way it was.

And it made Kie think, maybe she had heard something about the Shinazugawas before everything happened. Maybe, but she couldn't remember. Every parent had different beliefs on how to raise your child, that was the norm. Everyone complained about mistreated kids, but really that was just a difference in parental opinions.

"She feeds that boy too much sugar, that poor thing. Y'know that should be considered abuse, making your child eat food like that!"

"There's a word for people like them, depriving their kids of junk food every now and then. Neglect! That's called neglect!"

And gossip muddled together after a while, and that was what made Kie feel so sick. Maybe she had heard something about the Shinazugawas before she knew them, but she had just considered it gossip and now she couldn't recall it. The fact that people considered their situation a topic for debate, something to discuss over tea as if it wasn't torture.