Are We a Lie? (Michizou Tachihara x Reader)

Chapter 1: Butterflies in the Inferno

I'm going to die.

"Back to Hell, you witch!"

The cultists in black robes took a step back from the wooden pole that I was tied to, as the leader lit and threw a match at me. The hay beneath my feet went up in flames, cutting me off from the rest of the world.

I don't understand. What did I do? Mama? Papa?

My vision was hazy, as I continued to inhale the darkened smoke while my flesh melted off of my bones. I wasn't even able to cry, as my tear ducts were already melting, along with my eyes.

How cruel it was to be a cult sacrifice, especially when your dear old parents were the ring leaders. I'm burning at the young age of seven; my life has barely begun.

I couldn't even hear myself scream, as my vocal cords were singed by the sheer heat of the roaring inferno. Even my hearing began to fail me. Only the muffled sounds of some demonic language that spewed out of the cultists' mouths reached what was left of my eardrums.

"Thou Shalt Not Die!" That was the last thing I heard, as I saw a girl with short black hair run up to me and grab my wrist. Once she made contact with me, I closed my eyes for what I thought would've been the last time.

Various colored butterflies filled the void that I assumed to be the afterlife. Just as I reached out to a bright blue one, it landed on my finger. At the same time, a sharp sensation pierced my heart.

I shot up, clutching the cloth over my heart. What? Is this a hospital gown? Looking at my arms, I noticed that there were no burns, and I could see out of my eyes. My hand instinctively reached up to underneath my eye, where I could feel my tears begin to run.

I'm alive! But, how?

"You sure like to sleep." A male voice from beside me caused me to jump up in shock. "You were out for seven whole days!"

He was middle aged, with gray hair and a mustache. I noticed that he wore a red military uniform and carried a sword. He doesn't look like a bad guy.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the leader of a powerful gifted organization, Miss (L/n)," the man explained. "My name is Captain Fukuchi, and I think you'd fit in with my misfit group."

***

And the rest was history. I had asked the man about the girl I had heard speaking, but he never saw her. Apparently, some unidentified little girl reported the house via telephone and ran off.

She saved my life.

When police arrived at the scene of the crime, they found the cultists and arrested them.

It must've been fate or karma for being cursed, but even so, it landed me into the care of the Hunting Dogs, who treated me as one of their own.

And it was here that I'd find out why I was always called a curse by my parents and their followers.

Sure, I probably made a contract with the devil there, but it led me to where I am now. Leaving the Hunting Dogs wasn't an option on the table, not that I ever would, but it was still impossible. The monthly surgeries were the only thing that kept us alive and strong.

For several years, I had trained my ability in a secret military facility. There was no way in hell the Captain would've been able to put a seven-year-old on the front lines.

-Nine Years Later-

"Nice work, (Y/n)." Tecchou smiled, stepping to the spot beside me. "Looks like you didn't even need backup."