Ayakashi Monogatari

Chapter Eight: Original Sin

Chapter Eight: Original Sin

The Yuki-Onna's tear didn't work. After everything we'd gone through and the heart-wrenching sight we had to endure just to get the pearl-shaped miracle cure, it didn't do a damn thing.

I waited a few days for something to take effect, but it didn't. I only got progressively worse and worse. Asura's deep, echoing demonic voice continued to taunt me. "What a foolish little girl. Did you really believe that the product of a mere Ayakashi could break a Kami's curse? How amusing it is to watch you struggle and squirm like a little insect. I wonder what kind of face your father will make when you finally drop dead and I come to take your soul? Just the thought alone excites me..."

I should have known better. It felt too easy. Of course the Yuki-Onna's tear couldn't break a curse placed by a Kami, why should it? It was as if fate was loved to kick me back down in the mud when I tried to stand up, just so it could laugh at my stupid face. By that point, I just wanted to give up. But I didn't want to die. I wanted to live a long and joyful life, just as the Yuki-Onna had told me.

I couldn't stand being in the Otherworld any longer, so I returned home with Raven. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, gazing at the reflection of my cursed eye. The hands of the clock-shaped sigil busily ticked away, counting down to my inevitable end. I pulled a razor blade from the drawer and lifted it up to my face. Maybe if I gouged my eye out, the curse would be stopped.

It always worked in the movies. If someone got bitten on the leg by a zombie and had it chopped off before the virus could spread any further, they were usually fine if they didn't die from blood loss. It'd hurt like hell, and I'd have to wear an eyepatch for the rest of my life, but at least it would be better than being dead. But would it work? That was the million-dollar question.

As I raised the tip of the razor blade to my eye, Asura's voice called out to me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He appeared in the mirror's reflection, clutching my shoulders. He leaned over and dragged his tongue across my neck, sending chills down my spine. "Y-yeah?" I retorted, my voice trembling. "Why not? What are you gonna do about it, huh?"

"If you want to mutilate your own body, be my guest," Asura sneered. "But it won't do you any good. The Shinigami's death curse isn't as simple as cutting off the afflicted limb. That symbol in your eye is merely a mark of your death. You have been chosen to die by an incarnation of Death itself. The cursed eye is little more than a stamp. The only way to stop your own death would be to kill me."

I scoffed. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to find a way to kill you." Asura's deep chuckle rumbled in my ears. "My, is that a challenge? You know, I would love to see that. My thirst for death and violence is fueled by a desire to find an opponent capable of ending my eternal life, but I could never disgrace my name by letting myself be killed by some dirty Youkai. Even with those ears of yours, on the inside, you are still human. Only a human can destroy a Kami. Only a human could dare hope to." My eyes narrowed into slits. "Then I'll do it."

The next morning, I woke up in my room, staring up at the ceiling. Despite it being well into the morning, the room was dark, thanks to the shutters blocking out nearly every ray of sunlight.

I was lying on top of something soft and warm. Raven clutched me in his arms, hugging me like a child clinging to a teddy bear. I didn't struggle or protest. It felt nice being cuddled by the lonely Satori. I considered it one of the few comforts I had left. Even though Raven had lost everything, including his family, not to mention that he'd probably eaten a dozen angst muffins, he still had the heart to care about someone who wouldn't be alive much longer. It almost made me feel jealous.

I turned over on my side and snuggled a bit deeper, trying not to disturb Raven. He squeezed me a little tighter. "M-Miyuki..." He must have been dreaming about his daughter. I wondered what she was like. I slowly lifted my head and glanced over at the clock. Once I saw what time it was, I nearly fell out of bed. "Whaaaaat?! 10:30?! I'm gonna be late!"