Beauty vs the Beast (Katsuki Bakugo fanfic)

「 Prologue 」

People tend to believe that evil is easily distinguishable, especially if it existed nearby.

People are horribly wrong.

Evil is well hidden in the darkness. Even in the light of day, it conceals itself by manifesting into a shadow, a being that clings to the life of others, slowly overtaking them without notice. Those who hold evil inside of them are adept at manipulation.

Of course, a mere 8 year old child wouldn't know that.

Carine was the fourth daughter of a renowned family of heroes. She was a curious child, who saw the world through sparkling blue eyes. The two eldest were also girls: Akari and Rukiya.

Despite being twins, they possessed an appearance and personality that were complete opposites. Both held an equal, yet exceptional, amount of strength for their age.

Even so, it was clear who the people around them favored more. Akari had a high academic profile, with a charismatic, angelic nature that allowed others to easily gravitate towards her.

Rukiya was more reserved. She spent most of her time in solitude, barely speaking to others. She was, as most people would put it, advertently strange. It was her piercing black eyes, and enigmatic aura, that attracted young Carine to Rukiya rather than Akari.

Although both her sisters were five years older than her, Carine found herself wanting to be frequently alongside Rukiya, who eventually tolerated her presence.

Somedays, Carine noticed that when she hung around her older sister, she would blank out for long periods of time. Upon waking up, she found that she had a hazy memory of the time she had spent with Rukiya. Sometimes, Carine would feel dizzy, and parts of her body ached for no reason.

However, like any other child, she brushed off the peculiar occurrences, and considered her older sister to be her closest friend. Although, there were times when Rukiya would not allow even Carine to accompany her on her numerous outings. It was precisely one of those days that, for the first time, Carine saw the true, dark side of Rukiya.

It was a cold night, and it marked a week since their parents were out on a mission. Akari was studying in her room, and the younger siblings were asleep. Only Carine was wide awake. The night usually comforted her, but something about the full moon's glow shining through her window made her uneasy.

She moved to close the window shut, but a sudden noise stopped her from doing so. She listened closely, and heard the opening of a lock and the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor. Carine creaked open her bedroom door a bit and peeked out.

A blur of black hair passed through the dimly lit hallway. Rukiya, Carine thought; she had finally come home.

As her sister appeared closer, however, Carine noticed her clothes covered in dark stains. Her hands seemed as if they were dipped in the same substance. Carine's eyes widened just as Rukiya lifted her head to glance at the ceiling. Her face was smeared with streaks of deep crimson; obsidian eyes showed no hints of radiance despite her gaze being focused on the light.

Carine quickly closed the door and sank down against it. She felt so unnaturally cold; her body trembled as goosebumps spread across her arms. Pulling her legs closer to her chest, she inhaled ragged breaths of air.

The events of that day left a bone-chilling memory that she had suppressed for the longest time afterward, believing it never happened.

It was only after Rukia's crimes were found out, that Carine allowed the incident to resurface. It was a memory that lay frozen in the back of her mind, that relived itself through her nightmares, and for years, she would remember it clearly.

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✧✧ Hello there! Down here is where I note important things (possibly) ✧✧

- I have this story published on two sites: Quotev and Wattpad, so if you see this story on Quotev, that's why lmao

- The picture above is of 13 year old Rukiya Minazuki!

- Pic credit: @KyrieMeii on twitter!