To Love's End | Shigure Sohma

Chapter One

• Four years ago. •

Amai was 17 years old. She had moved out of her parents' house because, frankly, she hated her parents just as much as they hated her. She was their only chance to have a child and when they found out they had a daughter instead of a son, they blamed her. They kept her since she was their responsibility but she never got any true love from them. She practically brought herself up. The most they did was give her food, clothing and a bed but only because the government made them. She had signed herself up for school when she was 7 years old but she caught up quickly. Through her teenage years, she had great friends and she was lucky she didn't lose herself in the wrong crowd. Her life was already full of hatred and she didn't want to fuel it further. But due to that, she had a positive outlook on life and tried to find the best in everything. She was naturally bubbly and no one could tell that her life had always been a sad one.

The moment she was old enough to not need her parents' support, she left. She got a part time job so that she could pay for her education in college and to pay for her room at a girls' hostel. It wasn't the ideal situation but she had her freedom. Her name suited her well. She was sweet and caring, especially to young children and she enjoyed making people smile.

The girls in her hostel were nice but she kept her distance from them. They would often tease her whenever she would read her books. Her favourite author was Noa Kiritani. Not only did he write the academic books she used for studying, but she also enjoyed reading his romance novels.

"Why do you keep reading that?" one of the girls from her dorm said.
Amai looked up from the book. "Because it's a really well written piece of literature that explores the realms of romance and female sexuality."
"It's called smut," another girl said.
"It's not smut," Amai said calmly.

Her calm demeanor towards them made them even more annoyed. They wanted a reaction out of her but she wasn't going to give it to them. And she loved seeing them get frustrated. They thought they could bully her because she was different but it didn't work. She stood her ground.

Annoyed by her lack of response, they left the dorm to go to whatever bar they were going to. Amai lay on her side on her bed and continued to read.

She wondered what kind of person Noa was as she read his books. He was clearly intelligent. His academic works helped her a lot in college. But it also seemed he had a soft, nurtured side to him. He made the women in his books feel enlightened and loved and it was so beautiful.

After finishing her chapter, she decided to go for a walk. Sunset was her favourite time to walk and there was one place over the hill that was the best place to get the full view. No matter what season of the year it was, the sunset would always look so breathtaking.

She left later than she had planned. Not wanting to miss it, she decided to take a shortcut. She had been down that way before so she knew the path was slightly rocky.

Unfortunately, it seemed luck wasn't on her side. After about 10 minutes of walking, she stepped on a rock and twisted her ankle, which made her fall to the ground. And then she scraped her knee on some stones.

"Ouch!" she yelped. She sat down and looked at her knee to see that it was bleeding. "Ugh, why did I wear a skirt today? And boots!" She facepalmed herself. "You're such a genius, Amai," she spoke sarcastically.

She stood up and gasped in pain. Her right ankle hurt when she stepped on it. Holding onto a tree, she stood on her left foot and sighed.

"Now what am I going to do..? There's no way I can walk all the way back like this..."

She decided to check if there was anyone nearby. Even if they were able to call a taxi for her, it would be a lot of help. She limped, very carefully, back down the path. She would just have to watch the sunset another day. Continuing to limp down the path, she soon took a side street to where she knew there were some houses. She painfully limped to the first house and stood outside.