Finding Truth

《14》

"Don't get near me.." Shiro stood up, ignoring the pain. "Don't get near me..." He repeated as black wind began to form besides him again. "You're the reason..."

"Shiro please-" Sanemi couldn't finish his sentence as he felt his stomach begin to bleed again when Shiro let out an attack. The others got worried and they were about to jump in but Sanemi stopped them. "What reason?"

"You want the reason!?" Shiro chuckled, feeling his only sanity slipping away. "You should know by now! You really are good at pulling your strings! Want me to tell you!? Then fine!" Shiro paused, pointing a finger at Sanemi. "Mother is dead because of you, Arjun."

"W-what..?" Sanemi stuttered. His body went cold and he felt like something was eating him up on the inside. He began to heave for air as he looked at Shiro straight in the eyes, not daring to break eye contact. '(Y-Y/N)... dead...'

"Want me to scream it!?" Shiro asked in a sarcastic manner. "YOU KILLED HER! FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! THE MOMENT SHE MET YOU HER LIFE WAS ALREADY GONE! IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU THAT SHE'S DEAD NOW!"

Words cut deeper than a knife. And it was right. Sanemi felt like he was being stabbed in every direction with every word that came out of his son's mouth.

"MOTHER DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR DAMN CURSE! MOTHER DIED BECAUSE YOU USED HER TO GET YOUR THRONE! YOU USED HER BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID OF HER POWER! YOU KILLED HER BECAUSE YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A COWARD!"

The Èxis moved as Shiro ranted, they couldn't watch anymore. Their king was being killed with words. Words that they knew were not true.

Shiro giggled, tears not stopping. "Want to know something else... father." Uzui stood behind the child, ready to take hold of him. "Michikatsu had to plant false memories on her... just for her to remember you as the loving and caring man that you are."

"Tengen... don't..." Sanemi finally spoke as the other's backed away hesitantly. "Shiro... please... just look at me...."

"After all the shit that you did? No thanks." Shiro spat. "I've seen your face for too many times in the mirror already. And it disgusts me."

"Please, I'm begging you." Sanemi kneeled in front of Shiro who didn't even bother to glance at him. The Èxis were shocked. They have never seen their king bow in front of anyone. "Shiro... those memories weren't planted. They were real."

"Don't lie to me." Shiro rolled his eyes, letting his horns and slitted eye and his nails go back to normal. "I've heard way too many lies already. Now what, are you going to tell me that you actually loved my mother?"

"Yes." Sanemi didn't hesitate and Shiro's eyes widened. "The portrait here, I made it myself from memory after I got back from being stuck in the human kingdom."

Shiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was convincing himself that this was all a lie, he did his best to find the lie but there was nothing he could find. Sanemi's voice was too sincere. "There's no way that you-"

"You're wearing a locket. I made that locket for her and I put the first letter I made when she taught me the human alphabet." Sanemi cut him off. He was ready to tell him everything if it would mean that Shiro would look at him.

"The hairpin that you have in your bag, I made that to match her hair color but she refused and told me to change it to mine." Sanemi didn't stop. "The black silk that you have was part of the clothes I wore when I went to the human kingdom. I tore it because she said she wanted to do embroidery. Those golden threads were from her dress and she got scolded after using it."

"Y-you're making this up..." Shiro muttered as he fell to the ground, his eyes never leaving his mother's smiling face in the portrait. "You gotta be- there's no-"

"It's true." Shiro was cut off as Koichi and the twins walked over to him. "What Sanemi is telling is true. We three were there when it happened." Shiro looked at them in confusion. He still didn't know who these three were. "I'm Koichi... (L/N) Koichi..."

Shiro gasped. "(L/N)... Koichi?" His eyes then traveled to the twins. "T-then... those are Yuichiro and Muichiro..?" The twins nodded. "B-but... uncle said that you were... dead..."

"Yes. they died." Sanemi answered him as he stood up from the ground and sat in front of Shiro. "They died during the time I attacked fifteen years ago. But it wasn't my attack that killed them."

"It was Muzan." Yuichiro cut him off.

"W-what do you mean? The king...?"

"Yes. He killed us after he found out that we knew the truth." Muichiro answered in a plain tone.

"The truth about everything." Koichi continued. "My sister, Sanemi and the reason as to why sister died. We knew everything and Muzan used the attack as his excuse to take us out."

"So... are you telling me that I was being lied to all the time..?" Shiro didn't know who to believe anymore. He felt as if this world just loved to mess with him. It was like he was the favorite toy and the world just won't stop playing with him. [WHY YOU GOTTA MAKE HIM SUFFER K1?!]

"Shiro... I won't tell you to believe me... but... I just want to know what exactly happened to (Y/N)." Everyone now felt more relaxed as they all huddle up together, ready to listen like it was some kind of fairy tale.

"Michikatsu said that mother died of your curse and that she's been using her mana unconsciously... but I don't know what to believe anymore..."

"There's no way that your mother died of that." Tengen spoke up and Shiro glanced over him with confusion. "That curse that Sanemi used, I felt it first hand and it doesn't work like that."

Sanemi nodded as he stood up, offering a hand to Shiro. Shiro looked at him skeptically but took it anyway. Sanemi felt relieved that his son at least trusted him to not let go while he was being hoisted up. "You must be tired. Why don't you rest for now... tomorrow, we'll tell you our side of the story."

"..." Shiro was out for words. He was confused, conflicted, and torn apart. He doesn't know what to do anymore.

Sanemi's eyes turned to Tamayo who nodded in understanding. She walked close to the boy, holding out her hand. Shiro smelled something fragrant, and before he knew it, he was out like a light.

Sanemi urged his body to move and catch Shiro before he fell, but due to his current weak state, the two of them fell to the ground, making everyone worry.

He willed himself and struggled to stand up, forcing himself to heal. Once he could stand up, he carried Shiro out of the room, the others following right behind him.

The group stopped in front of large doors that the Éxis recognized as king's chambers. They all bowed, knowing when to take their leave and left Sanemi alone with the sleeping child in his arms.

He gently set him down on the bed, Sanemi sitting down on the edge. His gaze was empty and... broken.

Tears fell from his eyes and into the velvet carpet below him. He bit his lip, holding himself back from crying. He cried silently, his heart aching and breaking with every tear that dropped.

The death of his lover, the one person who kept in his heart, the one person he trusted within the human world is now gone from him, leaving behind only a child. His child.

But not even this child loved him the same way she did.

Did he really kill her?

If time could rewind, he would sell his own soul just for it to happen.

'I'm sorry, (Y/N)...'

As the moonlight shines in the room, Sanemi's cries echo with the howls of creatures, his anger bubbling inside him for his own stupidity. Shiro's words buried in him like poison.