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"he watches her like prey for he was a predator all he knew was to strike and devour."
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BIRTH WAS A HONOR GIVEN GIFT OF THE LORD'S BLESSING. The gift of bringing new life into the world some call heaven. Life to corrupt, to destroy and to rip apart into pieces. Life that diminishes the insides of the existing one. Organs ripping and bleeding out to comfort the cries of the infant. The serpent that claimed life had begun at the act, forcefully or not. Birth was the beacon of life just as much as it was the bearer of death.

"I don't was to fucking hold it." the woman pushed the baby away fuck all of the maternal instincts she was feeling. She needed her father to take this squirming pest away from her and her view now. While she withered around on the mat uncomfortably, two nurses came into the room at first observing until the woman spoke up.

"What is it that you want now? To take my uterus too? might as well." She called out sarcastically, moving the blanket to show her lower body. Her father sighed.

"Akumu, they are here for the baby please." Nurse two reached for the baby, taking it from the older man's arms. The infant let out a little coo once in the nurse's arms, the other nurse went to the mother.

Akumu stared at the nurse watching him rock the insect back and forth as if that would calm it down. Her attention was snapped away when the first nurse handed her a notepad and a pen.

"Miss Akumu, what would you like to name
redacted?" The happy voice was clearly forced and the smile didn't meet the woman's eyes, her mouth was covered by the surgical mask that Akumu hands itches to rip off. She didn't want to name it, because if she did she would grow an attachment. An attachment to false hope that made it seem like she cared. But if she didn't he would name it. That monster of a man, the shittiest piece of shit there was. One thing for sure she wouldn't let him have the pleasure of doing so.

"Well?" The nurse called out and clicked her tongue. Akumu rolled her eyes, the damned nurse was impatient as ever as if she was the one who pushed out the half dead brat, like she was the one to have her insides shoved back inside of her; like she was the one who heard the doctor say she would never have a baby. One that she wanted, one that she actually fucking wanted.

Akumu let out a sigh and scribbled a name for her child (she could call it that just for this moment.). Before she handed back the notepad and pen she asked one thing.

"You'll give redacted the clan's name right? Since he made redacted right? Because I don't have one." It's only fair that they give that thing the clan's name, it was their birthright. The notepad and pen were snatched from her hand. The male nurse has already left with the infant and as the female nurse went to leave the room. She turned towards Akumu with her mask pulled down and said,

"Yes, the baby is the last one to get it. We've been waiting so long to meet redacted." As soon as the nurses left her father quickly moved to sit closer to his daughter.

"What did you name redacted." He asked, patting her hands, in a way to comfort her, all it did was make her feel sick. She felt the parasite on his hand and now it was infecting her too. She started to laugh, startling him. Akumu felt like she was living the dream, she was happy by this torture. With a cheeky grin she turned to her father.

"I named that thing 妖夢! Yōumu!." Akumu didn't care anymore and with that she slept. Her father stared, he should've taken her and ran far from this place. It was too late for regrets now.

—-

THE SICK COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE THE 27th CHILD. The child made with the fruitful seed of their honored ones. They all sat waiting, eating until the doors opened. The baby wasn't even checked for health instead it was brought immediately to the grainy hands of the prophets.

The newborn was placed on the stone table, redacted didn't twitch, didn't cry from the coldness, didn't open its eyes to see the bright light. Like moths to flame they observed it, watched as it lay still like a sack of potatoes. As the clocked ticked a man spoke up as a noise came from the baby.

"Did she name redacted?" He asked, cooing at the child to make them open their eyes. The nurse nodded, and gently handed the notepad over to him.

"She had asked if the child would get the clan name. She was heavily persistent about it. It was quite annoying." She was met with utter silence, you do not speak unless spoken to, you do not insult a woman who was deemed honored by their graces. And finally you do not and will not live to see another day by being ungrateful. Without any further conversation the nurse left uncanny she knew how her night would go. The once quiet room was filled with hushed whispers towards the baby like prayers of oath. The man who was given the notepad opened it and on the first page was the name of his (read: their) redacted.

"妖夢....Yōumu..." he read out loud, and crumbled the paper. His gaze shifted towards the baby. As if it knew their name was called. Yōumu's eyes opened and they started to cry. The two different colored eyes stared right up at them. The sound of clicking heels alerted the men as they moved away from the merely hours old infant.

A red haired woman entered the temple and swatted the man's head that was covering her view. She looked at the child with disgust and scoffed as she signaled for the remaining nurse to take the crying baby away.

"We'll see how long redacted lasts." The only sound left in the temple was the sound of clacking shoes hitting the marble.

On the week of 27th generation tradition at approximately 3:37 am on April 19, 2004. Yōumu Akuhara of the Akuhara clan was born. Born with two different colored eyes: black and white. Eyes their mother claimed would curse them for the rest of their time in this dreaded earth. But for now the only thing that was of importance was how long redacted would last in their hands.
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00:hell

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NOTES

I actually hand wrote all of the this then realized I would still have to type it out bc my hand writing isn't neat at all. the word redacted is used to refer to Yōumu's gender because this is told from their point of view and well Yōumu prefers to ignore their gender in anyway.  I'm going to use it/they to refer to them instead of redacted because I was starting to get annoyed 🧍‍♀️ brief overview of characters that will appear throughout the book and some background of Akumu. This chapter feels short and I want to cry but I digress. I feel like I'm missing things to say so I'm going to leave it off here. 😖

extremely unedited
THANK YOU FOR READING!!

-merrycookie