'Everyone was so happy until my dearest nephew Kirito died and you came into my life.'

"Maria," Kurosava held his sick wife's hand. He looked just as young and healthy as if he hadn't aged at all in these nine years. His wife, Maria, suffered from a deadly skin condition making her skin become moist and sticky. "You shouldn't come here often. What if you catch this disease too? You know it's infectious," She warned him.

"Nothing will happen to me. I will take you abroad and we will cure you." Kurosava smiled.
"That sounds like it'll take a lot of money. Leave me just like this. You don't have to do anything at all."

"My sister is rich. And once I inherit the company, it'll be alright. I'll have the money for your treatment." Kurosava squeezed her hand.
She moved it away "Don't touch me, you might get infected." He hugged her "I don't care."

'She caught Kirito's disease because she used to play with him. He was seven then and she was twelve. Though, we were engaged and supposed to marry once I turned twenty one. The incubation period of that disease was long so the symptoms only surfaced after we married. Kirito's family were rich people so they took him everywhere to get his disease treated. The final place they went to was Philippines.

When they came back, Kirito had changed. He was not sweet, soft spoken, shy and kind anymore-- He was a rebel. He was rude, ungrateful and arrogant. He was especially difficult to handle in his growing years.

He would break stuff and treat people like shit. He wouldn't even greet anyone back. He was 14 when I married Maria. I didn't care if she was sick-- I loved her. And I knew I could get her treated. Until...

"What?" Kurosava stood in front of Mrs Hiomi, inside her room as the maids dressed Kirito's hair and fixed his clothes. He was 22 by then.
"I've decided. Kirito will inherit my company and Aoi will inherit their father's company." Mrs Hiomi said.
"But, you promised me. What about Maria?"

"That disease is incurable. Let it go--"
"Let it go?! If Kirito is cured than so can Maria--"

"He isn't cured!" She shouted and pressed her eyes. Kirito looked at her and then back into the mirror "We are giving you a respectable position in the company-- What's the problem?"

"I want money! Maria doesn't has that kind of time! Sister, help us."
"You've already taken more than 5 million yen from me. Money doesn't grow on trees. Earn it." She said.

She left the room with him pleading to her. She slammed the door with anguish. All the maids left soon after. He could hear them laughing at him. Then, he turned towards Kirito.

"Kirito, you think you can handle a company by yourself? You're just 22. You're too young for all that pressure! We should think about it." Kirito began putting on his coat. Kurosava walked towards Kirito and pressed his hands on Kirito's shoulders.

"You're naive, Kirito. There are wolves out there you know. That is a dangerous world. You should probably wait to get all mature. Till then, uncle will handle everything."

"Mom has chosen me to handle her company. It must be for a reason." Kirito fixed his tie while looking into the mirror. His voice was expressionless, just like his face.
"Oh that's just a mother's love. You know love is blind." He smiled.

"Yes, but hate isn't" Kirito said. "What?"
Kirito turned back with a smile "Mom hates you, doesn't she?"
Kurosava was speechless "My advice is" Kirito said as he looked into the mirror "Get another woman."

"... How could you even think that?"
"Why? She's going to die anyways." Kirito said.
"So, you just let go of people who might die even if you love them?"
Kirito chuckled "Love? You're naive, uncle. Love is a little girl's fantasy because in the real world, all that matters is money. You can buy anything if you have that, even love. But alas, you don't even have that so I can understand why you are dependent on such a weak emotion."

"You're a... douchebag, Kirito."
"Nah, I'm just smarter. And don't call me Kirito."
'So arrogant.'
Kurosava went home and told his wife that they would be leaving for the U.S the following morning to start her treatment.

"But-- the money?" She asked.
"I'll take a loan. We'll get you back to good health. That's our priority." He smiled as he pressed his hand on her face. "Sleep," He left the room.

While he was sleeping, she left the house. She ran to Belleneé's building, behind which was a huge estate where the affluent Hiomi family lived. She reached their house and stood in the halls.

"Kirito!" She shouted "Kirito!"
Mrs Hiomi and Kirito came out from a room upstairs and looked at her from the railings. She smiled as she looked at Kirito.

"Kirito, my darling!"
"Who let her in?" He asked Mrs Hiomi as Maria shouted while standing in the halls "The guards are useless."

"My husband said he'd take a loan. I'd rather take a loan from you than from some unknown people. Please help us." She walked towards them.
"Stop." Kirito said. She looked at him.

He took a deep breath "You both are such a burden to everyone. You make me sick. Why can't you be independent? Why are you always begging for help?! We gave you that mansion or you wouldn't even have a place to live in. So, never come out of that damn mansion again. You will rot and die in those four walls!"

"Kirito!" Kurosava shouted as he stood at the door.
"So, you're here too. Putting your sick wife forward to get money-- How... pitiable." Kirito smirked as his blue-green, condescending eyes shone down on them.

He never saw them again. Kurosava took her home. She was still shocked by the way Kirito treated her "My sickness took everything away from me," She said.

"Don't listen to them--"
"How? I cherished Kirito like our own child and even he refused me. How can I ever live with this burden, this pain will eat me away before I die."

Kurosava couldn't do anything but listen to her cry. He felt helpless. She locked herself in the room that night and when Kurosawa broke the door to come in, he found her hanging to the ceiling.

"Maria!" Kurosava shouted as he ran towards her. He took her down and lay her on the bed "Maria! Talk to me! Why would you do this? I was collecting money for your treatment. Why couldn't you be patient like always, Maria?" He began crying.

"I just wanted a life with you-- I didn't ask for much, Maria." He cried for hours. Finally, he got up and wiped his tears. "You can't leave me. I won't let you."

He went to the store room and brought a sac of Plaster of Paris. He mixed it with water. He covered her with the plaster, gave her body a pose and it hardened. He carved it skillfully and defined all her features. He dragged her to the halls and placed her among the other statues.

"You will be safe here." He smiled.
"I will come to you." He held a rope. He hung himself too and died. He hung there for three days and then he opened his eyes. He jumped down and looked at himself in the mirror "I didn't die. Nobody came to get me... Nobody cares if I die. I was absent from this world for three days and nobody noticed." He felt betrayed.

"I've been given a second life. My first one was dedicated to Maria's life. My second one will be dedicated to Kirito's death. Only then, will I be able to sleep peacefully in a grave. I will kill you just like you killed me. I will give you the most painful death, Kirito Hiomi."

After that, Kurosava killed many people who seemed to pose a threat to his goal-- Erika was one of them. Her eyes were used as the blub of an artificial flower-- decorated inside a vase. He bore nine years to ignite this plan-- waiting for Kirito to have a wife so that he could show him how much it hurts to let go of people who didn't wanted to leave.

Now, everything had overlapped once again. This was the only chance.
Kurosava punched Ethan on his face and he almost got knocked out "This is what happens when you skip gym for booze. Boo~" Maya said.
Ethan picked up the axe and attacked him on his shoulders. He hit him again and again till he fell down and fainted.

"Ethan!" Vivian ran towards him.
"Don't come near me!" Ethan shouted and Vivian stopped "I see he can't die. But Vivian, you must live, at all costs, you must. Leave me and run. This is what I've reaped."

"Ethan..."
"You mustn't witness this." He smiled "I was born with blood in my hands and this is where I will perish. This is Fate."
Vivian and Maya stared at him.

"Ew, that's not me," Fate stood on the railings. Maya moved away from the railings and suddenly the glass railings broke into pieces. Fate jumped down. It was Lucus. His eyes were grey and his hair was peach. He looked at Kurosava who was bleeding all over.

"How is it?" Fate asked.
"It stinks. It's about nine years old." "No way!" Fate exclaimed. Kurosava got up slowly.

"When the will to live is stronger than the will to die and when wishes are left unfulfilled with cries, no soul shall perish. Their body shall arise." Lucus said.

"I thought this was a myth" Fate said. "No, it is possible. Though it's very rare and it can only be killed when it fulfills the wish it has been living for-- A diseased one. Free souls are the ones who didn't get to leave the world completely, leaving behind a negative part of their soul but diseased ones are the free souls who don't want to leave because of their unfulfilled wishes and desires."

"You mean..."
"Yes. He will die with Ethan." Lucus said as he looked at his Antabulam which had two names in it now.

One was Kurosava,
Second was Ethan.

"This is gonna be very painful..." Lucus said "For all of us."

- To be continued

Ellios Kurosawa
My Heart Hates Me